Sweating after class

[MissRx]

#1880

After each yoga class I do I drive home (about 10 mins drive) and then have a shower. However every time after I have showered I continue to sweat on my back and sometimes on my stomach and face too.

Does anyone know why this is happening and how I can stop it?

I sometimes continue to sweat for a couple of hours which means I have to plan my yoga classes so that I don’t have to be anywhere after them for at least 2 hours or more otherwise I will literally be wearing a wet top. I have tried having the shower cold, luke warm, warm and hot and this does not affect the outcome.

I lie in savasna after class for approx 3-5 minutes, I always ensure that I am well hydrated before class and I maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

Thanks 🙂

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#7450

Hi MissRx

I would try next time, lying for 10 minutes (and even longer if you can manage it or you have the luxury). It could make the difference for you. There will be days for everyone where they continue sweating. So you may have to try this for a number of classes, but I have found that staying still for longer can do a lot more for your whole system than just help with the sweat issue. Come back and tell us all what happens for you.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[MissRx]

#7451

I will try to stay lying for longer at the end of class and get back to you – it is hard though as those who are coming for the class after mine start coming into the room to set up so I kind of feel like I have to leave.

[cyleet99]

#9715

Aloha, I’m on my second week of Bikram, tonight was my 7th or 8th class. After tonight’s class, I find the middle of my back sweating and itchy (but nowhere else.) I felt like I stretched more tonight, especially in the spine twisting poses. I’ve been bathing after every class, but bought a back scrubber today because of the itchiness in my mid back that I have noticed this week. I use a clean towel every class on my mat. I wonder if the poses are causing a nerve-based itchiness (it’s not terrible.) Maybe new circulation is getting to new areas? I was quite sedentary before starting this class.

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#9797

Aloha Cindy

How’s that itchiness going? Did it … um … go? 😉 Let me know please. It’s possible that you were awakening your circulation after being sedentary.

Looking forward to your response

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[cyleet99]

#9827

Aloha Gabrielle, thanks for the reply. Yes, I think you were right about the itchiness, and I did try remaining on my mat for a longer period after the class. Still sweaty, but I think that is part of it all.:-) I haven’t gone to class for a couple of weeks due to a trip out of town and also due to low back and leg pain; hurts to sit for long periods (especially driving, shoots from my buttock down my thigh.) It seems to be getting better with the rest and makes me think it could be related to some yoga asanas. (sorry this is off topic.)

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#9831

Hi Cindy

That’s good news about the itching. You are probably right about the technique of certain asanas being related to certain the pain issue. ‘Meet me’ over in the appropriate sections (either body part related or pose related) and we can discuss it there. You will probably find your answers already there because this is a common problem with dialog led classes that try to follow set words (which thousands of us have found are ambiguous and misleading). There are simple answers (mostly 😉 ) and they work WITH the body rather than against it.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[erinjag]

#10443

Hello all,
I see these are old posts, but I’m wondering how the sweating is going? I’m new to Bikram and sweat like crazy for hours after class. If I do yoga at night, I have a hard time sleeping and, of course, I continue to sweat. The lack of sleep doesn’t bother me because I actually feel more energetic in the mornings after yoga. When I do it during the day, I also avoid going anywhere for at least 2-3 hours after class. Even a cold shower doesn’t seem to help much. I mainly stay hot in my chest and in the middle of my back. To clarify, and not to be too graphic, its the middle of my chest that sweats. My breasts seem to be completely unaffected. I am a very healthy vegetarian 29 yr old. Please help!

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#10444

Hi Erin

May I ask how new you are to hot yoga? How many times have you been? How often do you go per week? Has this happened from day one? Do you get this problem every time you practise or just sometimes? Do you have any idea to what temperature they heat the room? How do you manage a class? Are you able to get through the whole class? If you have to stop class part way through for a break because perhaps you’re exhausted, do you just stop for a minute or 2, a side of a pose, or do you have to lie down? Are there others who are taking breaks when you do class?

Can you also please go and Google heat exhaustion? It is possible that the environment is overly hot. Many studios heat too high and to levels I consider to be unsafe. Understand that they can suit some people, so if you bring this up with some students they will say that they think it’s fine. Also if you bring it up with some teachers they will often assume that the temp effects are to be conquered. So just gather your information.

Heating to a level of 105 degrees with high humidity works in theory. However, the conditions never, ever stay constant. Usually, when you start class at those conditions the temperature rises and so does the humidity and the ‘heat index’. This could be causing stress on your system.

Your thoughts? Please answer the questions. I don’t want to jump to conclusions but I did want you to know what I was thinking.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[erinjag]

#10445

Thanks for the quick reply! I’m very new to Bikram. I took about ten classes at the end of last year and stopped due to travel and motivation. I’ve been back at it now for about a month a couple times a week. I’m trying to make it through 30 days straight to really solidify a habit. I’m actually thinking about mixing some vinyasa into the 30 days for some variety.

I have experienced the sweating every time. I assumed it was because I’m not use to it, but it discourages me from going. The room is suppose to be at 42℃ but I’m not sure if it is at that temperature. I do have to take many breaks. Usually I just stop for a minute. Sometimes I need to sit. I avoid laying down. I stop because I get lightheaded and dizzy. Other people do have to stop, lay down, and sometimes leave. I’ve done other types of yoga in the past and I dont have these problems in cooler rooms.

I’m super motivated to continue on and absolutely love the instructor. I’m hoping there’s a simple fix. I will take a look at heat exhaustion. Maybe my electrolytes are completely off. I’m hoping this is normal and at some point my body will adjust.

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#10448

Hi Erin

I am glad you are looking at electrolytes. There are many supplements out there. I use sea salt. I am sure you’ll find something that suits you. But I don’t think that’s the underlying problem.

As for people lying down and leaving and you needing to take frequent breaks I cannot be sure as to the real reason without more info… But here are some ideas for you.

If regular practitioners are frequently resting, lying down or leaving that is usually a sign that conditions are not optimum. In other words, the temperature (combined with the humidity to create what we call ‘the heat index’) is too high.

If you live in a humid zone and temperatures are high in the room, then it is possible to suffer heat exhaustion or other heat-related illnesses.

As I said before, some people can handle these conditions but if only some can and others cannot then there is a problem IMHO. Studios need to support the majority AS WELL AS optimal health conditions. There are no prizes for practising in the highest temperature you can. Not saying this is happening for you but it might be.

Remember that if you’re in the room and the temperature is set to 42C and it’s tolerable, then with practice the room is going to get more and more humid through that 90 minute period.

When one understands the crucial inter-relationship of humidity with temperature then it is possible to adjust them both to create a heat index that gives that great sweat and heat while staying safe for the body. For example I can practise between 38-40 degrees C and have the humidity set to 60 and it feels great plus it is safe. A customer of mine in a particularly humid part of China reports that the humidity is EXTREMELY high, in the 90+% range inside and outside the room and it is almost impossible to manipulate the conditions. If you’re not in an extreme zone like that, then safe temp/humidity control (heat index) is possible.

Core temperatures are an important point here. The body cannot cool itself if the core temperature rises beyond a certain point and it literally becomes a life threatening scenario. I am not saying that this is happening, but it has the potential to happen. Do some research on core temperature levels and heat exhaustion and heat stroke and hyponatremia (low sodium). You’ll see there are overlaps in the symptoms so it pays to have a general understanding.

Does your studio have circulating fans to keep the air moving?

That’s enough for this post!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[erinjag]

#10450

The story about your client in China brings up a good point. I’m an expat living in Indonesia. The temperature stays around low 90’s and the humidity is usually 80+% year round. It’s definitely a change for me. There are fans in the room, but they usually open the doors to cool the room and circulate air. It’s pretty funny to me that opening the door to the outside is a relief :). I think maybe I will start to sit near the door so I can cool off easier during the class.

I looked up all the conditions you suggested. Luckily I don’t think its as severe as heat exhaustion, but I definitely think I could be walking a fine line. I did find many articles on low sodium and what can cause hyponatremia. I never considered my water intake could be causing low sodium. In fact, before moving here I use to run quite often. On long distance runs, while I exclusively drank water, I always took GU gel while I was running. Why I never considered applying this same concept to Bikram is beyond me! I’m gonna try drinking some sports drinks during my practice and see if there is a difference in my sweating and my overall feeling during class. I really appreciate all your help!!!

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#10451

You’re welcome Erin

I am happy you feel positive about the changes you can make. Yay.

Tell me how you go.

I have no idea about the conditions, but if doors are being opened to cool and circulate air then it seems that the temperature is too high for the quoted humidity. Do they have dehumidifiers? If they don’t then dropping the temperature to body temp will be a good place to start playing around at.

BTW: What you could have is a very mild case of heat exhaustion.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Hot&Happy]

#10639

I am also experiencing frequent sweating outside of yoga classes. As soon as I begin to feel just slightly warm, I begin sweating. Before I began practicing Bikram, I rarely sweat, but now it is like a switch has been turned on, and I sweat all the time! I am 27 years old, and have been practicing 3-4 times a week for a little more than a year. I add electrolyte tablets to my water regularly, and try to drink 2L of water daily. I wonder if maybe that’s not enough, or if something else is lacking? I really enjoy the practice, and I feel great otherwise, but the constant sweating is frustrating.

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#10640

Hi Megan

Thank you for the details! I would have asked you how old you are to perhaps go down the ‘hormonal’ path, so thanks for pre-empting that. At your age it is unlikely but possible still.

Have you explored the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion? There is a possibility that you have some issue there. Perhaps let’s see if that can be excluded too. Can you tell me about the heating conditions in your studio, please? Do you know how hot it is? Often the answer is no, and people report that it is hot and they sweat. It is also hard to just know how hot it is because so much depends on heat AND humidity conditions AND our emotional and physiological resilience on any given day. So, often the barometer for how hot it is can be reflected in how often OTHER people (perhaps a part from you) in the room need to take a break, sit or lie down or drink a lot. If there are only a couple of people every so often needing to take a break then that’s acceptable (especially if the breaks are a few seconds to a minute or so). Once you have a handful of people up and down through class and people lying on the floor (and if you get my emails there’s one called “They were dropping like flies” which has some info) then you know that the temps are probably too high. That’s particularly the case if regular students are taking breaks.

There you go, some information to research and to ponder on. Let’s see what your responses are and if we need to go in another direction.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Hot&Happy]

#10641

Hi Gabrielle,

My studio generally runs around 104F, though I have no idea about the humidity level. I would say that most regular attending students in my classes, including myself, are able to endure the 90 minutes without sitting out. So, I don’t think that my studio is excessively hot, though its the only Bikram studio I have attended. I have read that is pretty normal for a Bikram studio, but I’m not sure. I would say that the longer I continue to practice, the more I sweat inside the classroom. I assumed that was because I am more hydrated now than when I started. I don’t feel bad at all, so I feel like if it is heat exhaustion it is minor. The last few weeks, in particular, I feel stronger and have more endurance! It’s just this sweat that’s driving me crazy!

I am going to try drinking a bit more water leading up to and after my next class, as well as staying in savasana a few minutes longer after class. I will check the studio’s barometer while I’m there, and get back to you.

Thanks so much!

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#10642

Hi Megan

I look forward to reading more of your experience.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

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