Proper Hydration and Heat Illness

Dehydration is a major cause of injury to athletes but is everywhere but it is also one of the most preventable conditions. By the time an athlete feels thirsty they are already experiencing mild dehydration. If fluids are not replaced in an adequate time frame, the dehydration can worsen and will lead to potentially serious medical conditions.

The best treatment and prevention for dehydration is to replace the fluids that are lost on a regular basis. Water is the best drink to replace the lost fluids from the body but sports drinks can be beneficial as well because they also replace electrolytes a.

When an athlete is dehydrated and continues to exercise the body becomes unable to cool itself down which places athletes at risk for heat related illness. High external temperatures and humidity place the body at an even greater risk of illness.

Some of the many factors that can contribute to a person's risk of excessive body temperature include:

• Weather: high humidity will decrease the body's ability to sweat and release heat
• Age: children sweat less but produce more heat when exercising so they require more time to acclimate to heat.
• Restrictive clothes and gear limit heat evaporation
• History of heat illness

Other conditions related to risk include obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use.

Dehydration

Dehydration occurs when the body loses too much fluid. It begins to alter athletic performance when as little as 2% of the fluids are lost. The primary cause of dehydration is sweating out more than the body is taking into it in terms of fluid.

Heat Exhaustion

Is a worsened state of dehydration that occurs when the fluids lost are not replaced but the athlete continues to exercises, causing the body temperature to become elevated. This condition is associated with a combination of heavy sweating, dehydration, sodium loss, and energy depletion. Occurs most frequently in hot, humid conditions.

Heat Stroke

A serious medical condition that occurs when the temperature regulation system shuts down because the body temperature is too high. This condition can affect tissue and organ function and can lead to death if not treated properly .

• Acclimate to the heat over a period of 10 -14 days by gradually increasing the amount of time exercising per day and slowly add new equipment throughout the 14 days
• Be sure to drink plenty of water during the acclimatization period.
• Drink fluids containing some sodium to keep your urine clear to light yellow
• If you sweat a lot, or heat conditions worsen, be sure to take in extra sodium and electrolytes during the day with your meals and/or rehydration beverages containing sodium (for example: Gatorade).
• When exercising in the heat, clothes should be breathable and allow for proper sweating and evaporation- minimize layers. Clothes that get wet and hold on to the sweat should be changed regularly.
• Alter intensity, duration, and frequency if exercising in the heat.
• The amount of water and rest breaks should be increased as the outside temperature and humidity rise.