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6 Reasons You May Feel Shaky After A Workout

Many of us might feel shaky after a workout. It is pretty common to feel so. This can happen because of various reasons. However, we must say that generally, it is not a cause for a big concern. However, we need to know the reasons why we might feel shaky after a workout. So, read further and explore 6 reasons you may feel shaky after a workout.

6 Reasons You May Feel Shaky After A Workout:

6 Reasons You May Feel Shaky After A Workout

There are many reasons why you may be feeling shaky after a workout. So, it is important to note these causes and also pay keen attention to your habits before and during workouts. This would help you pinpoint the reason behind the shakiness experienced after workouts. Let us take a deeper look at 6 reasons you may feel shaky after a workout.

1. You Took Too Much Caffeine Before Workout:

Too much caffeine taken before the workout can be one of the common reasons for feeling shaky during or after a workout.

Though it has been suggested by the FDA that most healthy adults can consume up to 4400 mg of caffeine per day or around 4 cups of coffee safely, every one of us handles this thing differently.(1) So, even though it has been noted by studies that taking 200 mg of caffeine within 60 minutes of exercise or workouts can help boost your performance, it might not be the best move for sensitive people.(2)

Caution is even more essential if you are taking anything before a workout. Some pre-workout supplements can increase adrenaline in your body and contribute to shakiness or jitteriness. So, it is good to stick to plain water before your workouts.

2. You Are Dehydrated:

One of the 6 reasons you may feel shaky after a workout could be that you are dehydrated. You might experience some shakes after workouts if you had very less or no water before or during your workout.

Our muscles are 75% of water and they need that water to transport essential nutrients and waste, so when you are low on fluids or water, your muscles cannot perform at their best.(3)

It has been recommended by The ACE or The American Council On Exercise that it is essential for you to drink 17 to 20 ounces of water 2 hours before exercise, followed by another 8 ounces 30 minutes before lacing up. The ACE also recommends drinking 7-10 ounces of water every 10 to 29 minutes. It might sound a lot, but that is required because even slight dehydration can seriously mess with your performance.(3)

If you feel shaky and parched, drink enough water and make a plan to drink a bottle of water before you exercise next.

3. You Are Seriously Fatigued:

In certain cases, shaking is experienced because of your muscles having burned through their energy reserves. However, it is even a possibility that your actual nerves are seriously fatigued.

In general, your spinal cord sends signals to your nerves present in the muscles to tell them what to do, and there might be a depletion in the chemicals used for sending these messages, during a workout session. This in, turn, can make you feel shaky or tremble like a tree in heavy wind.

When these chemicals get depleted or when small groups of muscles in large muscle units get exhausted, several uncoordinated movements happen, which gives rise to the occurrence of shaking and you might feel shaky.

Though intense and long workouts can make you feel fatigued, even less-hardcore movement can also take you to a state of fatigue, if your body is short of the fuel that it requires to keep those muscles firing away.

4. You Have Low Blood Sugar:

One of the 6 reasons you may feel shaky after a workout could be that you have low blood sugar. Low blood sugar or True Hypoglycemia is quite rare in healthy people and it is an unlikely cause of feeling shaky after or during a workout. However, if you have diabetes or suspect having it, your blood sugar could be one factor for occasional trembling.

You should speak to your doctor about the best ways to approach working out if you have diabetes. It is recommended by ACE that if you have diabetes, eating some extra carbohydrate before workouts is good if your blood sugar levels are less than 100 mg/dL. You should also stick to regular exercise, drinking, eating, and your medication routine.(3)

5. Holding A Muscle In One Position:

When you are keeping your muscle in one position constantly for a long time, you may feel shaky. You might experience shakiness while doing planks or a barre workout.

This is because of the activity of motor units. Certain motor units in your muscles are used only for powerful movements. When one holds a muscle in one position for a long time, these motor units get activated for providing more force, and this can cause shaking.

Usually, one will experience tremors in the muscles which have been worked upon. Say for instance, during or after a plank, your core and arms might feel shaky. When you lift or hold a heavy dumbbell you might feel the same thing.

6. Mental Disorder Can Be A Rare Cause Of Feeling Shaky After Workout:

A rare cause of feeling shaky after a workout could be a mental disorder that affects your nerves, like Parkinson’s disease or Multiple Sclerosis.

Tips To Stop Shaking After Workout:

You can try the following tips to reduce the shaking which you might have after a workout.

    • Take Rest:

Usually, muscles shake when they have been overworked. If you are feeling shaky, avoid jumping into another workout and instead allow your muscles to rest.

    • Drink Water:

Make sure that you rehydrate soon to restore your levels of electrolytes and fluids. This would prevent you from dehydration.

    • Eat A Healthy Meal:

You should refuel your muscles soon after your workout by eating a proper meal. Make sure you add carbohydrates to your diet to replenish your glucose stores and also protein for repairing your muscles post-workout.

    • Stretch:

After your workout, make sure you are doing some stretching, which might help loosen your muscles and also reduce muscle spasms, cramps, and aches.

Know When To Seek Medical Help:

Though some shaking might be extremely mild after workouts and might cause no harm, it is still important to know when you need to be concerned about the shakiness post-workouts. You should know when to seek medical help if you are feeling shaky after a workout.

Some shaking might resolve after rest. But, persistent shaking or any shaking that does not resolve even after rest, must be investigated by your doctor. Do not delay and talk to your doctor if you experience persistent shaking.

References:

Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:May 27, 2021

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