Early starts and feeling sick

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Scary_Canary
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Early starts and feeling sick

Post by Scary_Canary »

Wondering if anyone else experiences this, and if so what they have found that works well to prevent it.

I've had this problem for a while now with feeling extremely nauseous in the mornings when I get early starts. The earlier I start, the sicker I usually feel.
Some days I feel like a machine, but I'd say roughly 75% of my hikes and climbs start out with me throwing up until theres nothing left. In general feeling like death, roughly until the sun starts rising. Once the sun is up, I feel way better. It only ever happens to me in the mountains, never any other time. Even rising early from my own bed at home doesnt make me feel sick like this.
It puts me at a huge disadvantage right from the start being very dehydrated and unable to take in any calories or liquid, and draining the energy I need for the day ahead.

Ive tried to change around all kinds of things, especially in my diet. But nothing has consistently worked. My doctor looked at me like an alien when I tried to describe my situation. I try and stay away from medications as much as possible, but have tried a bunch of different antacids and anti nausea stuff without much luck on those. Sleeping in isn't exactly an option for me haha, those early starts are crucial. Plus the benefits of amazing sunrises above treeline.

I'm at a loss for what to do, and am hoping someone here may have similar experiences, and advice on what I can do. Thanks in advance.
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Rollie Free
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by Rollie Free »

Do you think this might be anxiety related?

I find myself nervous at the start of hikes for some reason. Some of it might be self induced pressure to make the most of it as I've come from out of state and there is an expense and limited amount of time. Some of it is just the fear of the unknown.
If its not that you would think it might be elevation.
"Quicker than I can tell it, my hands failed to hold, my feet slipped, and down I went with almost an arrow’s rapidity. An eternity of thought, of life, of death, wife, and home concentrated on my mind in those two seconds. Fortunately for me, I threw my right arm around a projecting boulder which stood above the icy plain some two or three feet." Rev. Elijah Lamb
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cottonmountaineering
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by cottonmountaineering »

if you're stressed/anxious about the route next day, it can make you feel sick. i think this happens to almost everyone to some extent though
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by Dayute »

Ive been taking prilosec and immodium before big hikes for a few years now to combat upset stomach and diarrreah. I think it definitley might be related to nerves. My stomach doesnt bother me on normal day hikes, only bigger hikes where I have to wake up early.
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by Jenna N S »

Are you getting enough sleep otherwise in your daily routine? At least for me, starting out low on sleep and any nervousness/anxiety/excitement about what I'm hiking can really take it's toll. Forcing myself to eat before starting out helps some.
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Bombay2Boulder
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by Bombay2Boulder »

Not a medical advice, but just my personal observation. I used to have a very minor version of what you described. I stopped driving at crazy hours to the trailheads and just started sleeping in my car by driving to the TH the evening before. That solved it for me.
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disentangled
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by disentangled »

Scary_Canary wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:09 am Wondering if anyone else experiences this, and if so what they have found that works well to prevent it.

I've had this problem for a while now with feeling extremely nauseous in the mornings when I get early starts. The earlier I start, the sicker I usually feel.
Some days I feel like a machine, but I'd say roughly 75% of my hikes and climbs start out with me throwing up until theres nothing left. In general feeling like death, roughly until the sun starts rising. Once the sun is up, I feel way better. It only ever happens to me in the mountains, never any other time. Even rising early from my own bed at home doesnt make me feel sick like this.
It puts me at a huge disadvantage right from the start being very dehydrated and unable to take in any calories or liquid, and draining the energy I need for the day ahead.

Ive tried to change around all kinds of things, especially in my diet. But nothing has consistently worked. My doctor looked at me like an alien when I tried to describe my situation. I try and stay away from medications as much as possible, but have tried a bunch of different antacids and anti nausea stuff without much luck on those. Sleeping in isn't exactly an option for me haha, those early starts are crucial. Plus the benefits of amazing sunrises above treeline.

I'm at a loss for what to do, and am hoping someone here may have similar experiences, and advice on what I can do. Thanks in advance.
I have precisely the same dilemma..... sickness, nausea, puking, feeling absolutely miserable. And I have to start even earlier because I'm so freaking slow in those first few hours before the sun comes up. I used to think it was solely an affect of altitude, but I have the same problem hiking at lower elevations as well. I've tried lots of different solutions but the one that works is to eat meat. Not a protein bar. Meat. Usually a warmed-up bison burger. Sometimes just flat out cold. And I feel waaaaay better. I know there are the naysayers. Meat will kill you. Well, whatever. Sorry if you're a vegan.
Last edited by disentangled on Wed May 19, 2021 9:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ncxhjhgvbi
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by ncxhjhgvbi »

Bombay2Boulder wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:41 am I stopped driving at crazy hours to the trailheads and just started sleeping in my car by driving to the TH the evening before. That solved it for me.
I get really bad nausea when I get poor sleep in all situations and this solved it for me too. Plus a lot less anxiety since I am already at the trailhead instead of in my bed awake anyways thinking about how miserable the 130am wakeup and 3 hour drive will be.
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two lunches
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by two lunches »

i thought i was alone in this. the only solution i've found is to sleep at the TH with a portable espresso maker and to clean up my entire sleeping area before i leave to sort of warm up my brain. when i was talking to my mom about this once, she asked if on the days that i don't get up and go, whether the feeling in my gut is actually a "gut feeling", and if i have avoided some unforeseen peril..? idk
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Scary_Canary
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by Scary_Canary »

Thanks everyone for the replies!
cottonmountaineering wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:19 am if you're stressed/anxious about the route next day, it can make you feel sick. i think this happens to almost everyone to some extent though
I have wondered if it is nerves, and to some extent I'm sure it may be. Maybe more so just nerves that I might get sick. But when I think back, my harder climbs that I have done are the ones where for the most part I have felt the strongest and least sick somehow. Who knows, the nerves may calm my stomach haha.
Bombay2Boulder wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:41 am I stopped driving at crazy hours to the trailheads and just started sleeping in my car by driving to the TH the evening before. That solved it for me.
I almost always sleep in my car at the trailheads. Unless the drive is less than an hour. I have noticed since I got an air mattress and sleep slightly more comfy that I havent been getting as violently sick as often, maybe cause of better more comfy rest. I still get sick tho.
stephakett wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 10:06 am i thought i was alone in this.
I was starting the feel the same way haha
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Oman
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by Oman »

Something similar happens to me for alpine starts, but only in the first 20-30 minutes. I learned something from wearing a heart rate monitor.

In the beginning my heart rate was zooming from a resting rate in the 40s to 130 and above after a few minutes of hiking uphill. After that initial surge for 20-30 minutes, my heart for no particular reason backs down to the low 100s, where it tends to stay for the rest of the hike.

My solution, which works sometimes, is to just go slow for the first half hour.

I asked my doctor and he said some people are just like this, especially in the mornings when going rapidly from still to motion.

Nausea: It's what for breakfast on the mountain.
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cedica
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Re: Early starts and feeling sick

Post by cedica »

My doctor has mentioned that almost always cortisol is to blame for early morning anxiety and elevated blood pressure: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol_ ... g_response

It looks like natural response to me, trying to suppress it with pharmaceuticals would probably cause more harm than good.
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