Fainting linked to malnutrition? Has this happened to anyone?
TLantog94
Posts: 3 Member
Hi, I'm in college and have fainted a total of five times in my collegiate career. I never fainted beforehand; I exercised and ran daily in high school. My parents think it's something to do with low blood sugar and/or low blood pressure. They also think im not eating enough and I'm not getting the nutrients I need. I know I don't drink enough either. Has anyone experienced problems like this ie dizziness and / or fainting after skipping a meal or not eating a lot ?
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Replies
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Go see a Doctor.0
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^^ Yup, there are too many potential issues for you to seek an internet diagnosis. But you need to know what it is, so please see a doctor.0
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Well, you could log everything you eat and drink and then you would actually know how many calories, etc you were getting.
You should definitely see a doctor though instead of guessing what the issue is.0 -
Dehydration is a big player here! There are also other causes and you may need to see a doctor, but drink at least 64 oz of fluid a day (not cafeinated or carbonated) and see if that helps.
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My spouse had been fainting and we found out it was due to a heart condition. It's best to not assume that it's nutrition related and actually see a doctor.0
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The only correct and beneficial advice you're going to get on this thread is to go see a doctor. Fainting is common, especially in young women. But there's no way to diagnose the cause via the internet.0
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If my iron levels are low and my blood sugar drops I can feel faint (I have fainted in the past from this, but now I recognise the hot, sicky feeling, the darkening vision, and the hearing loss and park my backside down in time to avoid a scene). To avoid it I make sure my anaemia is in check and I eat regularly. I notice this less since I stopped losing weight.
However you do need to go to a doctor to establish the cause, as we can only offer possibilities for what we think it could be.0 -
I had that happen to me before as well a few years ago. I was about 20 and I was working in the retail industry lots of activity going , but I was not eating enough and or did not have enough sugar in my body. When you're active your body uses your stored energy and when that energy depletes you would feel faint. I also bring a snack along when I am going to be active now, and I don't feel faint anymore. I also bring lots of water as well really helps. But I recommend seeing a doctor so they can give you expert advice I amuse speaking from my own experience and everyone is different.0
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I "fainted" at work twice before (several years back). I went to the hospital, and it turned out it was a kind of seizure. As PP have said, there are so many things that this could be caused by, that you really need to see a doctor to determine the cause.0
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Have your parents schedule you a doctor appt. Tell the doctor exactly what you have said here. Show him your food log and let him see if there is a correlation between not eating / drinking enough and fainting.
In the mean time before you see your doctor, I would eat at maintenance and drink your water.0 -
I've dealt with dizzy spells upon standing most of my life. I always thought this was "normal", well I actually fainted recently and realized perhaps this is an issue. I'm not anemic, well hydrated so Dr is starting w some heart tests. Heart issues run in my family, so we will see if they find anything.
The only thing I've found to stop from fainting is to bend over when I feel the lightheadedness coming on.0 -
For me, your parents would have been right. I had reactive hypoglycaemia so my blood glucose levels would plummet an hour or so after eating a carbohydrate laden meal, on which I lived during university. Dropping blood glucose levels would drop my blood pressure which was a problem because I already had low blood pressure as well as postural hypotension. Postural hypotension means my BP falls when I stand up. If my BP was already lowered due to low blood glucose, I was on the floor if I wasn't careful.
Postural hypotension is easy to test for. Take BP after laying down for 5 minutes, and then stand up and take it again. If your BP fell, that's postural hypotension. They can treat it with fludrocortisone but I am not a fan of steroids for life.
To check yourself for reactive hypoglycaemia you need a glucose monitor and then check your blood glucose fasted then eat a high sugar/carb meal with minimal protein or fat, then keep rechecking every 30 minutes for 2-3 hours. For normal people, FBG will be low. Your BG will be high about 30-60 minutes after eating and then slowly start to fall over the next couple of hours but it should not pass your FBG.
A doctor can test for this with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
I eliminated my problem by not eating high carb meals anymore.
Good luck. I hope you figure it out.0 -
I've dealt with dizzy spells upon standing most of my life. I always thought this was "normal", well I actually fainted recently and realized perhaps this is an issue. I'm not anemic, well hydrated so Dr is starting w some heart tests. Heart issues run in my family, so we will see if they find anything.
The only thing I've found to stop from fainting is to bend over when I feel the lightheadedness coming on.
I have also had this issue most of my life. As a teenager, the doc said I'd grow out of it. At 42, it still happens. For me, it's postural hypotension. I hope you find answers.
OP, see your doctor. There are several possibilities. We cannot tell you what it is in your situation. Best of luck. I agree with the suggestion of eating at maintenance until you get to the doc.0 -
Why are you skipping meals/not eating enough?0
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Thank you everyone! I just wanted to see if this is a common occurrence. I went to the doctor last year and had extensive heart tests done and everything was fine. Just had an EKG done today and it came back normal. She thinks the biggest factor is poor nutrition. I often get stressed and react by eating small meals. During final exams, I had very small meals. The doctor said just to be safe, I should go to a neurologist to make sure nothing's wrong up there. When I fainted three days ago, I broke one of my teeth and my mom thinks it's an indication of low calcium. I do tend to eat mostly carbs in college ie pasta, so I should probably start to eat more iron and protein-enriched foods. Thanks !0
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For me, your parents would have been right. I had reactive hypoglycaemia so my blood glucose levels would plummet an hour or so after eating a carbohydrate laden meal, on which I lived during university. Dropping blood glucose levels would drop my blood pressure which was a problem because I already had low blood pressure as well as postural hypotension. Postural hypotension means my BP falls when I stand up. If my BP was already lowered due to low blood glucose, I was on the floor if I wasn't careful.
Postural hypotension is easy to test for. Take BP after laying down for 5 minutes, and then stand up and take it again. If your BP fell, that's postural hypotension. They can treat it with fludrocortisone but I am not a fan of steroids for life.
To check yourself for reactive hypoglycaemia you need a glucose monitor and then check your blood glucose fasted then eat a high sugar/carb meal with minimal protein or fat, then keep rechecking every 30 minutes for 2-3 hours. For normal people, FBG will be low. Your BG will be high about 30-60 minutes after eating and then slowly start to fall over the next couple of hours but it should not pass your FBG.
A doctor can test for this with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
I eliminated my problem by not eating high carb meals anymore.
Good luck. I hope you figure it out.
To nvmomketo- Did your problems start when you were in university? I do tend to feel dizzy when I stand up, but not all the time. It happens when I've been laying down for a while or in the middle of the night usually. I ran everyday in high school so I imagine that helped circulate my blood flow. Do you imagine not exercising can increase the likelihood of getting postural hypotension? What would you recommend eating for a healthier diet? Thanks!!0 -
For me, your parents would have been right. I had reactive hypoglycaemia so my blood glucose levels would plummet an hour or so after eating a carbohydrate laden meal, on which I lived during university. Dropping blood glucose levels would drop my blood pressure which was a problem because I already had low blood pressure as well as postural hypotension. Postural hypotension means my BP falls when I stand up. If my BP was already lowered due to low blood glucose, I was on the floor if I wasn't careful.
Postural hypotension is easy to test for. Take BP after laying down for 5 minutes, and then stand up and take it again. If your BP fell, that's postural hypotension. They can treat it with fludrocortisone but I am not a fan of steroids for life.
To check yourself for reactive hypoglycaemia you need a glucose monitor and then check your blood glucose fasted then eat a high sugar/carb meal with minimal protein or fat, then keep rechecking every 30 minutes for 2-3 hours. For normal people, FBG will be low. Your BG will be high about 30-60 minutes after eating and then slowly start to fall over the next couple of hours but it should not pass your FBG.
A doctor can test for this with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
I eliminated my problem by not eating high carb meals anymore.
Good luck. I hope you figure it out.
To nvmomketo- Did your problems start when you were in university? I do tend to feel dizzy when I stand up, but not all the time. It happens when I've been laying down for a while or in the middle of the night usually. I ran everyday in high school so I imagine that helped circulate my blood flow. Do you imagine not exercising can increase the likelihood of getting postural hypotension? What would you recommend eating for a healthier diet? Thanks!!
It was happening even as a child for me. It was always there so i thought it was normal. I remember getting up off the floor after watching tv an seeing how far I could walk into the house with the tunnel vision, and then lack of sight, that would happen from getting up too fast, before it would disappear. The postural hypotension has been with me for most of my life.
I was a very active child, teen and young adult who played multiple sports, on varsity teams, with lifting and racing thrown in. I don't think exercise improved it because the postural hypotension happened more in the past than it does now, and I am just lightly active now. Being so active may have even worked against me because my heart rate and BP were usually low normal or abnormally low.
The biggest improvements happened when I was put on fludrocortisone steroid, and again when I changed my diet to a ketogenic LCHF diet. I believe steroids contributed to my insulin resistance so I refuse to take it any longer. Eating low carb seems to stabilize my BG and BP pretty well. Instead of it happening on most days, it is now more like once a month.... That is the tunnel vision and not fainting. I haven't fainted in three years.
My BP is a pretty normal 110/ 70 now so that may help too0 -
Yep... I had symptoms that resembled what you'd get with a stroke. Went to the er.. And every test came back perfect. But clearly something was wrong. They DX me with vertigo of unknown origin. Had a lot of follow up tests that all checked out. So... I did my own research and it turn out malnutrition can cause all those symptoms. That's when I started logging and I was way undereating and I didn't even know it. It took me a long time to get my eating on track, but nothing has occurred since then. I still struggle with eating enough. But I never want to go through that again so I'll add cheese to things that don't need it, or drink milk, or use protein powder just to get over 1000 each day. The only days I have no issues reaching over that goal are those when I drink or when I go out to eat.
Like today its nearly 7pm and I've only had 800 calories. I'll eat something else even though I'm not hungry. I definatly recommend doing all those tests and making sure you are eating enough.0 -
My friend at work has hypoglycemia really bad and when she didn't take care of herself by eating properly she would faint and sometimes have a seizure. As previous posters have said, it's no joke and no place to go to the Internet for advice. You NEED to see a doctor.0
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