How Do You Prevent Dehydration In Athletics

How Do You Prevent Dehydration In Athletics ?

Athletes engaged in any sport, lose a lot of water in the form of sweat due to the strenuous activity involved. If this water is not restored or replenished in the body, it would lead to dehydration. Dehydration would cause cramps and other physiological effects, hampering the performance of the athlete.

In fact, severe dehydration can even lead to a heatstroke and could prove to be fatal. Hence, it is important to prevent dehydration in athletes.

So, how is this achieved?

As always, prevention is better than cure. The dietary regimen of the athletes should involve high fluids intake. When the fluid intake is higher than the water lost through sweat, dehydration does not set in. Fluid replacement beverages should be easily accessible to the athletes. In fact, beverages in individual containers help monitor the fluid intake by that athlete.

Secondly, pre-activity and post activity hydration regimen should be adjusted as per the playing and environmental conditions. If the conditions are hot and humid, athletes are most likely to lose more water and hence the regimen should be devised accordingly.

Finally, it is important to look for signs of dehydration. Some of the early symptoms of thirst and general discomfort followed by headache, cramps, nausea and decreased performance levels. However, dry mouth or thirst, unfortunately, is not the first sign of dehydration. An athlete can lose over 1.5 liters of body before actually becoming thirsty. In any sport, fluid access is crucial to keep the body hydrated. In sports like athletics, football and baseball, hydration opportunities are frequent and hence, athletes or players can consume small volumes of fluids many number of times. However, in sports like long distance running, hydration opportunities are restricted and this makes it more difficult to rehydrate.

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How Do You Prevent Dehydration In Athletics