Liquids And Hydration For Athletes

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Why are liquids important?

• Water is a very important part of your body. The water in your body comes from the foods you eat and the liquids you drink. Your body uses water to digest (break down) food, absorb nutrients from food and get rid of wastes in your urine. Your body also uses water to stay at the right body temperature. In warm or hot weather, your body sweats, naturally cooling you down. Without the right hydration (amount of water), you can become dehydrated (dee-HEYE-dray-ted). Dehydration is a condition that results from not drinking enough water, or losing too much body water. Dehydration can increase your risk for heat illness during hot weather. Heat illness could lead to death.
  
  
• During exercise, your body temperature goes up and your body sweats. Your body loses water and electrolytes (ee-LEK-troh-leyets) in your sweat. Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium and potassium. It is important to replace water and electrolytes lost in sweat during long exercise sessions. Dehydration can hurt your performance during exercise and sports competitions. To prevent dehydration, you must drink the right amount of liquid before, during and after exercise. Some athletes may drink too much water during exercise. Drinking too much water can also hurt your performance.

How much liquid should I drink?

• Do not use thirst as a way of knowing whether you need to drink liquids. Thirst is not always a good sign that your body needs more liquids. The following are suggestions for how much liquid you may need to drink to prevent dehydration:
  
  
  • Before exercise: Drink about 13-20 ounces of liquid, two to three hours before exercise.
    
    
  • During exercise: Drink six to 12 ounces of liquid every 15 to 20 minutes.
    
    
  • After exercise: Drink 16-24 ounces of liquid for every pound lost during exercise. Eighty percent of water lost during exercise must be replaced before another exercise event done in the same day.
  
  
• It is a good idea to weigh yourself before and after exercise, especially during hot weather. This will tell you how much water you lost in sweat during exercise. You will need to replace this water after exercise.

What kinds of liquids should I drink?

• Water works well for exercise that lasts less than one hour. For exercise that lasts longer than one hour, liquids should have four to eight percent carbohydrates (kahr-boh-HEYE-drayts) to give you energy. This is about 10-19 grams of carbohydrate in a serving of eight ounces. The liquid should also have sodium. Sodium can make drinks taste better, and replace some of the sodium lost in your sweat. Sports drinks work well because they have carbohydrate, sodium, potassium and other ingredients that help you stay well hydrated.
  
  
• Liquids should also be cool or cold. Cool or cold liquids empty faster from your stomach than warm drinks do. They also help to cool your body temperature. Do not drink juice or soda before exercise, because it may cause stomach discomfort.
  
  
• After exercise that lasts longer than three to four hours, you should replace sodium lost in your sweat. You can do this by adding salt to your diet and drinking liquids with sodium.

How can I tell if I am drinking the right amount of liquids?

• You can check if you are drinking enough liquids by looking at the color of your urine. Urine should be clear or straw-colored (very light yellow), with little or no smell. If your urine is dark-colored or smells strong, you may not be drinking enough. Taking vitamins or other medicines may change the color of your urine. In this case, the color of your urine may not tell you if you are drinking enough liquids.
  
  
• Dehydration usually causes your tongue and mouth to feel dry. You will be very thirsty. You may pass little or no urine. Your eyes may look sunken and your skin wrinkled. You may feel dizzy or confused. You may have a fast heartbeat and breathing. Dehydration increases your risk for heat illness during hot weather. Stop exercising if you have signs or symptoms of heat illness. Some of these include muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion, or lightheadedness. Rest in a cool place and drink liquids.
  
  
• Some athletes may drink too much water. An athlete may feel tired, have nausea and a headache if he has drank too much water. Many times athletes who drink too much water also have low levels of sodium in their blood. If an athlete's blood levels of sodium are low, he may also be confused, have trouble balancing and rarely may have seizures. Eat salty foods the week before competition, and drink liquids that have sodium to prevent low blood sodium.

Risks:

• Not drinking enough liquid during exercise can cause dehydration. Dehydration can harm your performance and increase your risk for heat illness in hot weather. Heat illness may lead to death.
  
  
• Drinking too much liquid may also harm your performance. Many times, athletes who drink too much liquid also have low levels of sodium in their blood.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your diet. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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