Wow, I Just passed out. That's never happened before.

[deadken]

I recognize that I did everything wrong. I ate a really big lunch yesterday, so I skipped dinner when I came home. I had a few cookies and a beer while playing some games on the computer. I went to be around midnight and got up around 8am. I had to run a few errands, and I never got to eat breakfast. I had (2) Clementines (those small Oranges). I took my wife and son for bagels after we ran the errands, but I just wasn't in the mood for one and figured that I'd eat something when I got home. I've probably drank about 2 liters of water today. I haven't had anything but water (no coffee, juice, soda, etc...).

I got home and again used my PC for about 2 hours. I went for a run after 4pm. I didn't plan on doing 9 miles today. I figured I would stop after 5 or 7, but I felt good, so I ran 9 miles and then took the dog for around a 1/2 mile walk (my cool down). When I got back, I got in the shower and then, I decided to take a bath. I haven't taken a bath in years, but I felt a little sore/stiff in my legs and decided to take one. I took a bath and fell asleep in the tub. When I got up, I felt lightheaded. I knew something was up, and realized that I hadn't eaten much all day. I knew I needed something and fast since now it was after 7pm. I got to the kitchen, opened the fridge and found.... nothing good. I grabbed some old OJ (which has been there since my daughter was home for the Christmas break, she went back Jan 17th). Not caring about expiration dates, I swigged as much as I could.

Then I woke up on the floor. I couldn't figure out why I was on the floor. My hip hurt and I found the top to the OJ container laying next to me. Then I realized that I must have passed out. When I found the OJ container (luckily it was resting against something and the last little bit hadn't drained out onto the floor. I still felt woozy, so I finished the OJ. I went back into the fridge and ate a few pieces of cheese and had a slice of pizza. Now, a half hour later, I just ate some yogurt. I think I'll have another yogurt before I go to bed, and then make some eggs and whole wheat toast for breakfast.

In hindsight, I think that when I swigged the OJ, I threw my head back. I'm guessing that was just too much of a quick move and there wasn't enough blood up there. My wife didn't even know I passed out, but I told her. Now she's all worried, she wants me to go and see a doctor. I feel that I know what I did wrong and I can wait until my next physical in June.

To me I see that I skipped dinner, had almost nothing for breakfast, and then 4 or 5 cookies for lunch before running a long distance (I don't usually do 9 miles, but have been working up to it). I delayed dinner to wash up, and then prolonged not eating when I fell asleep in the tub. I am totally not worried, but my wife still is. I told her that I'd ask online, and that seemed to calm her down (she was going to call my mother!).

For what it is worth, I just turned 45 this month. I have no medical issues and am in pretty good shape. I usually eat pretty healthy, but have been known to slide into bad habits for a day or three on occasion. I'm 5' 11" and down to 175 lbs. I was up to almost 185 about 9 months ago, which is why I started running again. Losing around a pound a month doesn't worry me. It's not like I just lost 9 lbs in 9 weeks, I've been pretty consistent. I bought one of those HRM watches. Occasionally I check it after sitting for 20 minutes or so, my resting heart rate is around 60-64. But sometimes I find it in the high 50's. Every time I get my blood pressure checked, I ask about the numbers. I'm always told that it is 'good', a little on the low side. They usually follow up that it is better to be on the low side of good then to be on the high side of good.

So, is there a reason to worry? I really don't think I need to see a doctor this week. I figure that maybe I'll go for my physical in May this year instead of June. The last time I gave blood (almost a year ago), I almost passed out (the nurse reclined me, put ice on my neck, and raised my legs). They gave me twice the amount of juice and cookies and made me wait around for about 20 minutes before they let me go. I don't think I've ever passed out in my life, so I figured that I'd ask here.

I am sorry about making this such a long post, but I wanted to give as much information as possible. I think all the information I gave was relevant to what I am asking about.

 

[txsizzler]

Sounds like you had really low blood sugar levels occuring. Further, you pretty well had exhausted your sources of any type of energy.

My thoughts would be similar to yours on going to the doctor, but I would definately be monitoring my vitals for the next few weeks, and if light-headedness, or other strange feelings reoccur, you should DEFINATELY see your doctor.

Like you, I workout quite a bit, to maintain my fitness level, and to stay active. I always have a rule to eat a LARGE breakfast, mild lunch, and a very small supper. I will eat a couple of higher protein type snacks between meals. My main carb load occurs at breakfast, along with a 20-30 gram protein start to the day (meats).

Anyhow, if you have sustained any injury with your fall, you should see a doctor. Otherwise, keep track of your health closely, as mentioned.


Ian

 

[Cookie]

That happens to me often (once a year at most) and I get the same results with blood pressure tests: a bit low, but still within normal range. I have to be very careful getting out of a hot bath and then I go lie down for about 2 min before I do much else. If your bath was very warm it may have had the same effect on you, lowering your blood pressure, especially since you fell asleep and stayed longer than you would have normally.

I told my doctor about it and she didn't seem to think it was a big deal. I'm going to tell her again next time I go because it nearly happened again skydiving last summer solo and that freaked me out. But I agree with you, just be aware of it and make sure you eat properly. And be careful getting out of the bath.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Sounds like you had really low blood sugar levels occuring. Further, you pretty well had exhausted your sources of any type of energy.

My thoughts would be similar to yours on going to the doctor, but I would definately be monitoring my vitals for the next few weeks, and if light-headedness, or other strange feelings reoccur, you should DEFINATELY see your doctor.

Like you, I workout quite a bit, to maintain my fitness level, and to stay active. I always have a rule to eat a LARGE breakfast, mild lunch, and a very small supper. I will eat a couple of higher protein type snacks between meals. My main carb load occurs at breakfast, along with a 20-30 gram protein start to the day (meats).

Anyhow, if you have sustained any injury with your fall, you should see a doctor. Otherwise, keep track of your health closely, as mentioned.


Ian

Clinical hypoglycemia (enough to cause passing out) is very, very hard to come by unless someone has serious metabolic disease (or injects themsleves with too much insulin). Even people who are literally starving maintain their blood sugar levels above clinical hypoglycemia.

You could've been dehydrated, you could've been hypotensive, you could've had a vestibular reaction exacerbated by all of those. Take better care of your body, man. That's not normal and, if you can run 9 mi, you can take the time to make sure you eat and drink enough throughout the day. Do you eat anything during a 9mi run? If not, you definitely should. If you're gonna be running longer than 45min, you need to eat about 100cal every 10min after that. You should also be drinking water throughout and potentially supplementing sodium. If it happens again, go see your doc. Really though, it's pretty solid in the story that you gotta take better care of yourself if you're gonna be that active.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

The one time I've passed out was after a doctor drew what seemed like more blood vial by vial than when I donated blood once (almost passed out that time).

 

[deadken]

Clinical hypoglycemia (enough to cause passing out) is very, very hard to come by unless someone has serious metabolic disease (or injects themsleves with too much insulin). Even people who are literally starving maintain their blood sugar levels above clinical hypoglycemia.

So, that means that it wasn't from not eating?

You could've been dehydrated, you could've been hypotensive, you could've had a vestibular reaction exacerbated by all of those.

I've googled the things you suggested and I think I understand what you are saying. From what I see, it was a combination of what I did (and didn't do). I think that if I take a bit more time, and be more aware of what I'm doing, I can prevent the same thing from happening. I am still seeing this as a combination of things that I did wrong.

Take better care of your body, man. That's not normal and, if you can run 9 mi, you can take the time to make sure you eat and drink enough throughout the day.

Honestly, I usually do take pretty good care of myself. True, I neglect things from time to time, but by and large I'm pretty healthy and fit. I'm not sure that I was dehydrated at all, but drinking more water is probably the easiest thing to do, so I'll be sure to keep even more hydrated.

Can I ask you to clarify what's "not normal"? Passing out? Or are you saying that my actions weren't typical? I'm confused. Again, I've never passed out before in my life. I am really not thinking that me passing out is something that I have to worry about (like an indication of a larger problem). I'm thinking it's a reminder that I'm not as young as I used to be and a few simple steps (like eating + drinking) would go a long way in preventing it from happening again.

Do you eat anything during a 9mi run? If not, you definitely should. If you're gonna be running longer than 45min, you need to eat about 100cal every 10min after that. You should also be drinking water throughout and potentially supplementing sodium. If it happens again, go see your doc. Really though, it's pretty solid in the story that you gotta take better care of yourself if you're gonna be that active.

I'm really confused about this. No, I never eat while I run. I rarely eat before a run. Most every weekday morning I run 2 miles (time permitting, if not, then I try and squeeze in 1 mile) and I haven't eaten anything since the night before. I don't like the idea of running with food in my stomach at all. Eating a hour or two before my morning runs isn't feasible. I do try and eat within an hour of finishing a run.

I'm trying to think of what I could bring with me to eat 45 minutes into a run and only come up with: raisins + nuts and / or granola bar(s). I really don't like sweet snacks, so I'd be using raisins and nuts as a home made trail mix. I might add something else later to 'mix it up', but I can't see myself using chocolate chips, M+M's, etc... As for granola bars, I mean the kind with no fruit type filling. Perhaps I can find a recipe online that will let me make some that aren't sugar loaded. I might be able to have an apple or banana, but I don't know that they'd be a realistic snack for when I'm running.

Sure, I could take a 3 or 5 minute break while running to eat, but I don't think that is realistic. Stopping and then restarting would be unlikely for me.

As for replenishing sodium, I tried using sports drink(s) while running. I had bad heartburn. So, I spoke to my doctor and tried diluting them with water (maybe a 50/50 mix). I still got heartburn, so I just went back to water. Would a 75/25 water/sports drink solution be good for replenishing sodium? Or should I use some salt in the raisin / nut mixture? BTW: My doctor told me that Gatorade has a pH strong enough to eat paint off a car. I didn't entirely believe him, but I got the point.

-Ken

 

[SociallyChallenged]

So, that means that it wasn't from not eating?

I've googled the things you suggested and I think I understand what you are saying. From what I see, it was a combination of what I did (and didn't do). I think that if I take a bit more time, and be more aware of what I'm doing, I can prevent the same thing from happening. I am still seeing this as a combination of things that I did wrong.

Honestly, I usually do take pretty good care of myself. True, I neglect things from time to time, but by and large I'm pretty healthy and fit. I'm not sure that I was dehydrated at all, but drinking more water is probably the easiest thing to do, so I'll be sure to keep even more hydrated.

Can I ask you to clarify what's "not normal"? Passing out? Or are you saying that my actions weren't typical? I'm confused. Again, I've never passed out before in my life. I am really not thinking that me passing out is something that I have to worry about (like an indication of a larger problem). I'm thinking it's a reminder that I'm not as young as I used to be and a few simple steps (like eating + drinking) would go a long way in preventing it from happening again.

I'm really confused about this. No, I never eat while I run. I rarely eat before a run. Most every weekday morning I run 2 miles (time permitting, if not, then I try and squeeze in 1 mile) and I haven't eaten anything since the night before. I don't like the idea of running with food in my stomach at all. Eating a hour or two before my morning runs isn't feasible. I do try and eat within an hour of finishing a run.

I'm trying to think of what I could bring with me to eat 45 minutes into a run and only come up with: raisins + nuts and / or granola bar(s). I really don't like sweet snacks, so I'd be using raisins and nuts as a home made trail mix. I might add something else later to 'mix it up', but I can't see myself using chocolate chips, M+M's, etc... As for granola bars, I mean the kind with no fruit type filling. Perhaps I can find a recipe online that will let me make some that aren't sugar loaded. I might be able to have an apple or banana, but I don't know that they'd be a realistic snack for when I'm running.

Sure, I could take a 3 or 5 minute break while running to eat, but I don't think that is realistic. Stopping and then restarting would be unlikely for me.

As for replenishing sodium, I tried using sports drink(s) while running. I had bad heartburn. So, I spoke to my doctor and tried diluting them with water (maybe a 50/50 mix). I still got heartburn, so I just went back to water. Would a 75/25 water/sports drink solution be good for replenishing sodium? Or should I use some salt in the raisin / nut mixture? BTW: My doctor told me that Gatorade has a pH strong enough to eat paint off a car. I didn't entirely believe him, but I got the point.

-Ken

It likely wasn't due to hypoglycemia - your not eating almost definitely had something to do with it though. Blood sugar is not the only thing that is affected by eating. Storage of glycogen and fat is essential to maintaining proper bodily functions. Although you may not have been hypoglycemic, your lack of nutrition still affects the body and the brain negatively.

You're right, it was likely several factors contributing to the event. I wouldn't blame it on one thing.

I'm moreso talking about hydration while you're exercising. You can lose a LOT of moisture by sweating and breathing, especially if you go for a long time. You might want to map a route with several water fountains throughout (which is what I do) or look into buying a water bottle belt or something.

Passing out isn't normal is what I meant. That's not something that should happen.

Research shows that rate of perceived exertion increases while blood sugar levels and overall endurance decrease the longer you run without food/water compared to if you have regular foot/water during the exercise. Overall fatigue sets in faster, which can have a negative affect on your central nervous system. Considering your central nervous system is pretty important, that could definitely have something to do with your passing out. I think you may have put your body into a state of exhaustion or neural overload.

You don't have to eat something so serious during a run. A lot of runners I know bring things like sports drinks (which aren't for you because of the heartburn), gummy candies (easy to eat), small oranges (easy to get down), power gels, power bars, etc. I know some people who even bring a little bit of honey and just eat that. Your snack should be more carb-based so I wouldn't suggest nuts so much (plus they're hard to eat). Dried fruit would be fine. And honestly, if you're going to have candy, during and directly post-exercise is when you should have it. The body works entirely differently during exercise than at rest. Because of the exercise, most of your glucose transporters are insulin-independent. The sugars are actually beneficial because they're easily digestible and can replenish glucose and glycogen very quickly. Yes, that's right, I suggested eating refined sugar during or directly after exercise.

Replenishing sodium is pretty easy, actually. Most people I know actually just bring salt supplements (small pills, blocks of salts, stuff you can put in water) and take them every so often. You should google to see how much you need to take in and how often based on your age, weight, pace, etc. Btw, your doctor is being dramatic. Lime juice is insanely acidic as well, but I don't think I'd be warning people about the health risks of putting lime into stuff.

Overall, I'm not trying to condemn you for what happened. I just want you to be safe and healthy while enjoying an active lifestyle. You can't neglect your body like you did. It's like this - if you had eaten earlier, it probably wouldn't have mattered if you ate during. If you had eaten during, it probably wouldn't have matted if you ate prior to exercise. You didn't do both, and that is exhausting for the body and CNS.

 

[RavenSEAL]

I kind of remember the only time I passed out, lol.

I woke up one day and went to take a shower. I went to open the door and next thing I know I'm laying flat on the carpet with a sharp pain in the back of my head. Not sure how long I was out for, no one else was around to see it.

 

[Pia]

I have passed out exactly once, about a minute or two after I had a small amount of blood drawn for tests. The needle mark was already bandaged, and I was sitting in a comfy chair waiting for an OK to put on my shirt and leave. The next thing I remember is the lab tech waking me up. I don't have a "thing" about needles or blood. Every other time has went with absolutely no lightheadedness, never mind passing out. So it seems really random.