Overheating can cause dizziness, muscle spasms, and an increase in muscle cramps. Other side effects of dehydration include headaches, nausea and difficulty concentrating — all of which are detrimental to sporting performance.
Some are to do with the individual. For example, your fitness level; those who are fitter and more accustomed to exercise, perhaps counter-intuitively, will tend to sweat more as their training has finely tuned their natural ability to cool the body down rapidly.
This is because fat insulates the body and traps heat, so a higher body fat percentage will contribute to increased perspiration. The more intense an activity, the more you will sweat and the faster you will lose water. Also, hotter and more humid climates will lead to more sweating than cooler, more temperate environments.
The key to staying hydrated during a race or competitive event is to begin hydrating yourself before the activity. Then, at regular intervals of minutes, drinking ml of water will help to maintain your hydration throughout your session.
Of course, when you exercise you lose fluid — not only through your sweat, but through the air you breathe out. The amount of fluid your body loses is dependant on many factors such as intensity, duration, and climate. When we exercise, we also lose key electrolytes such as sodium and magnesium through sweat and the air we breathe out.
Although electrolytes do not contain energy, they are essential for sending electrical impulses to the nerves and muscles, including contracting and relaxing the muscle. Because of this, muscle cramping may be due to the loss of these electrolytes and dehydration. Electrolytes should be replaced by drink or food post exercise. As body sweats aim to cool down the body, fluid loss causes the blood to thicken, therefore decreasing oxygen supply and putting extra pressure on the body.
From this, it is evident that performance will be affected if the body is put under more pressure. Therefore, practically speaking, the recommendation is to ingest 20 to 24 ounces to ml of fluids for every pound of body weight lost during training. Though plain water is effective for rehydration, athletes should consider a sport drink or consume their water with foods that contain electrolytes such as sodium and chloride to replace electrolyte losses Dunford Some research studies have shown that as a whole, alcoholic and caffeinated beverages have diuretic effects; but such effects are transient, and therefore these beverages do contribute to daily hydration recommendations.
However, if rapid rehydration is the goal postexercise, it is advisable to avoid alcoholic and caffeinated beverages in the first few hours after activity Dunford The fluid chosen in the postexercise period should promote rapid rehydration. Depending on the amount of time before the next exercise session, consuming sodium-rich foods and beverages with water after competition or a training session should suffice. Sodium is one of the key nutrients athletes should consume in the postexercise period to return to a euhydrated state because it will help retain ingested fluids and stimulate thirst.
While sweat sodium losses differ among individuals, which can make individual sodium prescription difficult during this period, a little extra salt added to meals or snacks may be particularly useful for those with high sweat sodium losses Swaka et al.
Contact Us. The National Strength and Conditioning Association is proud to work with our outstanding partners and thank them for their continued support. Become a member Create Account. Become a member Create an Account. Staying hydrated increases energy, improves movement, recovery and agility, thermoregulation, and aids in mental clarity and activity — all of which can improve physical performance and reduce the risk of injuries.
Learn more about the signs and symptoms of dehydration. Dehydration contributes to muscle fatigue, which can increase the risk for injury. Staying adequately hydrated can help reduce muscle fatigue and reduce the risk of injury. As athletes exercise, the core body temperature rises. In response, the body sweats to dissipate excess heat so it doesn't overheat.
Staying hydrated replaces the water lost through sweating and is essential for thermoregulation, helping to prevent cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Fluid needs vary based on activity, intensity, environmental conditions, body size of the athlete and training status.
The more highly trained an athlete is, the more he or she will sweat and require more water. This means that a pound athlete should lose no more than 2 pounds during a workout.
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