chineezguy

I've been doing triathlons for 6 years now - everything from sprints to half iron. Every time I ccomplete an open water swim and stand up I get extremely dizzy and walk like a drunk. Yesterday I was so dizzy I actually fell (I was doing a sprint race).

1. Has anyone else experienced this problem (it doesn't occur when I swim in a pool)?
2. Is there something I can do to prevent this? (some have told me it has to do with cold water messing with the ear and that ear plugs would help).

As you can imagine this is very frustrating and causes long T1 times. Help!!!

Michael

^*^BATMAN^*^

The cold water seems to amplify the effect for me. Though the most common reason I have been told about this(I dont get it alot anymore, but I used to alot), is the instant change in position. When you swim you are lying horizontaly. Then within say 10 seconds, you are standing and running. The sudden change makes blood rush down, leaving you light headed.

evanatorx

i get dizzy as hell...i think it is the rotating head movements of joy....

zarautz70

Yes, I feel like that as well.
I have been told to use my legs quicky on the last 20 meters of the swimming in order to get the blod running all over the body again : did this on my last triathlon and it seemed to help reducing the drunk feeling.

caloso

It's no so bad when I get out of the water but when I get to T1 and bend over to get my wetsuit off, it's World Spin Time. At my last race, I actually fell over. I knew I was going down and as I tipped over, I just prayed that I wouldn't crash into someone's bike (especially mine!).

cooker

I don't compete in Trialthlons or any race, but I've often experienced that momentary dizziness after a workout in a pool. I doubt if it's a circulatory thing, since your heart is pumpng hard. Personally, I think it more likely that your brain and ear labyrinth have adapted to your position and motion in the water, and need a few seconds to adapt to your position and motion on land.

Woden2003

it is absolutely a circulation thing, because your heart may be pumping hard, but for however long you're swimming, it is not working against gravity. Its the same thing if you were to lay down for a long time perfectly still, where your heart isn't working as hard, and then just jump right up. You are always gonna get light-headed, because gravity will temporarily win over your bodies natural mechanisms to fight it.

cooker

I get out of bed every day after lying down 7-8 hours, and don't get anywhere near the dizziness I sometimes experience getting out of a pool or lake after a long swim.

Woden2003

well that's also because all of the blood has been fueling your arm muscles for swimming, and so when you all of a sudden have to support your own weight (i.e. switching muscle groups VERY quickly on TOP of the gravity shift) you end up losing a little blood flow to the ole noggin... that's why zarautz method of a little extra kicking would make sense, cuz you start to force more blood flow to the legs earlier, so its not such a sudden shock

chineezguy

Thanks for all the discussion. I've heard the bit about kicking faster toward the end of the swim. I actually just had a brain storm - next time I do an open water swim I'm going to take Dramamine!

Anbaric Cog

Happens to me a lot. It was funny in the Pacific Grove Triathlon last year. The course was such that you had to get out of the water in the middle of the swim and run up on the beach the get back into the ocean. I was wobbling so much I was afraid I wouldn't make it without falling on the rock.

The worst part for me is when I'm dizzy and trying to get my Wetsuit off. I have given up and now practice doing a "pull down, sit down." All that so I don't "fall down!"

a.c.

Bici3

I have been tri-racing now for 16 years. Open H2O swim racing in lakes, rivers, ponds, and ocean.
I only get the dizzee's from time in the ocean.
I believe the brain adapts to the motion of the sea. Sometimes I will lose my balance temporarily (very funny moment or two) while standing still in the afternoon or evening after spending most of my day swimming in Hawaii. It does not occur after swimming in the Italian Adriatic - I think due to the smaller swells.
I would like to hypothesize that this is only an attempted adaptation to the environment that the brain, inner-ear, and visual cues have been exposed to.
Do sailors newly ashore experience this?


https://www.bicitreregioni.com

cooker

Sailors do feel unsteady when they walk on land right after being at sea, but I don't know if it's the same mechanism. They have adapted to the boat swaying under them (getting your "sea legs") and they expect the ground to pitch and roll too.

norsehabanero

one of the tris i did this happened, the water was colder and maybe that had some to do with it as well,
no wetsuit was used

mtcycle09

it's called the stillnes illness and it really sucks you feel like the whole room is moving

chineezguy

OK. Here is an update on my original post. For some strange reason, I have not experienced any dizziness after open water swims this season. It is great being able to run in a straight line after getting out of the water! No more dizziness, no more nausea. Wish I could tell you what made the difference.

Thanks for all the suggestions and discussion.

nycom99

Try wearing earplugs- no not kidding. The cold water does affect the labyrinth system in the ears- that is what is making you dizzy.

Cold water in the ears is actually a test for brain death. It's called cold calorics. The cold water stimulates the heck out of the middle ear. The eyes on a patient who is not brain dead (the triathlon swimmer) deviate towards the cold ear and fast towards midline- it's called nystagmus.

I once had a hair caught on my ear drum (swimming shortly after a haircut). The ENT doctor had to use a substance on the end of a q-tip to get the hair. As soon as that cold substance touched my ear drum, my head was spinning. I had to sit in the chair for 5 minutes to get my bearings.