Nausea After Running: 9 Common Causes and Solutions

Whether you’re an experienced runner, or just starting out, chances are you’ve experienced nausea after running or heard of someone who has.

If you’ve ever finished a long run and struggled to get yourself to eat that’s common and we’ve talked about how to help. But if you’re having regular issues with nausea after running, it’s time to check some potential issues and put a stop to it!

So let’s take a look at what might be causing it and get you back to feeling good on the run!

9 Common Causes of Nausea After Running

While you are running, blood is shifted away from your digestive system and is sent to your muscles. That’s one reason runners deal with things like stomach cramps or the dreaded runner’s trots. And if your stomach’s already a little off, that nauseous feeling can get even worse.

Let’s be super clear, feeling nauseous or having stomach issues every time you run isn’t something you should just push through. Despite what you might see online, this isn’t something to tough out. It’s a sign your body needs something different.

1. Excessive Dehydration

If you’re someone who sweats A LOT on the run, you might be more likely to deal with that feeling of mid-run nausea.

While it’s annoying, it’s your body’s way of saying it needs some help. This is because if you lose more than 4% of your body weight while running, your stomach has a harder time absorbing liquids, which results in that yucky, nauseous feeling.

If you’re already dehydrated before you start working out or running, yep, you’re going to feel even worse.

This is why staying on top of your hydration is so important. Even for short or easy runs, it’s totally worth carrying water with you. Whether it’s a handheld bottle or a hydration vest, don’t worry about how it looks. You’d rather be hydrated than dehydrated and feeling crummy.

2. Heat and Humidity

One of everyone’s favorites, heat and humidity.

We already know that running in heat and humidity increases our heart rate. But you may not also translate that to mean that you may have stomach issues. As a way to cool the body down, blood flow is diverted to the skin, which has an impact on digestion.

This means that the body is working harder with every mile to cool itself, maintain an electrolyte balance, and keep pumping oxygen to all of your muscles.

That also means that the big overexertion issues listed above are going to pop up again even at easier levels of training.

To prevent this, practice fueling during training runs to determine how much fuel your stomach can tolerate during a race or long run. Also, if you take energy gels, have them with water or electrolyte to help digestion.  Even when you’re not running, simple sugar is difficult to digest, so consuming too much sports drink or gels at once could be risky.

If you start hitting that vomit point while running in the heat, STOP. That’s a sign you are trending towards a bigger issue.

3. Increased Pressure on Your Stomach

When you pick up the pace, your body starts working a lot harder. You breathe deeper, your core kicks in, and that creates extra pressure in your stomach.

Sometimes, that pressure can push food or liquid back up into your throat, which can lead to nausea or even vomiting. Nope, not fun at all.

This usually happens more if you’ve eaten or had a lot to drink right before your run. Everyone’s stomach is different; some runners can eat a full breakfast and feel great, while others need just a small snack to avoid feeling sick.

That’s why it’s super important to practice your pre-run meals and figure out what works for you, especially before race day.

4. Having the Wrong Foods Before Running

What you eat pre-run can cause you to not feel so great during and even after the run.

Acidic Foods

Before your run, avoid consuming meals and beverages that are very acidic, such as citrus fruits like oranges, berries, and grapefruits, processed cheeses, and liquids such as soda or orange juice.

Acidic foods and drinks may cause some unwanted acid reflux to happen. This not only slows down the process of emptying stomach contents into the small intestine but also makes it more likely that someone will throw up.

High Fat or High Protein Foods

Foods that are high in fat or protein like cheese, eggs, or even a protein shake take longer to digest.

That means they can still be hanging out in your stomach while you’re running. It can make you feel heavy, nauseous, or like your food just isn’t going anywhere.

To avoid that “ugh, why did I eat that?” feeling, try not to eat a super big meal in the two hours leading up to a hard run or race.

If you do need a little something (because running on empty isn’t ideal either), stick to something light and easy to digest like a banana or a slice of toast with a little peanut butter.

High Fiber Foods

You’ve often heard people mention going a bit lower in fiber the days before a race to prevent runners trots, but for many runners, you need to always look at fiber especially pre-run!

• DO NOT cut all fiber from your diet as this will result in a lot of health issues and slow down the good gut function that we want.
• Evening runners may need to eat fewer cruciferous veggies at lunch (think broccoli), instead save them for eating post-run.
• Morning runners may choose to eat oatmeal post-run instead of pre-run.

Keep a log of what you eat before runs to see if a specific food might be causing the issue.

Additionally, make sure you check out how long to wait after eating to exercise >>

5. Vitamins Before the Run

This will vary by person and by what the supplement is, but specifically taking iron before a run has been shown to cause intestinal issues. The good news is that you actually want to take it within 30 minutes of finishing a workout for maximum absorption…so we’re just switching up the timing!

Other runners have reported that taking any of their vitamins pre-run, almost always leads to stomach pain after.

• do not take iron before a run
• if having issues move all vitamins to post run

Some vitamins are water soluble, while others are fat soluble.

That means they need sufficient amounts of those in the body to be absorbed and used. Perhaps by sitting in the gut when things are not being digested as normal, they irritate the stomach.

6. Drinking Coffee

Don’t throw things at me! I know many of you NEED your pre-run coffee.

But if you’re constantly feeling nausea after running then this is another one that you need to test.

• Coffee can increase stomach acid
• Again your body is not dealing with digestion while running
• This leads to the stomach feeling irritated

7. Overexertion

The most commonly accepted reason for nausea after running is simply running too hard. It’s why we have that urge to vomit at the end of an all out mile race or 5K.

But it can also happen with long runs and speed workouts.

I read one article that said vomiting after running is common for new runners. I BEG TO DIFFER. You should not be throwing up, that’s a clear sign you are not running easy enough, which is necessary to increase your endurance.

• Dehydration is the main culprit with most races or long runs. Sweating heavily and not taking in enough electrolytes can lead to an imbalance that creates that sick feeling.
• Build of up metabolic waste that the body cannot deal with because all your energy is going to your muscles.
• While intensity is needed as a stimulus, you shouldn’t be going to this level all the time.

And any runner who thinks that spilling your guts or vomiting profusely is a sign of a well-run race is wrong. When you throw up like that, you can hurt the lining of your stomach, which can make digestion even harder.

8. Stopping Too Quickly

If you suddenly slow down after your last interval or after you cross the finish line, your stomach may not be able to handle the rapid change in intensity and you may get sick. This can become much more intense if you put in a significant amount of effort over the last stretch of the race.

Stay on your feet and keep moving to give your body a chance to readjust and prevent cramping in your stomach. Also, don’t drink too much sports drink or eat too fast as soon as you get that post-race goodie bag.

Instead, slowly sip on some water, continue walking, and allow your body to return to its normal state.

9. Digestive System Issues

During a run, your body is going to send blood to your muscles and lungs because they’re doing all of the hard work. The body’s focus goes away from your digestive system, which is why you may often get that swoosh of feeling nauseous or maybe even vomiting after a run.

Sipping electrolytes before and during your run can keep things moving and help your stomach handle the effort a little better. Dehydration slows digestion even more, making things feel even worse.

Just be careful not to overdo it. Drinking too much at once can leave you feeling heavy and sloshy. Start hydrating early in your run, focus on taking small sips around every 15minutes or so. Make sure to give your body time to adjust and get used to the extra hydration.

What To Do If You Get Nauseous After Running?

If you finish a run and are feeling ready to toss your cookies, there are a few things that can help. How quickly they work can often depend on how depleted you are or how intensely you went.

1. Slow down. You may not want to simply sit down, but instead try a very slow walk.
2. Try taking slow and deep breaths. If still feeling bad after the walk, lay down with legs up the wall.
3. Start sipping electrolytes. Don’t guzzle them, that could lead to different gut issues. But the sipping will help get you hydrated and help get the body back in balance.
4. Sucking on a peppermint or ginger chew is another way to start sending some soothing signals.
5. Work on calming your nerves. This is one that impacts more runners on race day than they realize. Start implementing some tools to deal with race day nerves or worries about specific workouts.

As noted keep a journal to help you better identify what might be causing your issues. And then start adjusting your fueling plan or your workouts to lessen those yuck feelings.

With anything  that’s happening to the body, it’s important to consider seeking medical advice if this is happening consistently and nothing seems to be helping.

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