Feeling Nauseous At Home After Jiu-Jitsu – What Should You Do?

So, you got a good workout after Jiu-Jitsu class and all is well. 

However, after going home and settling down, you suddenly feel nauseous. 

This is fairly common especially if you’re new to a demanding lifestyle. BJJ is a full-body workout that will take out most of your energy especially if you’re unprepared. 

But what causes post-Jiu-Jitsu nausea, and more importantly, what can you do about it?

In this MMAWhisperer analysis, we look at the following in terms of feeling nauseous after training Jiu-Jitsu:

  • Causes of nausea in BJJ
  • Steps to do before Jiu-Jitsu to avoid nausea
  • Properly cooling down to prevent nausea
  • Overall strategies to stop nausea in BJJ

Here we go!

Nausea After BJJ Explained

Feeling nausea after Jiu-Jitsu, what should you do?

Nausea happens for a lot of reasons.

First off, if you are a beginner in BJJ, you are likely to experience nausea at least once as you get used to the pressure and intensity of live rolls.

If it happens during or after an intense workout, it’s most likely because of your stomach. This might sound weird but your gut can make you feel very nauseous.

There are a few explanations for this.

For starters, you should know that your stomach produces acid when it’s tired or stressed.

This irritates the lining of your stomach and will cause nausea eventually.

Now, imagine how it would feel if your stomach is full of acids already and you’re still rolling your heart out on the mat.

In cases like these, some people feel a lot of relief after vomiting. This is because the acid in their body has been removed already.

Another explanation is that your stomach isn’t digesting food properly.

Your blood flow is redirected from your gastrointestinal tract to your muscles to compensate for the movement. 

Once this happens, your stomach functions more slowly which causes discomfort and eventually dizziness.

If You Are Not Digesting Properly, You Are Likely To Experience Nausea

It’s advised that you do not have any heavy meals at least two hours before training BJJ or doing some other heavy exercise.

Aside from these two things, another cause of nausea after BJJ is that your body didn’t acclimate to moving and resting properly. 

Even if you come from a non-BJJ sport such as bodybuilding, expect to go through much of the same early pain as any other person starting Jiu-Jitsu.

Your body will need to adjust to BJJ which is why you have to do a good warmup session before class. You can consider some light calisthenics for BJJ as part of your warmup as well.

At the end of class, you need to cool down properly as well so your body is able to acclimate to being at rest. 

This is also important to make sure BJJ doesn’t become bad for your joints – but that is another topic.

Note: if you are pregnant while training martial arts, this might cause nausea as well.

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Tips For Avoiding Nausea After BJJ

Feeling nauseous during BJJ

The good thing about this is that nausea after BJJ is completely avoidable. It doesn’t have to happen every time after you train. Here are a few important tips to bear in mind:

1. Take It Slow

If you’re new to BJJ, we get that it can be very exciting to learn as many things from class and to roll with as many of your peers as possible. However, it’s something that your body has to get used to first.

Do you really think that Jiu-Jitsu pros like Demina Maia, Gordon Ryan, and others trained BJJ like crazy during their first days?

Of course not. 

Every instructor will tell you to take it slow first. It will take you a couple of days and possibly even a few weeks before you can begin training to your heart’s content. Even then, you should still take it easy.

If you feel nauseous after a workout, there’s a good chance that you’re doing more than you can handle in class. Take it down a notch first.

2. Avoid Heavy Meals Before Class

As we’ve said, you should not have any heavy meals before class. Ideally, you’d want to have that meal at least two hours before your BJJ class.

If you feel hungry during the time between your training and your last meal, you can eat things like energy bars, boiled eggs, or even a sandwich just to get your fill.

Whatever you do, don’t train or compete on a heavy stomach. Aside from feeling nauseous after, you’re more prone to 

3. Start And End Your Training Properly

A lot of people think that warm-ups are too bothersome to do.

They’re very important though.

 It gets every part of your body for the training ahead. Aside from helping you perform better and helping you be safe from nausea; a good warm-up routine can also help prevent injuries too.

After training, don’t forget to stretch and cool down as well. Cooling down is just as important as warming up. It’s even more important if you’re prone to feeling dizzy after training BJJ.

Also, if you can’t sleep after Jiu-Jitsu, you may not be cooling down properly.

Feeling nauseous during Jiu-Jitsu competition

4. Do More BJJ

This might sound like a joke, but it isn’t. Believe it or not, you can treat your BJJ problems with even more BJJ.

We’ve said before that nausea is just your body’s way of coping with the changes and the new lifestyle.

If you stay consistent with your BJJ training, you’ll see that you’ll have fewer bouts of nausea and you’ll also have fewer sore muscles too.

Doing More BJJ Solves Many Problems, Including Getting Nauseous During Training

To learn more, check the in-depth clinical science on nausea and vomiting.

read the Beginner’s guide to mma

Feeling Nauseous At Home After Jiu- Jitsu Final Thoughts

Nausea at home after BJJ is caused by gut problems or just pushing yourself way too hard. 

The good thing is that the problem is completely avoidable. You don’t have to feel excessively dizzy after a good session of BJJ.

Proper food and training management is key to feeling fresh even after training for hours.

If you’ve got more tips on how we can prevent nausea after BJJ, don’t forget to share them with your fellow fighters below! We also have answers to more health-related questions in BJJ and MMA around the page so don’t be a stranger and continue browsing.

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