Feeling Light-headed After Eating?

Having nutritious meal should make energized, however, sometime you end up feeling light-headed or dizzy. Here is why:

Two common reasons for lightheadedness after eating are Postprandial Hypotension , or low low blood pressure, and Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.

Postprandial Hypotension:

Low blood pressure is common cause for light-headiness after having meal according to Harvard Health Publication website. It occurs when your digestive system start working hard to process the meal you have eaten. Blood is redirected toward the stomach and small intestine, and your heart has to beat faster and harder. Additionally, your blood vessels narrow down. This should allow your system to maintain blood pressure and blood flow to other parts of your body such as brain and legs. For some people this does not work, so blood pressure decrease all over the the body except the digestive system causing the lightheadedness.

What to do about it?

There is no cure for it other than change your eating habits. Several ways may help improve your symptoms and help lessen the drop in your blood pressure. For example, the Harvard Health website recommends that drinking 2 cups of water before eating may help with the condition. Having breakfast and smaller meals throughout the day allow your body to handle this issue more efficiently. Also, decrease your intake of simple carbohydrates such as white bread, sugar, white rice, which gets digested more quickly, and replace it with whole grain, beans, and lean protein.

Reactive Hypoglycemia:

Low level of blood sugar may be the other cause for your lightheadedness. This type is occur in non-diabetics people within 4 hours of having a meal. Other symptoms may include anxiety, rapid heart beat, irritability, shaking, sweating, blurred vision, and difficulty thinking. It is more common among overweight and people gone under gastric bypass surgery, according to the NHS Choice website.

What to do about it?

The way to reduce your symptoms is to have a meal that is balanced in all food groups in small portions, and eating through out the day instead of having three large meals at once. Make sure that your meal contain fiber-rich complex carbohydrate as well as a source of lean protein to keep your level of blood sugar steady.