When the pressure is off, we can relax, right? I\’m not sure sure that I can.

It\’s not at all unusual for me to have orthostatic hypotension set in an hour or so after I finish a ride several hours long. But today it\’s lingered for hours! I got home from riding at about 10:30 am; it is now 7:40 pm. I still feel light-headed and dizzy when I get up and start moving about.

Why do I have this trouble?

My blood pressure tends to run low. Ninety-something over sixty-something (at rest, right after I wake up) isn\’t unusual. Does my system over-react to exertion? Even if it does, why should it take many hours to recover?

I\’m sure I wasn\’t dehydrated. I drank about 3 liters of water during my ride, and my roll time was less than 3 hours. I averaged half a hair over 13 mph, so I wasn\’t working especially hard. I also downed about 22 oz of electrolyte drink. I had my milk with chocolate whey within about 20 minutes of getting back home. I ate lunch within the next hour.

When I kept feeling dizzy, I took a salt tablet, but it didn\’t seem to do any good. I ought to be doing my Core I exercises right now, but I think I\’d better skip it. In fact, I think I need to juggle around my off-bike exercise schedule to give me long-ride days off!

I\’m considering evaluation by a sports cardiologist. This is really weird. I need to know whether it\’s something to be concerned about. The pressure is off? Maybe not.