If you feel tired before you work out, you must be aware of the adverse effects. Generally speaking, they will take supplements before exercise to enhance their endurance and concentration, so that they will not have the urge to leave the gym halfway., Are you aware of Pre Workout side effects? For example, many people who go to the gym tend to feel sick after exercising beyond their ability. They may also experience other problems, such as tingling under the skin, headache, indigestion, etc.
Side Effects of Pre Workout
If you often take pre exercise supplements before exercise, it may be that these ingredients work on your body and cause you trouble. Each component has a unique function to perform. However, if these ingredients are not added according to the clinically approved dose, they will produce a large number of side effects, leading to physical discomfort, and you will often suffer from pre exercise diseases.
1. May Make You Nervous
Caffeine is one of the main ingredients in many pre exercise supplements. This stimulant has been shown to increase muscle strength and output during exercise while reducing fatigue (1 rust source, 2 rust sources, 3 rust sources). In theory, caffeine can help you get more out of certain exercises. However, caffeine has several potential side effects, especially if you consume too much. These symptoms include insomnia, nausea, increased heart rate, drowsiness, headache, anxiety, nervousness or restlessness (4 reliable sources). What’s more, many pre exercise supplements contain a lot of caffeine, up to 500 milligrams per serving. Consumption is usually between 0.35-1 ounce (10-30 grams). In contrast, a cup of coffee (240 ml) contains only 95 mg. The best way to reduce side effects is to start with a small amount of caffeine before exercise and slowly increase the dose to see what you can tolerate. Of course, you can also choose a caffeine free pre exercise supplement.
2. Cause Headache
Citrulline is added to some pre exercise supplements to increase muscle blood flow during exercise, thereby enhancing muscle construction. This amino acid works by increasing the level of nitric oxide in the blood (19 credible sources). Citrulline malate is a common form of this ingredient, and its recommended dose is 6-8 grams, although many pre exercise supplements provide small amounts and may not have potential benefits.
Remember, increased blood flow can affect your brain and muscles, causing some people to have headaches and migraines. This is due to changes in blood pressure in the small blood vessels of your brain (20 credible sources).
3. Cause Slight Reaction
The other two components of many pre exercise supplements are β- Alanine and niacin (vitamin B3). β- Alanine is an amino acid that can reduce the acidity of muscle during exercise, which may help you keep exercising for a little longer.
Taking 4-6g daily can improve exercise performance and reduce fatigue during high-intensity exercise lasting for 1-4 minutes.
However, this component may cause paresthesia and tingling in the hands and feet. Although this is a harmless nervous system response, some people may feel uncomfortable
4. Increase Water Retention
Another popular ingredient in many pre exercise formulas is creatine. Studies have shown that it can improve high-intensity exercise ability and increase lean weight through exercise (6 reliable sources). Although creatine is usually part of the pre exercise supplement, it can also be taken alone. The major side effects associated with creatine are fairly mild, but include water retention, abdominal distension, weight gain, and digestive problems. By ensuring the appropriate dose, you can reduce any adverse symptoms. Creatine is usually administered in a loading phase of 4 teaspoons (20 g) per day for at least 3 days, and then maintained at a dose of 3-5 g per day. This method brings quick benefits, but it is more likely to cause digestive problems and abdominal distension.
5. Cause Indigestion
Several ingredients in pre exercise formula may cause indigestion. These include sodium bicarbonate, magnesium, creatine and caffeine. Sodium bicarbonate may cause problems when ingested at a dose of 91-227 mg / lb body weight (200-500 mg / kg). However, most pre exercise supplements do not contain that much.
On the other hand, magnesium may have a cathartic effect, especially in the form of magnesium citrate. Therefore, excessive intake may lead to diarrhea. Interestingly, using too little water when mixing pre exercise supplements can also damage your digestion. Too much fluid may cause diarrhea. Since it is difficult to determine which ingredients cause digestive problems, you may want to try different pre exercise recipes until you find one you can tolerate. Several ingredients in pre exercise supplements may cause digestive problems in some people. Mixing them with enough water can mitigate these effects.
How to Get Rid of Pre Workout Side Effects?
1. Keep Sufficient Moisture
Water can help you treat headaches, insomnia, or digestive problems before exercise.
When you exercise, you sweat and lose a lot of water and electrolytes. In addition, due to the content of caffeine, it has a diuretic effect before exercise. Therefore, you need to drink more water to make up for this loss. Increasing the amount of water you drink can help you solve your pre exercise headache. The data from this study showed that when migraine patients increased their water intake, the intensity and duration of headache decreased significantly. In a research paper, high water intake also helped improve mood and sleep quality. Therefore, you should drink more water to calm your mind, put down anxiety and go to sleep early.
In addition, water has a positive effect on skin diseases. The analysis showed that it improved skin physiology. Therefore, frequent hydration can reduce your rash and stinging symptoms. Using warm water instead of cold water can also improve digestion efficiency. Warmth will relieve the tension of gastrointestinal muscles and accelerate digestion. Therefore, it can reduce abdominal distension and abdominal pain.
2. Take Probiotics
Probiotics, also known as healthy bacteria, can also help you recover from pre exercise illness. Probiotics play a supporting role in intestinal digestion. In this research paper, the efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of functional gastrointestinal diseases is obvious. It recommends the use of probiotics in the treatment of various diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome and enterocolitis. Probiotic bacterial therapy helps to prevent and treat skin diseases such as allergy, eczema, dermatitis and allergic inflammation. These microbial agents also contribute to better management of mental illness. Systematic studies have shown that probiotics have a positive effect on the central nervous system. They can help you reduce anxiety and depression before exercise.
3. Use Herbal Extracts
Side effects before exercise can also be eliminated with herbal extracts.
A systematic review in 2016 concluded that garlic preparation can effectively reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure. So if caffeine causes your blood pressure to rise, garlic treatment may just be a lifesaver! It can also be used as an immunomodulator to reduce the sensitivity of skin neurons to substances that cause itching before training.
So, add a little garlic powder to your food, and the tingling and flushing may soon disappear.
You can add natural herbs to your diet to help you avoid abdominal distension and diarrhea before exercise. According to a study, ginger and artichoke extracts were found to be effective in improving the symptoms of chronic gastrointestinal diseases and functional dyspepsia.
4. Workout with Yoga
You can also indulge in mindfulness exercises to get rid of pre exercise illness. Because mindfulness meditation can help improve your cognitive ability. Not to mention, effective stress management is the most obvious benefit of this approach.
A clinical study reported that migraine patients’ pain intensity and headache frequency decreased after practicing yoga for three months. Mindfulness based decompression is an 8-week meditation program recommended for the treatment of chronic insomnia. This randomized trial concluded that MBSR reduced sleep time and quality. Similarly, yoga can help you cope with high blood pressure, because a study found that it is an effective intervention to reduce blood pressure.
Prevention of Pre Workout Side Effects
The tingling you get from some pre exercise supplements is harmless and doesn’t need to worry. Eventually, your feelings will fade and you will return to your normal feelings.
This sensation is only due to a reaction in the nervous system. If you are not interested in this particular side effect, it is recommended that you stay away from pre exercise supplements containing these ingredients. You can also isolate certain components to stay away from them.
If you don’t like nicotinic acid flushing, find a product that doesn’t contain nicotinic acid. Or pay close attention to the grams of each of the above ingredients and find a product with a lower dosage, or just eat less in each exercise to see how your body reacts.