The importance of hydration in athletes

It’s hard to attend a sporting event without seeing a container of Gatorade on the sidelines, or watch a game on TV without seeing a slew of Gatorade commercials on the screen. While this is advertising, it rings true. It turns out that Gatorade was right: hydration in athletes is essential. But it’s not just Peyton Manning and Shaquille O’Neal who can benefit from proper hydration: People who engage in recreational exercise also need adequate fluids. It’s not just Gatorade that’s up to this challenge, either: athletes can really go when consuming H2O.

Still, no one really knows how much water to consume: eight glasses, eight liters, eight gallons? People who don’t engage in regular athletic activity can usually stay adequately hydrated by listening to their body: when they’re thirsty, they drink. Athletes, however, require a much higher fluid intake.

So runners, weightlifters, and cyclists must make a decision about their water intake.

In the past, the idea of ​​drinking water had an air of college fraternity, as coaches and trainers yelled “Chug! Chug!” in the background. Today, this impression of fraternity has been replaced by one of caution: believe it or not, excess water exists.

Water intoxication, or hyponatremia, is simply being drunk on water. When water is consumed in excess, it begins to affect the functions of the body. A dangerous condition, this poisoning can sometimes prove fatal. Although some people have water intoxication and remain asymptomatic. Those who do have symptoms initially experience vomiting, headache, and lethargy. As water intoxication progresses, confusion, seizures, poor retention, and coma may occur.

With the risk of water intoxication and the risk of dehydration, athletes must juggle the question: how much water is enough and how much is too much?

Essentially, it all comes down to the duration and intensity of an exercise. Every time you exercise, fluids are lost through sweat and replenishing them becomes essential. For marathon runners and those who engage in similarly extensive training, such as long-distance cyclists, up to two percent of body weight can be lost through fluids over the course of exercise. This makes the body, including the heart, work harder. When this happens, athletic performance is at risk of being compromised. This is an important thing to remember for both professional athletes and those trying to muddle through a workout without desperately wanting to give up.

In addition to compromised performance, not consuming enough water can lead to muscle cramps, general tiredness, and lack of coordination. In short, an athlete who is adequately hydrated will almost always perform better than one who is not.