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Dehydration and Exercise:
The Importance of
Maintaining Hydration for Athletic Performance
During athletic
performance, especially in events that require
endurance such as long
distance cycling and marathon running, individuals become prone to heart
attacks, heat strokes and more when they fail to maintain proper levels of
hydration. Drinking enough water during exercise is imperative. However,
once tragedy strikes in the form of a heat stroke or heart attack,
administering water to the victim is not a priority any longer.
Heatstroke resulting from dehydration during exercise:
When your body's core temperature raises too much, heatstroke can occur.
This is a serious medical emergency. The brain can sustain permanent damage.
Medical assistance becomes the priority. The majority of physicians treat
heat stroke by pouring cool water (or other available fluids) on the body
and allowing evaporation to take place. This surface evaporation process
induces body cooling. In a pinch, individuals may also have ice cubes rubbed
on their skin in order to alleviate the excessive heat.
You can spot the onset of a heat stroke by witnessing pain and/or burning in
the muscles. As time continues to pass, other symptoms may begin to surface
including:
When either of the last 4 symptoms above begin to surface during a heat
stroke, the implication is that the brain has started to be affected. Most
likely, the athlete will experience an impending sensation of doom as he or
she nears the point of passing out. You should know that in most cases,
endurance athletes do not collaps due to
dehydration. In the majority of
cases, other disorders are the cause. Be aware that heat stroke is not
something that should ever happen to an individual during exercise.
Maintaining adequate levels of hydration during exercise is the key to
avoidance.
How much water or other healthy fluids should be taken in on a daily
basis?
Firstly, you need to understand that there is a huge myth that has been
circulating around the entire planet for decades. We have been taught that
drinking a minimum of 8 glasses of water daily is proper. However, according
to the Canadian Institute of Medicine, human beings are sufficiently
hydrated in most cases simply by drinking healthful, refreshing fluids when
they experience thirst. Your brain knows when you're thirsty; listen to it.
The real problem is the overconsumption of sodium and the underconsumption
of potassium. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies further
reports:
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Sufficiently hydrated women
take in an average of 91 oz of total water from all beverages and foods
consumed in a given 24 hour period;
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In comparison, adequately
hydrated men require approximately 125 ounces of total water daily;
-
In hotter climates, and for
people who are extremely physically active, intake amounts need to be
increased;
How much sodium intake is needed for health daily?
As you know, the human body requires sodium chloride to survive. On average,
a given individual will lose approximately 3.8g of salt daily due to
perspiration. That figure comes from 1.5g of sodium and 2.3g of chloride.
The accepted upper intake level (UL) of sodium chloride each day maxes out
at 5.8g. Risks to consider about the overconsumption of sodium chloride
include:
-
Hypertension;
-
Stroke;
-
Coronary heart disease;
-
Kidney disease;
-
and more...
Further, African Americans and the elderly are especially susceptible to
salt-induced blood pressure spikes. In fact, it is estimated that roughly
92% of males between the ages of 30 and 49, and 75% of women in the same age
group, take in too much sodium chloride on a daily basis (more than 5.8g).
How much potassium is required for health on a daily basis?
To achieve optimal health, all human beings, endurance athletes included,
need to take in approximately 4.7g of potassium each day. The failure to do
so increases and individual's probability to develop a variety of
undesirable health issues. Adequate potassium intake will:
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Lessen the adverse affects
of the overconsumption of salt;
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Decrease the risk of
developing kidney stones;
-
Decrease the onset of bone
loss;
-
Decrease the risk for
developing heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and numerous other
preventable diseases and disorders;
Westernized food intake
standards are taking over the entire planet. Human beings are taking in too
much sodium chloride (salt) and too little potassium. Of course, this is
exactly the opposite of what is recommended to promote and maintain optimal
health levels.
The good news about dehydration during exercise:
It's easy to avoid. Instead
of drowning yourself with glass after glass of water each and every day of
your life, adequate hydration levels during exercise can be achieved by
paying attention to your own sense of thirst. Sure, it doesn't hurt to take
in an extra dose of life-sustaining water, especially during endurance
athletic events. However, you should pay more attention to your intake
levels of sodium chloride and potassium instead.
Also, taking in extra water on a regular basis will help your body to flush
toxins, lubricate joints, keep your skin supple and smooth - and a variety
of other pleasing results. Of course, too much of any good thing is not so
good and you need to be mindful about the potential of water intoxication.
Exercising common sense about your thirst levels and sticking to a diet
based on water-rich foods, as well as taking in less salt and more
potassium, will allow you to thwart the development of dehydration during
endurance exercise sessions very effectively
Sweating & Perspiration Problems during exercise
How Much Quantity of Water Drink
During Training
Should We Eat Before or After
Exercising?
You must seek approval from your doctor
before starting any new diet.
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