Over the years I have had handfuls of athletes come into my office and tell me that they struggle with getting dizzy or shaky during long practices or games / tournaments.
They may associate it with nerves or a variety of other factors but, to my surprise, not their fueling strategy. As a sports dietitian, that’s typically the absolute first thing I think about!
When I hear an athlete complains of dizziness or shakiness during performances / long practices my absolute first thought is always, “well, what did you eat before you started?” And that includes, (1) what you ate right before practice as well as (2) what you ate even first thing that morning leading up to stepping on the court / field / ice / floor.
If the athlete is struggling with dizziness / shakiness before / during / after events, it COULD be low blood sugars and today, I quickly want to run through some possible causes of why this could be occurring.
Here are a few things to consider if your athlete is complaining of dizziness / shakiness during or after their events…
Your athlete has not eaten in the last few or more hours and so their energy (carbohydrate) stores are depleted by the middle of a practice / event.
Your athlete has eaten in the last couple of hours but it either (a) was not enough over all or (b) did not contain enough carbohydrates.
Your athlete did include carbohydrate foods in their meal about 3 hours before the practice / event but they forgot to include other foods that would steady blood sugars, slow digestion and so the fuel was used rapidly and they didn’t bring a quick energizing snack to eat / drink before this practice / event.
Your athlete is dehydrated and forgot to consume enough fluid throughout their morning and day to equip them for a long intense practice or game.
If this has been a struggle for your athlete, I encourage you to think through these possible scenarios. Does your athlete fall into one of these? Which one?
Next, I would encourage you and your athlete to get strategic and very intentional with meal and snack composition, fluid intake AND timing of all of these. Because all of these together are what create an ideal fueling plan that allows the athlete to perform their best.
I encourage the young athlete to:
Make sure they are having three meals a day.
Make sure these three meals are balanced with quality carbohydrates and protein. Plus some fat and fiber depending on where they fall prior to the event and the athlete’s tolerance of each of these.
Make sure they have a water bottle they can carry during the school day and that they have an idea of how much water they need before events (remember an athlete needs to drink smaller amounts throughout the day for adequate hydration. Chugging large volumes 30 to 45 minutes before will not adequately hydrate)
Make sure they have some snacks that provide quick energy (carbohydrates) that they can consume right before an event / practice if they are already feeling a little shaky or if they were not able to eat like they had planned prior to the event.
These are some suggestions of where to start if your athlete is struggling with today’s topic. I have seen some athletes start to feel better just with this general education and I’ve worked with others who need a little more support and specifics.
If reading this you think your athlete might be underfueling and are looking for where to start to help them increase and improve their fueling you can download our FREE Getting Started Guide. Or, if you want something a little deeper and more focused on underfueling specifically, we offer the Ending Underfueling Course - a great resource for the young athlete and family looking to learn more about underfueling and start taking initial steps to learn more about nutrition and get to a better fueled state.
I hope you have found this helpful today!
Wishing you a well-fueled athlete,
Taylor