I was out for a spin on the single speed today, I have been off the bike for about a week and a bit due to a nasty cold, and suddenly I was hit with a feeling of dizziness and had to stop. it was just after a hill climb but nothing too serious.

I have been to my doctor after I had a streak of head rushes caused by simply raising my head too quickly. I was told i had low blood pressure.

I am curious to know what people think, if I just have to get back on the bike gradually after some down time or if it was a case of poor pumping!

Sometimes if I lift my head up too quickly I see lots of silver zig zags , like shooting stars.
I was told it is low blood pressure at that moment too, but not a long term harm.

Happened to me in the pool last week after diving in.

aye, never hit me on a bike though.

I cannot say why it sometimes happens to me either.
I swim twice a week every week, yet it has only happened a handful of times over the last 15yrs.

If it keeps occuring then I would go to a different gp and request a second opinion.

It could be Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo… it less likely to be due to blood pressure if it’s just raising your head whilst sitting down or standing up that is triggering it. Does it happen when you go from sitting to standing?

Did your doctor test your blood pressure sitting down and standing up – if he did the tests would give a good indication of whether you have orthostatic hypotension which is where your body doesn’t adjust it’s blood pressure quickly enough when you go from sitting to standing.

yes, the doc tested me sitting then standing then standing again just after i got up from sitting.
it seems to be more frequent if Its warmer than colder… if that affects anything

The key here is to differentiate Vertigo from Feeling feint (pre syncope).
Your description sounds like the latter, which is most likely a benign form of postural pre-syncope.
It can mean something, it can mean nothing.

I get it really badly – I’ll often get up from the chair to call a patient, and by the time I’m at the waiting room I’ll be close to passing out….!!! It passes very quickly, and I’ve grown to deal with it. (it’s a bit of a ‘rush’ TBH,)

So to answer your question, yes, it can be low blood pressure. In the absence of other conditions, I wouldn’t worry.

DrP

Oh, and the funny thing is it’s so transient, I’ve never had a postural BP drop recorded, even though I know that’s what causes it!

Try drinking more alcohol and eating more crap, that’ll get your blood pressure back up. 😉

Thanks DocP

That Samuri, is a grand idea!

Well guys, thanks for the input and interest, lets see what happens on my next couriering shift 😯