Feeling lightheaded and nauseous after delicious meal is something that no one would like in first place. Instead of feeling high and energized for rest of the day, if you feel lightheaded and nauseous you may be suffering from postprandial hypotension or reactive hypoglycemia. Postprandial hypotension is low blood pressure after a meal and hypoglycemia is a medical term for low blood sugar. Both can hamper your day time productivity at workplace and at home if you feel lightheaded.
Talk to your doctor if discomfort and dizzy after eating is bothering problem.
Causes Of Light Headed And Nauseous Feeling After Eating
- Postprandial hypotension:
After eating a meal or food, it is normal for the body to completely focus on digestion of food. Food digestion is a complex process which involves the digestive system, circulatory system and the nervous system. For digestion of food, blood from rest of the body is directed more towards stomach and intestine. In doing so the heart rate increases as it beats faster to pump more blood to stomach and intestine.
But in some people, the process does not work as it should leading to fall in blood pressure throughout the body excluding the digestive system. This may manifest itself in the form of dizziness, nausea and lightheadedness. It can also result in chest pain, blurred vision, a cause for fall and fainting. A drop in blood pressure after eating occurs mainly in aged people as their body is unable to adjust to sudden fluctuations in blood pressure.
- Reactive hypoglycemia:
Often reactive hypoglycemia can cause dizziness, lightheadedness etc after eating. Reactive hypoglycemia is more common in people who are not suffering from diabetes but it can also occur in diabetics. The drop in sugar usually occurs 4 hours after eating. Obese individuals and those with bypass surgery are more susceptible to postprandial hypoglycemia.
Reactive hypoglycemia can occur after eating large carbohydrate containing meal. The other symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia include blurred vision, anxiety, palpitation, irritability aside from lightheadedness and nausea.
Home Remedies For Nauseous Feeling After Eating
There is no particular treatment mode for alleviating the feeling of light headedness and nausea after eating. But making change in eating and lifestyle can significantly reduce this discomforting episode.
- Drink one glass of water before meals. This helps to reduce the incidence of postprandial hypotension.
- Certain foods can cause feeling dizzy and nauseous after eating. These foods include eating too much of cheese, meat, salty food, processed foods, caffeinated beverages and alcohol. Avoid such foods and beverages in your meals.
- Avoid drinking beverages and sodas which as large quantity of sugar during meals. This can cause sudden spurt and drop in blood sugar manifesting in dizziness and bloating.
- Normally the blood pressure after eating is low for at least one to two hours. Avoid doing strenuous activities such as biking, jogging etc as it can lead to sudden spell of dizziness and fainting.
- Ginger is soothing for stomach. It has natural qualities of reducing incidence of dizziness and fainting after eating a meal. Drink a cup of ginger tea after eating a meal.
- Avoid eating three large meals. Instead eat smaller meals five to six times in a day. Include fiber rich food in your diet such as whole grain, beans, which help in maintaining normal blood pressure and blood sugar level.
- Sometimes the level of estrogen and progesterone in the body fluctuates. This may lead to dizziness. Include foods such as flaxseeds, legumes, and soybeans in your diet. They are rich source of phytoestrogens which help in balancing hormone level.