Adequate hydration is important for optimal sports performance and health. Dehydration can cause numerous symptoms including headache, dizziness, fatigue, or make you feel lightheaded or nauseous during sports participation. More severe dehydration can lead to significant health dangers (heat exhaustion, heat stroke) and even death. To prevent dehydration, do the following:
Fluid Timing Consume 16-24 ounces of water or a sports drink 2-3 hours before your practice, game or athletic event. Drink another 8 ounces of water or a sports drink 10-20 minutes before your practice or event. During your activity, consume 8 ounces about every 15 minutes (one ounce of fluid is roughly equal to one gulp) , especially if you are practicing in the heat. Report any heat illness symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, overheating, vision changes, or cramping to your coach or athletic trainer immediately.
Weigh-In Weigh yourself before and after a workout, practice or game to determine fluid loss. You don’t lose body fat in one workout. If you weigh less after physical activity than you did right beforehand, you have lost water weight and this needs to be replaced. For every pound you lose during exercise, you need to replace that with 16 ounces of water or a sports drink to ensure adequate rehydration.
Check for Dehydration Two easy ways to tell if you are hydrated is by the color of your urine, and how often you are urinating. When you are hydrated, your urine should be lemonade color, pale-yellow or somewhat clear. If your urine is darker than lemonade, you are dehydrated (note that if you are taking a vitamin supplement this may darken your urine). Most people urinate every 2-4 hours. If you are not doing this, you may not be drinking enough fluids.
Did you know? A loss of 1% of your body weight through dehydration makes your heart beat an extra 3-5 beats per minute compared to a hydrated state. That’s about 1.5 lbs for a 150 lb. individual. A loss of 3% or more can impair your performance and can be dangerous.
Can you drink too much water? Yes. It is possible to overhydrate. This condition, called hyponatremia, is a medical emergency that results from excess water intake that dilutes the electrolytes in your body. Hyponatremia can cause some of the same symptoms as dehydration (headache, dizziness, etc) and can be dangerous or fatal. Sometimes the hands and feet appear swollen due to excess water in the body. Although rare, hyponatremia cases have reported with individuals who hydrate over a long period of time (marathon runners, military recruits) or with those who simply overdo it hydrating before, during, or after an event. Remember, everything in moderation. Too much of even a good thing (including water) can be dangerous.
Replacing sodium and potassium losses after activity Keep in mind that you really don’t need much of an effort to replace these electrolytes after an average workout, practice or game. You can use normal foods to do so. During a two hour workout, you lose about 300 mg of potassium and 1000-2000 mg of sodium. Here are a few examples of common foods that can easily help you to replenish these electrolytes:
Potassium
8 oz yogurt: 520 mg potassium
8 oz of orange juice: 475 mg potassium
1 medium banana: 450 mg potassium
Sodium
1 can of chicken noodle soup: 2,350 mg sodium
1 cup spaghetti sauce: 1,160 mg sodium
1 oz thin pretzels: 560 mg sodium
1 bagel: 540 mg sodium
Macaroni and Cheese (1/4 box): 435 mg sodium
1 slice of American cheese: 250 mg of sodium
Electrolyte Fact: One pound of sweat loss results in a loss of 80-100 mg of potassium and 400-700 mg of sodium.