Dizzy/nauseous after open water swim
I had the same problem when I first started open water swimming, wax ear plugs did the trick.
"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." Lance Armstrong
I tend to suffer from bad motion sickness . . . It never happened in the pool
Artemis wrote:If it weren't for the last part, I'd think it was motion sickness. I'm totally grasping for straws here, but maybe not having the orienting effect of the black stripe on the bottom of the pool is messing with you. I often feel like I'm staring into the abyss in open water.I tend to suffer from bad motion sickness . . . It never happened in the pool
i agree, swam for 16 years through college before doing open water/triathlon...never had a problem. the first time i got out of the water going into T1 i was totally dizzy and confused. i believe that it is the lack of a line, or something to look at, on the bottom that causes this disorientation.
I have had the same problem. I get bad motion sickness especially when the water is cold. I wear wax ear plugs in cold water now and I dont get dizzy at all.
+1 on ear plugs (wax or silicone)
I am going to use ear plugs from now on. I got an inner ear infection after a lake swim for a sprint race two weeks ago. I got vertigo related to the infection.
I am thankfully on my feet again, but am hoping the ear plugs will prevent these problems in the future.
Sara Cox Landolt
www.ironmakeover.com
I was dizzy and disoriented after exiting the water at my first outdoor sprint tri. I felt fine while swimming so the feeling was unexpected to say the least. I asked a fitness instructor friend who has done several tris for an explanation. He said it's two-fold. One is that you are swimming non-stop - unlike pool swimming - and because it's a race, you are likely swimming with more vigor than usual. In short, you are really pushing yourself. The other is that while swimming, your body isn't supporting its own weight. The blood is distributed differently than when you are upright. When you suddenly stand, it takes a few seconds to get back to "normal" both in terms of being vertical again and letting the blood move back up to your brain from your legs and arms, which have been working ot. He said it's happened to him on more than one occasion.
I went for an open water swim in the ocean on Saturday. We went about a mile and a half. From Monday morning until Tuesday around noon, I have had vertigo to the point that it made be throw up. I've been to the doctor and they simply told me I had vertigo and thought it was probably from the swim. Has anyone else experienced this?
I got dizzy myself a few times from an open water swim; I think I am going to try to use teh wax ear plugs myself to see.
I joined a Masters Swim Class Monday and I felt fine in class....who knows.
-M
I know for me I have to be properly hydrated and have eaten correctly. Perhaps keeping track of drinking and eating before and after swims may give a clue.
Hi, so I just went for a half-mile OW swim along the beach, and when I got up, sure I was a little dizzy, but more concerning to me was that my ears just really hurt. could this be because of water slapping my ear? I definitely noticed that when I took a breath sometimes, my ears would slap the water, but it didn't really hurt until I got my head out of the water for more than a few seconds.
+1 to the ear plugs. I was at an open water swim clinic and many people talked about how when standing up at the end of the swim people felt dizzy and disorianted. I hadn't felt that until the third time I was in the open water. The water was colder than the previous week (at least it seemed). But I was so dizzy and kept trying to get my balance but couldn't because of the rocks and the condition. It may have kicked off some motions sickness for you.
"The pain of discipline is far less than the pain of regret" - Sarah Bombell
I think Pineapple Jam is on to something. I also experienced dizziness after open water swims, nearly falling over when trying to stand up. Looking back at training logs I found that it occurred after I had dropped a couple of pounds, and I wasn't eating before the early morning swims. Once I started to fuel a bit before the morning swim the dizziness seemed to stop, for me.
I got queasy after OWS until I figured it out.
I switch sides I breath on when in the pool every time I flip turn. In the lake though, I usually breath on one side for a long distance (avoiding the sun.) If I breath right for 1km, I will DEFINITELY get nauseous. Now I try to remember to switch breathing sides every few minutes. That has helped a ton.
Chad from Arizona
www.slidell4life.com

















I noticed after my last two open water practice swims I've been horribly nauseated and dizzy. And it doesn't go away after I get out of the water - I swam this morning at about 9:00, and at 3:00, I'm still feeling sick. I tend to suffer from bad motion sickness, is that what is causing this? I don't really want to take a dramamine on the morning of the race as it may make me drowsy, but typically the natural remedies have never worked for me (ginger). Or is something else causing this? It never happened in the pool, so I don't think it's my breathing.