Tried hot yoga for the first time - dizzy

[Ekliptix]

I tried hot yoga this morning. I've never done any yoga before. After 10-15 minutes, I felt light headed and my face was tingly. I sat down, expecting to recover, but it got worse. After about 10 minutes of sitting and the tinglyness extending down my arms and chest, I left the room. I couldn't control the muscles in my face, so when I spoke with an employee at reception I couldn't form my mouth normally.

Within 1 minute of being outside the hot room, I started to feel better but there was still tingles 15 minutes after being outside the hot room.

I'm in good shape (run 20km/week) and 31 yrs old. 45min before yoga, I had 500mL of gatoraid and a power bar. I've only ever felt some tinglyness if I run too hard, so I slow my pace and it goes away. With yoga this morning, it kept getting more intense.

I'm going back tomorrow to try again. Any ideas to help prevent the dizzyness?

Thanks, and yes there were many hotties there. That's 3/4 of the reason I'm there. :)

[RickDaTuner]

I think you should see a doctor.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Nice description of a stroke, get a doctor to check you out ASAP, otherwise get your affairs in order and go to die in a that sweaty room or out running your 20 a week. And yes you can have a partial stroke and get on with your day, the damage is done the longer you linger. Happened to my 16 year old nephew, all-star in four sports so being fit has fuck all to do with it. The yoga centre ought to have recognized your situation and called an ambulance right fucking now. Then again, having an ambulance at the front door of a yoga centre might not be good for business.

From: http://brainfoundation.org.au/a-z-of-disorders/107-stroke#amihavingastroke



Symptoms of Stroke

The symptoms of stroke usually come on suddenly. The suddenness of onset distinguishes stroke from other conditions such as migraine or brain tumour. Every patient is affected differently and the most common symptoms are:

Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, often one side of the body.
A lack of muscle strength in any group of muscles, most commonly those on the face, hand, arm and leg on one side (called hemiparesis). At least half of patients suffer some form of hemiparesis, some with a mild form that involves difficulty in controlling movement, rather than weakness.
A loss of sensation or feeling in any part of the body. Numbness of the skin of the face, hand, arm, and leg on one side (hemiananaesthia) is most common.

Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
Difficulty in speech - slurring of speech (from weakening of face, mouth, throat muscles) may be accompanied by swallowing difficulty. There may be difficulty understanding othersÕ speech, finding the right words, understanding written words or in writing (aphasia).

Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
Difficulty with vision - may take the form of total loss of vision in one eye, or loss of vision in half the visual field of each eye, or double vision.

Sudden trouble walking, dizziness loss of balance or co-ordination.
Dizziness - injury to inner ear nerves may cause loss of balance, a spinning feeling, of the world moving (vertigo). May cause nausea, unsteadiness on the feet, a tendency to veer to one side or the other, or an unexplained fall.

Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
Headache - stroke and TIA do not usually cause headache, but headache may result from stretching or irritation of the membrane covering the brain (meninges) or the blood vessels in the brain.
Subarachnoid haemorrhage may be preceded by the sudden (within seconds) onset of an extremely severe ÔthunderclapÕ headache (the most intense the patient has ever felt), together with neck stiffness. Irritation from light may also be a problem. After minutes to hours the headache spreads to the back of the head, neck and back as blood tracks down the spinal subarachnoid space. Subarachnoid hemorrhage may be associated with drowsiness or loss of consciousness and with other stroke symptoms.

Less common symptoms include:
Nausea and vomiting- can be associated with vertigo or involvement of the Ôvomiting centreÕ (the medulla) of the brain; common at the outset of subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Drowsiness or unconsciousness - also not common, but may occur, often briefly, depending on the location of the injury in the brain.
Epileptic seizures (10% of patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage).

[dannie]

This happens a lot to first timers to hot yoga. It happens to me when i havent gone for a while. The worst was after i got off a flight in toronto. The humidity and difference in pressure killed me. I was tingly and had to leave class.

The key for me is that i go into the room as early as i can and i lay there and get acclimated to the heat.

If i feel dizzy, i sit down.

Don't feel like you are pussying out. Its not ridiculously easy.

Also, give it a couple days before going again and go early in the day. The room is a little less warm and humid.

[asp integra]

dont drink or eat like crazy before. Take water in with you, they say sugary drinks or caffine is the absolute worst thing you could drink before yogo, therefore the gatorade was probably the main culprit of why you felt so bad

Next time around go in with a big bottle of water and slowly drink as you are in there, you will fell way better and be able to complete the whole session

[asp integra]

to add to what i just said, my gf does hot yoga a few times a week and has been doing it for a few months now. a week or so ago she had a starbucks an hour or so before and said she felt just awful during the whole thing, later she was told about caffine and sugars before and how bad they are before hoy yoga

[Ekliptix]

I had a 5hr energy this morning too. It sounds like that may have been part of the issue. I'm at the doctor now anyway. Thanks for the input guys.

Update: the doctor says doesn't think it's a stoke because the tingles in my face, chest and arms were equal on both sides. A stroke would cause a sensation on one side only. They did some nerve tests, blood pressure, blood work and it all came out normal. I'm going to drink lots of water tonight and tomorrow morning and go back tomorrow afternoon. If I even start to feel slighly light headed, I'll get out and not push it like this morning.

[max_boost]

Crazy. Glad you are OK.

I've been contemplating hot yoga too but haven't jumped in yet. I've been going to beginner Ashtanga yoga to familiarize myself with the movements and hitting the steam room at the pools to try to get use to the heat. I don't know if that will help or not I just don't want my body to be like WTF! when I hit hot yoga for the first time.

[v2kai]

May help you OP or perhaps some others getting into hot yoga. When I did classes I drank a good amount of water and a powerade but even still i ended up getting a pounding headache and dizzy.

I took an Emergen-C with a glass of water and within 20 minutes felt a world of difference better. Its a full vitamin and electrolyte supplement you add to your water. Doesn't taste anything amazing but it's good stuff.

Definitely recommend taking one of these prior to class or have on hand afterwards.

http://www.emergenc.com/

http://www.liverichandfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/emergen-c-coupon.jpg

[Ekliptix]

I went back today. No problems, made it the full 90 minutes. Had lots of water & vitamin C 24hrs leading up to the session. I feel damn relaxed, and flexible!

They had those Emergen-C for sale at the counter. I'll try one next time.

[bigbadboss101]

Emergen-C is good stuff. With hot yoga not everyone is used to the ~40 temperature. The first time I went I was soaking wet and had to take my shirt off. Definite drink lot of water and if the heat is getting to you, sit down and have a drink.

I don't know about other yoga styles but Bikram has the same movement people would practice every class.

[dingbathero]

Yoga isn't done in India in hot temperatures.... We the Western World have created it for the 'thing' to do.

The Asanas (poses) are only one part of Yoga. Hot Yoga is dangerous. Just be careful if you are going back to it.

I don't recommend it to anyone.

[J-hop]

So do people in India do yoga in air conditioned buildings then? In the summer the average temperature is probably close to 40 degrees there...

There is nothing dangerous about hot yoga itself, it's hydration and loss of electrolytes that is the issue. But that is a danger of anything that requires physical exertion, probably best to just stay home on the computer right.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by dingbathero
Hot Yoga is dangerous.

:rofl:

How so Dr. Dingbat?

Dehydration is dangerous so be smart, that's about it. The only exception I can see is if you have previously existing medical conditions.....but how is it dangerous for your average healthy person?

[flipstah]

You were probably dehydrated. I felt like that my first time too. It's like anything; only a select few is good at something first time around.

Don't eat heavy before you go, drink up and enjoy because Hot Yoga is awesome!

And I don't give a fuck; shirt off.

Dri-Fit doesn't even work when you sweat this much.

[CUG]

Originally posted by Ekliptix


Update: the doctor says doesn't think it's a stoke You described exactly how I felt for the first week or so of being in the gym every day for 2 hours. For me, it was a hydration thing; more water over the course of the day and lots during the workout solved that. You might need a few more carbs?

[dingbathero]

Originally posted by J-hop
So do people in India do yoga in air conditioned buildings then? In the summer the average temperature is probably close to 40 degrees there...

There is nothing dangerous about hot yoga itself, it's hydration and loss of electrolytes that is the issue. But that is a danger of anything that requires physical exertion, probably best to just stay home on the computer right.

I understand that it's HOT there - they practice in the morning before the sun is up and that hot. It's not about staying at home in front of your computer :) It is about being prepared.

I still wouldn't recommend it. If you want to 'sweat' from yoga - go to a gym and workout. Yoga isn't meant to be a 'workout' first and then the Om second. But to each their own.