Why do other people's faces turn red after exercise, but mine turn pale? There is a situation that needs attention, it can be fatal!

After exercise, some people's faces are as red as ripe apples, some people's "complexion" is very pale, and some people's "complexion" does not seem to change at all after exercise.

Is it normal to have a red or pale face after exercise? Does a pale face mean that the body is weak and not suitable for exercise? To understand this, we first need to understand why the face turns red or pale.

Image source: pixabay

Why does the face change?

The reason why we blush or pale is actually related to changes in the capillaries close to the skin surface on the face.

When the capillaries dilate, the blood flow inside increases, and the face looks more rosy; on the contrary, when the capillaries contract, the blood flow decreases, and the face looks relatively "bloodless".

During exercise, a series of metabolites and hormones in the human body (such as adrenaline and norepinephrine) may affect the contraction and relaxation of blood vessels, thereby affecting the "face complexion".

But whether your face turns red or pale is neither good nor bad. They are just some normal reactions of the body to adapt to exercise, and they vary from person to person.

For example, during exercise our body may generate a lot of heat, and the body needs to increase blood flow in the capillaries to increase heat dissipation, which will make our face look particularly red.

But during strenuous exercise, our bodies may reduce the blood flow through the skin surface, allowing more blood to transport oxygen to the muscles. At this time, the capillaries on the skin surface will contract, and our face will look paler.

Therefore, blushing or pale face during exercise is a normal phenomenon, and there is no saying that one is better than the other, so don't worry too much about it. In contrast, if the following situations occur during exercise, we need to pay attention.

Compared to "face changing"

These four situations are more worthy of attention

1

Heavy sweating + dizziness

It is normal to sweat during exercise, but if excessive sweating is accompanied by dizziness and general weakness, you need to pay attention, as this may indicate that your body has begun to become dehydrated.

This situation usually occurs when the weather is hot. At this time, it is recommended not to "harden" it any longer. You should go to a cool place to rest and replenish water in time.

When replenishing water, you also need to be careful not to drink too much water in a short period of time to avoid hyponatremia (commonly known as water intoxication).

Image source: pixabay

According to the "Sports Fitness Guide" compiled by the General Administration of Sport of China, the best way to replenish water during exercise is to drink 150 to 200 ml of water (about 1/3 bottle of mineral water) every 15 to 20 minutes. It is not recommended to drink more than 600 ml of water within an hour.

2

Pale face + palpitations

It is normal to turn pale during exercise, but if you feel uncomfortable in your heart, have difficulty breathing, or feel dizzy while you are pale, you need to pay attention, as this may mean that your body has symptoms of hypoglycemia. In this case, it is also recommended to stop exercising to avoid more serious consequences.

3

Nausea and vomiting

During exercise, in order to ensure adequate blood flow to the muscles, our body will automatically reduce blood flow to organs that are "less important" during exercise. For example, blood flow to the digestive organs will be greatly reduced.

If we eat a lot before exercise and it has not been digested during exercise, the reduced blood flow may make us feel nauseous. In addition, some exercise movements (such as squats) may squeeze the abdomen and aggravate the discomfort.

If you feel nauseous and want to vomit during exercise, it is recommended that you stop and rest first. Generally, the feeling of nausea and vomiting will be relieved quickly after stopping exercise, so there is no need to worry too much.

However, it should be noted that dehydration may cause nausea and vomiting. Therefore, if you exercise on a hot day and sweat a lot, you may have heat stroke and should immediately go to a cool place to rehydrate and cool down.

In addition, in order to avoid nausea and vomiting, it is not recommended to do strenuous exercise immediately after eating. It is best to do strenuous exercise two hours after eating. Before doing strenuous exercise, it is best not to eat too much and avoid eating too much high-fiber, high-fat food.

4

Stopping suddenly after strenuous exercise

After strenuous exercise, many people will want to sit down immediately or simply lie on the ground to rest for a while, but it is recommended not to stop immediately after strenuous exercise, otherwise it may be dangerous.

Image source: pixabay

As mentioned earlier, during strenuous exercise, the blood in the body will be concentratedly supplied to the muscle tissue. The muscle tissue will also quickly "squeeze" the blood back to the heart during exercise. However, if you suddenly stop after strenuous exercise, the blood supply to the heart may suddenly decrease, and the person may suddenly feel dizzy and faint. If treatment is not timely, it may seriously endanger life.

summary:

To sum up, "blushing" or "pale face" are normal phenomena during exercise. Compared with "complexion", other physical discomforts are what we need to pay more attention to.

During exercise, you must pay attention to gradual progress and do it within your ability. I wish everyone can have a good body!

References

[1]https://www.livestrong.com/article/484955-why-does-my-face-turn-white-with-exercise/

[2]https://www.livestrong.com/article/387832-my-face-gets-very-red-hot-during-exercise/

[3]ChikaraGoto,KenjiNishioka,TakashiUmemura,DaisukeJitsuiki,Akihiro Sakagutchi, Mitsutoshi Kawamura, Kazuaki Chayama, Masao Yoshizumi, Yukihito Higashi, AcuteModerate-IntensityExerciseInducesVasodilationThroughanIncreaseinNitricOxideBioavailiabilityinHumans:, AmericanJournalofHypertension,Volume20,Issue8,August2007,Pages825–830

[4]https://theconversation.com/heres-why-you-might-feel-sick-after-a-workout-and-what-you-can-do-to-prevent-it-182823

[5]WilsonP.B.(2019).'IthinkI'mgonnahurl':ANarrativeReviewoftheCausesofNauseaandVomitinginSport.Sports(Basel,Switzerland),7(7),162.

[6]https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/blog/3683/five-reasons-you-shouldn-t-skip-your-cool-down-after-exercise/#:~:text=5,lactic%20acid%20from%20the%20body

[7] Liu Tiejun, Yang Hai, Wang Wei. Causes and prevention of gravitational shock in female students during long-distance running training[J]. Journal of Jilin Military Medical College, Fourth Military Medical University, 2000(03):182-183.

[8]https://www.sport.gov.cn/n20001280/n20001265/n20066978/c24507250/content.html

Author: Science Scraps Popular Science Writer

Review丨Ma Yong, Professor of Wuhan Institute of Physical Education