Extreme Dizziness During Exercise

Chris, absolutely it is the anxiety. When I was 21 I experienced a period of time of myself several panic attacks. Ultimately one lead me to drive myself to the emergency room and delared I was having a heart attack. The doctors thought I was nuts. I just didn't know anything about panic attacks back then. They went away for 20 years, but i'll get them now from time to time. Research them and try to find a way to handle them that you are comfortable with. There is hypnotherapy, biofeedback, courses you can buy- dr lucinda basset and a variety of ways to combat anxiety/stress. I'm not one to do xanax or paxil, but these drugs would probably help.

I know I tend to get anxious in places where I might have had a panic attack. Seeing that when working out you were "stricken".... This might make you anxious next time you work out...Kinda like you are anticipating the panic to hit you.

Even go visit a cardiologist to check out your heart...Maybe this will give you peace of mind (maybe not). Panic/stress causes weird things..Your thoughts are very powerful.

Maybe you should go see a doctor to be safe,
but I have very similar symptoms to you and I have anxiety.
I've had several heart check ups and they have all been normal,
worrying about your heart a lot can cause these symptoms
with exercise...I'd check your breathing, as overbreathing
could be a cause, i'm only 16 and worrying too much about this
kind of stuff but now i'm scared to exercise due to these symptoms.

Thanks for the feed back. I was starting to feel a bit better until the dizziness in the gym. Of course when I looked this symptom up on the internet, it says it could be my heart. So I worry that it is. Now, I get anxious when I leave for the gym, or I am about to go for a run. I had no idea that anxiety could cause this dizzieness in the gym too.
I have seen a doctor, and she's convinced I have anxiety and panic. I haven't got my blood tests back yet, nor have I had the ecg i'm scheduled to have. Maybe once these check out, if they do, i'll feel better. This anxiety is just destroying my lift. I wish I could just turn it off.

I do hope you go an d seek the help of a doctor........It sounds sort of serious to me. Hope all works out for you.

Here is a good link on stress and anxiety

http://wetrack.It/xposed/a/1/ e/589

let me know how everything works out for you chris.

Scott

can i ask you a question on this topic?

Chris, Im 27 years old, I have been getting the same thing lately. Every time I go for a walk, I feel dizzy, light headed, and that cold sweat feeling. The back of my neck muscles tighten up, so when I turn my head, it feels like I will lose consiousness almost, weirdest feelings. Doctors think its anxiety, after I thought it was my heart. had some tests, turns out heart is ok. But it didnt calm me down that much, with so many other things that could be wrong with a human, its hard to try and relax and just "settle" on it being anxiety. I wish it would go away too. I used to remember excersing and feeling great, having no worries what so ever. Now Im afraid to get my heart up at all...
scott

Have you taken you blood pressure when this happens. What does you pulse rate go up to?

Scott/Chris (and rest of forum)- it's comforting to ready other people's experience. I am 29 yr old male with some history of panic/anxiety attacks. First happened in 2001 after a holiday where I got real rundown- woke up one night with racing pulse and cold sweat- had all the holter checks and heart was fine but didn't feel comforted. Didn't have many again until last year- work took a toll on me and I would wake up feeling tired in the morning- get tired and panting from even walking 5 mins to the train station. On the train when sitting down would feel like I could not breathe and sleepy/light headed. Other times it was more intense - pains in my neck (like they were tensing) and inside my head felt like I was going crazy, racing pulse and whole body aches, feeling I could pass out but then would subside with some slow breathing/paper bag- but at the time it feels awful. I used to get some extra heartbeats now and again although thankfully that was when I was shattered and I don't tend to get them much now.

For a guy who used to go to the gym 3 times a week for a mix of weights and cardio I was pretty worried and had lots of checks- BP, ECG and even Ultrasound of the heart, Catacolymines (adrenaline levels) in urine, Thyroid checks, blood tests - I felt so unwell generally although all the checks showed I was otherwise healthy (resting pulse about 48 now- used to be 38 as a teen). I started seeing a pyschotherapist to discuss my panic/anxiety attacks and it did help a little . I am calmer and less stressed than I used to be but I still don't feel confident to exercise as I feel I have developed a phobia of getting exhausted or light headed or getting another attack at work or being convinced there is something wrong with my heart- I can always feel my heartbeat- sometimes its a real faint palpitation- other times its fast and pounding- especially after eating lunch- so I try to eat light and not drink too much water at once- as it feels like this amplifies the palpitations? Do any of you ever get this?

I might be exercising and I will feel a sudden feeling of the wind being taken out of me and I feel dizzy. It's irrational- everyone should exercise but I get light headed just thinking about it- want to go back to my old self....My therapist says its like you get stressed and you're stress levels are residually higher than normal although it may not show on medical tests. When you get frustrated or stressed it pushes it up and slowly it exhausts you. You need to rest well, eat good foods like fresh fruits, fish, and exercise slowly building it up- so your pulse is about 120 bpm for 20 mins with something simple like walking. I myself have been doing this with some success but lately I feel like I have regressed. On some days I feel fine and invigorated after exercise- others I feel totally spent and tight and dizzy even shaking. Part of me feels it is all in my head- I mean doctors arent always right but what is the chance of us all having serious heart conditions at this age- given history of exercise and otherwise active lifestyle... All I know is I never had this issue much before work got me stressed so it's all correlated to life changes and how we need to learn to deal with it better? Hope we can all beat this and get to our former selves.