Beyond Quenching Your Thirst: Avoiding Dehydration During Sports

With the summer time well upon us, many of us are getting back outdoors to engage in sports and other forms of exercise. Sports are a great way to have fun, stay in shape and let off a little steam. One of the main risks of sports is dehydration, which is more common in hot weather. Some basic principles regarding sports and dehydration can help you avoid this problem.

Our bodies prefer to live in a very narrow temperature range. When the need arises, body uses many ways to conserve or get rid of heat. When we exercise, working muscles generate heat. The body has to get rid of the heat to prevent the body temperature from rising. One of the ways the body does this is through sweat. When the body produces sweat, heat can evaporate from the skin to keep the inside of the body cool.

When we sweat, we lose both water and salt. Thus, sweating also can make us dehydrated. Dehydration can't only decrease athletic performance but it can also be dangerous.

Dehydration can occur after as little as 30 minutes of exercise, particularly in hot weather. Dehydration is one of the risk factors for heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which causes over 400 deaths per year. The early stages of dehydration often do not cause any symptoms.

As dehydration gets worse, people start to feel thirsty. Their mouths may also feel dry. These are the first warning symptoms of dehydration and should not be ignored. With further dehydration, people develop a flushed face, extreme thirst, may stop sweating and develop dry skin. People may no longer urinate or have very small amounts of dark yellow urine. Weakness, dizziness, muscle cramps, headaches, thick saliva, sleepiness. With increasing dehydration you may develop a dry mouth and a dry tongue.

If the dehydration is not corrected at this point, a person may pass out or get very lightheaded. Hot, flushed, dry skin is common, as the body can no longer keep the temperature down. Severe muscle cramps and confusion may also occur at this stage and people in this situation need treatment in the nearest emergency room.

All of these stages of dehydration can and should be avoided. Before athletic activity, drink at least two or three glasses of water. When engaging in vigorous activity in hot weather, people can also lose more than one liter of fluid per hour. Many experts recommend drinking roughly 8 ounces of water every fifteen minutes during athletic activity. Don't wait until you become thirsty to drink fluids. By the time you become thirsty, you already would have lost more body fluids, which can decrease your athletic performance. A good rule of thumb is to drink fluids regularly. Your body can get rid of excess water, but it cannot take in water without your help.

If you notice you are feeling thirsty, have a dry mouth or notice that your urine has become dark yellow, drink a large amount of water-at least one liter. If you have symptoms of more severe dehydration, such as muscle cramps or weakness, take at least a fifteen-minute break in the shade while drinking as much fluid as you can handle.

Alcohol, coffee, tea and salt tablets increase dehydration and should not be used during sports. Sports drinks are good to use when vigorous athletic activity will occur for more than an hour. These drinks supply salt, which is rarely as important as water. However, with prolonged exercise, these drinks can be alternated with water to prevent a salt imbalance. One 20-ounce sports drink, such as Gatorade, per hour is plenty and additional fluid should be in the form of plain water. Too many sports drink can further dehydrate a person and make them sluggish because of their high carbohydrate load.

When the weather is very hot, consider postponing activity until later in the day or the next morning. If this is not an option, use frequent breaks to prevent dehydration. If severe symptoms of dehydration occur, stop athletic activity and seek medical assistance.

When the weather is hot and humid, drink more than you would in cooler weather. Also, remember that the re-hydration process continues in the first few hours after finishing sports. Continued drinking of extra fluids will assure the body gets back into balance.

Sports and summer time go hand in hand for many people. Regular exercise has numerous health benefits and increases the overall sense of well being. So get in the game, but don't forget your water!

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