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The Importance of Hydration in Athletes

February 25th, 2008 at 12:33am |

The Importance of Hydration in Athletes
By Jennifer Jordan

It s hard to attend a sporting event without seeing a container of Gatorade on the sidelines, or watch a game on television without seeing a plethora of Gatorade commercials gracing the screen. While this is overt advertising, it does ring true. Gatorade, it turns out, was right: hydration in athletes is essential. But, it s not only the Peyton Manning s and Shaquille O Neal s who can benefit from proper hydration: people who engage in recreational exercise need proper fluid too. It s also not only Gatorade that is up to this challenge: athletes can really go when they consume H2O.

Still, no one really knows how much water to consume: eight glasses, eight liters, eight gallons? People who don t engage in habitual athletic activity can generally keep themselves adequately hydrated by listening to their body: when they get thirsty, they drink. Athletes, however, require much more fluid intake.

So, runners, lifters, and bikers are met with making a decision about water consumption.

In the past, the idea of drinking water had a bit of a college fraternity ring to it, as coaches and trainers stood shouting “Chug! Chug!” in the background. Nowadays, this fraternity impression has been replaced by one of caution: believe it or not, there s such a thing as too much water.

Water intoxication, or hyponatremia, is simply being drunk on water. When water is consumed in extremes, it starts to affect the functions of the body. A dangerous condition, this intoxication can sometimes prove fatal. Though some people have water intoxication and remain asymptomatic. Those that do have symptoms initially experience vomiting, headache, and lethargy. As the water intoxication progresses, confusion, seizures, lack of retention, and coma can set in.

With the risk of water intoxication and the risk of dehydration, athletes are left juggling the question: how much water is enough and how much is too much?

Essentially, it comes down to the length and intensity of a work out. Whenever you engage in a workout, fluids are lost through sweat and replacing them becomes essential. For marathon runners and those who engage in similarly extensive workouts - such as long distance bikers - as much as two percent of body weight can be lost through fluids during the course of the exercise. This causes the body, including the heart, to work harder. When this happens, the athletic performance risks compromise.

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

Jennifer Jordan is an editor and staff writer for http://www.phdrinkingwater.com. A fitness buff, she simply could not live without consuming a lot of water everyday. Yes, she prefers water even to wine.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Jordan
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Importance-of-Hydration-in-Athletes&id=1001122

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