Pre-workout supplements enhance your workout routine by boosting your energy levels, focus, and strength – but they can also cause some side effects. It’s important to be aware of these pre-workout side effects. Keeping these in mind will ensure that you can maintain your exercise performance and endurance without compromising your health and safety. Read on to learn everything about pre workout side effects below.
Pre Workout Side Effects | Work Out While Staying Healthy
1. Insomnia
A common pre-workout side effect is insomnia. It usually happens when the products such as the pre-workout drink contain caffeine.
It’s highly encouraged for pre-workout users to assess their tolerance. If insomnia does follow after 1 use of pre-workout in the evening, try taking half of a serving 30-45 minutes in advance of training. In time, the body can develop a tolerance to the caffeine.
You may end up consuming high doses of it, say, 200 to 400 mg. That’s roughly the amount of caffeine in two to five 8-ounce cups of strong coffee. The caffeine gives you an energy boost before your workout by activating epinephrine and norepinephrine. In fact, studies show weightlifters can lift more if they have some in their system. However, after the workout, these hormones can linger. It can potentially cause you to stay awake, not to mention increase your heart rate.
If you’re suffering from this pre-workout side effect, stick to taking the supplements in the morning to put that caffeine power to good use for your whole day!
Another solution is to workout in the mornings, so you only take pre-workout supplements in the AM. That way the caffeine will have worn off by bedtime.
2. Diarrhea
Stimulants such as sodium bicarbonate, magnesium, taurine, arginine, and caffeine can speed up your digestion. When your system is working over time, it may give you the runs. Marathon runners, in particular, are especially notorious for accidentally pooping themselves (gross but not uncommon).
To sidestep this extremely unpleasant pre workout side effect, note the ingredients. Then, try to track which ones overactivated your gastrointestinal system. Also, consider making a food log to monitor what you eat and how you feel. After a few weeks or months, you should be able to see patterns. Use them to steer you away from foods contributing to the situation.
You may also experience this pre-workout side effect if you are drinking a pre-workout formula. If the mixture is too pasty, your body adds extra water to your digestive system, and that can make your stool loose. Although it may sound counterintuitive, it can help to add extra water to the powdered supplement.
3. Dehydration
Diarrhea dehydrates you, but you may experience this pre-workout side effect even if you don’t have stomach issues.
Dehydration makes you thirsty. It also brings on headaches and can cause you to feel lightheaded. It happens because your brain is surrounded by a lack of water. If you don’t have enough water in your system, your head can feel like it’s being squeezed.
A lot of weight loss dietary supplements are diuretics, and they can lead to dehydration since you can flush out more water than you should. In this situation, try to find another approach to weight loss. Consider a healthy pre-workout meal. Improve your workout plan and be strategic with your food intake.
Most importantly, drink lots of water. As a rule of thumb, you should drink between 64 and 104 ounces of water per day (or 8-eight oz. glasses a day). If you’re sweating or urinating a lot, you need to increase that amount. Watch your body. If your urine is dark colored or looks concentrated, you need more water.
Consider using an app to help you keep on top of your water consumption goals. If you don’t like the taste of water, try flavored sports drinks with electrolytes and low sugar.
4. Headaches
If you’re getting headaches from the pre-workout supplements, you may be dehydrated. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, try to drink more water. If that doesn’t help, the culprit may be vasodilators. Vasodilators dilate your blood vessels, which can help to relieve a particular kind of headache– tension headaches. However, it can also cause migraines, cluster headaches, and exercise headaches (weird right?).
If you are suffering from headaches, you may want to avoid supplements with arginine, citrulline malate, beta-alanine, or other common vasodilators. Meanwhile, you may be having this pre-workout side effect due to vasoconstrictors. These are ingredients that constrict your blood vessels, slowing the blood flow to your brain and potentially causing pain. Most stimulants fall into this category.
5. Elevated Blood Pressure
Stimulants can increase your blood pressure. If you have a history of hypertension, avoid them entirely. Your health should always take priority over fitness.
In other situations, the high blood pressure may be due to high-intensity short workouts. If you take stimulants out of the equation but still struggle with an elevated pressure, you may want to switch up your workout routine and definitely talk with your doctor about other solutions.
6. Tingling Sensation
Sometimes you may feel a tingling sensation when you take pre-workout supplements. Usually, it is nothing to worry about. This pre-workout side effect could be due to the supplement engaging your nervous system.
However, if you feel a tight pain in your chest along with radiating pain (or tingles) down your arms, that could be a sign of a heart attack. You should stop working out and call for medical help immediately.
If you develop chronic tingling, you may be deficient in certain nutrients such as vitamin B3. Supplementing may help.
To avoid any unwanted pre workout side effect from your supplements, choose quality. At Evertrain, we believe your health is just as important as your performance, so we offer supplements that are thoughtfully crafted with total wellness in mind. To learn more, contact us directly.
Have you tried taking pre-workout supplements? What pre workout side effect have you experienced? Share your stories below!
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