3 types of athlete’s dehydration

| Hydration is essential when doing sports since the lack of water during certain activities can be very harmful to the body

In summer, vacations and daylight hours provide us with a larger window to train, but it should be remembered that dehydration is more common in this season due to high temperatures. Knowing the source that causes dehydration is the key to acting effectively and avoiding its consequences.

Particular attention should be paid to the lack of feeling of thirst, to training in hours of excessive heat or to excessive and / or long-lasting effort without sufficient water as they can lead to further dehydration.

• Under normal conditions of temperature and humidity, higher water losses occur through urine (approximately 1500 ml), and to a lesser extent through sweat (150 ml), skin (350 ml) or lung respiration (350 ml ).
• In hot summer seasons, sweat losses are multiplied by ten, so it can reach 1500 ml (the rest of the losses remain the same).
• If intense and prolonged exercise is practiced, the losses through the urine are reduced to 500 ml and the losses due to sweat can, in very extreme conditions, be multiplied by thirty, and can reach losses of 5 liters.

The main symptoms that indicate a lack of hydration They are: intense thirst, loss of appetite, feeling sick, fatigue, and weakness. In addition, dehydration will be different if the loss is mostly water or electrolytes (mainly sodium), so the way to combat it will be different.

What type of dehydration can I suffer and how should I hydrate myself to prevent it?

• Hypotonic dehydration: the loss of electrolytes (especially sodium) is greater than the losses of water. It is common in athletes who train in hot environments or in people who have very intense jobs (such as firefighters, construction personnel ...). In these cases, hypertonic drinks should be taken, that is to say with a high concentration of minerals, as is the case with hypertonic sports drinks and even taking supplements of mineral salts for athletes.
• Isotonic dehydration: the loss of water and electrolytes is similar. It is the most common in the usual population, it occurs in 70% of cases. It occurs in people who sweat a lot in conditions of normal temperature and humidity and people who perform moderate exercise. It also occurs due to mild or misuse of diuretics (both drugs and plants). In these cases, sports drinks or the well-known oral serum should be taken. Hydration should not be only with water.
• Hypertonic dehydration: the loss of water is greater than that of mineral salts. It is dehydration that occurs when little fluid is ingested. It affects between 10-15% of the population, mainly in children and the elderly, although it is also common in those athletes who perform an incorrect replacement of water or when sunstroke occurs due to long exposure to the sun. The solution is simple, you should drink more water, it can be alone or in the form of broths, juices, gazpachos, infusions, etc. You can also opt for sports drinks with a low concentration of electrolytes.

In adults, a hydration of 35 ml / Kg of weight and 50-60 ml / Kg of weight in children is recommended.

• For sporty adults it is recommended to drink approximately 500 ml of liquid two hours before exercise. During exercise, athletes should drink at regular intervals in order to replace all the water lost through sweating (approx. 250 ml every 15 min, or 500 ml every 30 min).
• It is recommended to add appropriate amounts of electrolytes (mineral salts) for sporting events of more than one hour or if there are extreme temperatures to replace losses. Sports drinks are suitable.

It is recommended that these sports drinks provide 0.5-0.7 g of sodium for each liter of water that is ingested during exercises of more than one hour.

What you should know

• Summer is the time of greatest risk for dehydration in athletes due to high temperatures.
• Dehydration will be different if the loss is mostly water or electrolytes (mainly sodium), so the way to combat it will be different.
• Avoid training in the middle of the day and without enough water.