We all know the dangers of dehydration, but there is danger
of hyperhydration, too. When you have too much fluid intake this is called hyponatremia,
and can be a life threatening condition.
The challenge is that when you are hydrating you are
diluting the sodium in the blood vital for cell function. As the water content
grows, the body starts to shut down. Drinking a sports drink can help mitigate
this for longer term activities, but the sodium content is still not enough to
offset the water content.
The general recommendation is to prehydrate, drink water for
activities less than 60 minutes in duration and sports drinks for longer than
60 minutes of duration. It may also be a good idea to increase the sodium in
your diet if you are going to be very active through adding salt to foods or consuming
chips, pretzels or popcorn.
You can tell if you are drinking too much during activity if
your weight is more at the end than it was at the beginning. Some mild weight
loss is normal for activity, but overweighing with activity is a sign that you
may be drinking too much. Cut back, drink when you’re thirsty and check out the
new guidelines.
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