Hyponatremia: What is It?

Yes, this includes water. Though it may be the soup of life, water can actually be toxic if ingested in excessive amounts. When this occurs it is usually based on bad or incomplete advice. Inexperienced runners, including charity race participants, often function under the outdated notion that you can't get too much water. Many participants are not competitive athletes and their pace/level of effort is not extreme; water losses are not that great. Still, in their mind is the knowledge that endurance athletes need to keep up on fluid intake during events. Hyponatremia occurs when blood sodium concentration falls to an abnormally low level prompting a rapid swelling of the brain that can result in seizures, coma and death. The key risk factor is excessive drinking—especially non-electrolyte fluids such as many types of water.

First reported in 1985, this disorder was considered be a rare phenomenon but has become more common since the early 1990s. A post-race study done after the 2002 Boston Marathon found that 13 percent of the participants experienced hyponatremia and point six percent had critical hyponatremia, a potentially deadly issue. Basically these people had gained weight from excess water consumption going into the start of the event and continued to gain as they drank during the race, partially because their relatively long race times gave them enough time to ingest more fluids than they lost.

The risk of hyponatremia can be reduced by making certain that fluid intake does not exceed sweat loss and by ingesting sodium-containing beverages or foods to help replace the sodium lost in sweat.

For most athletes, dehydration is still the primary obstacle to optimizing performance, not hyponatremia. But the message regarding this increasing problem is for the zealous, less experienced exercisers or competitors: Make sure you start off with the accurate hydration recommendations.

Hydrate for Good Health

We humans are more than 70 per cent water. Taking enough fluids is the basis for keeping your body working at its best. We begin to get dehydrated and our performance drops off with just two per cent water loss. What can cause a two per cent water loss? It doesn't take much. It can happen to an athlete who's competing, and even to someone who's in bed with the flu or diarrhoea, in the very hot weather to all of us or even to someone who just doesn't drink enough water. Water is continuously lost from the body partly in urine and stools (approximately 1.5 litres), partly in sweat and partly as water vapour in respiration. Even mild dehydration of one per cent in the body, which would represent approximately 0.75 to one litre of water (1 per cent of 75 kg = 750 ml) can create a reduction in muscle performance and the person could start to show dehydration symptoms.

Early symptoms are headaches, dry eyes (ask any contact lens wearer what happens after a couple of glasses of wine), drowsiness, loss of concentration and irritability. If you don't meet your fluid needs, you can also experience frequent muscle cramps.

Since all these things are worsened by dehydration it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that keeping hydrated is important for you. The more you weigh, the greater your fluid needs. Dehydration can have a negative impact on your daily activities. By drinking adequate fluids, you will also decrease the chances of getting injuries.

Softball and Sports Drinks

Sports drinks are the best thing combined with water for their hydration and performance-boosting benefits. In general, sports drinks provide an athlete with the following benefits: they hydrate your body, provide you with a quick boost of energy from the quick-burning carbohydrates in the mix, and finally, replenish your potassium and sodium stores needed for muscle contraction through the electrolytes.

With many brands of sports drinks out there, many softball players often ask me which brand provides the best benefits. The truth is that behind all the marketing hype and other additional products, they do the same thing: keep you well hydrated. However, Vitalyte has a proven track record with athletes for superior hydration, low sugar levels, and natural ingredients.

Making Running Easier

You may want to try to find a cooler, and perhaps easier, running route. Choose those streets, or roads, that are lined with shady trees, or buildings offering shade, on at least on one side of the street. You can check your local street directory or road map to find, or work out, your new running route. Perhaps you could even drive the route beforehand to ensure it does fit into your selection criteria, and then you will also be able to check the mileage quite accurately so that you will know how far you are going to run each time! This will be great in knowing your timing recording too.

You will most definitely need to hydrate with Vitalyte during these, or any, long periods of exercise, and it is absolutely critical to not only replace any fluids lost to sweat, but also the excreted electrolytes. By not doing so, can result in a very serious health condition called hyponatremia which, if left untreated, can lead to death. ( Hyponatremia is an electrolyte disturbance -a disturbance of the balance of salts in your blood - in which the sodium concentration in the plasma is lower than normal (hypo in Greek), specifically below 135 mEq/L. The large majority of cases of hyponatremia occurring in adults result from an excess amount or effect of the water retaining hormone known as Antidiuretic Hormone commonly abbreviated as ADH) - thanks again Wikipedia

Performance Nutrition

Carbohydrates, which rapidly break down to blood sugar (glucose), are the body's primary and favorite energy source. The brain, nervous system and muscles are fueled mostly by glucose. Therefore, a continuous supply of carbohydrates is necessary to prevent body stores from being depleted. Inadequate carbohydrate intake leads to low energy levels, fatigue and impaired performance. Proper management of the amounts, types and timing of this nutrient is required to fill and refill the main "gas tank". Key carbohydrate guidelines are listed here:

- Carbohydrates should make up approximately 60 percent of your child's diet.

- Starches and grains (breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc) should be eaten at each major meal throughout the day to provide a lasting energy source. Major meals should be eaten three to four hours apart.

- Carbohydrates such as fruit, energy bars/shakes, and sports drinks are ideal for rapid fueling before activity and immediately after exercise to optimize recovery.

- Depending on the sport, the growing athlete should consume 3 to 4.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight per day.

Drink Plenty of Fluids Before Your Go on a Run

1. Be sure to always drink plenty of fluids some hours before your run as you will tend to be sweating excessive amounts of fluids. Water or electrolyte-balancing (isotronic) drinks are the very best fluids of choice. Avoid all other drinks such a soda or coffee, as sodium and caffeine do act as dehydrating agents. ALWAYS take a full water bottle with you as you run. There are plenty of running accessories available that will make carrying a bottle easy.

The electrolytes are important chemicals in our blood that help to regulate so many different functions within our body. Any imbalance of electrolytes can cause different symptoms, depending on whether the electrolyte levels are either too high or too low. You will need to be able recognize any of the symptoms of your own electrolyte imbalance, and what causes it. This way, you will be able to obtain the correct treatment when it becomes necessary, and therefore help to prevent any electrolyte imbalance in the future. Using Vitalyte can prevent these problems!

Keep Your Sweat in Check

For most of us who perform regular workouts, sweating is not an uncommon phenomenon. In fact, it is the evidence of our hard work and it signals growth. Through sweating, our bodies cause us to lose water and other essential electrolytes to prevent the body from overheating. Sweat glands soak water from the blood vessels and transfer it to the skin with some salts. These droplets of water evaporate taking away some bit of energy from the skin in the form of heat. Scientific research has proven that we could lose as much as three liters of water from our skin during one hour of a heavy workout session!

Well there’s nothing to be afraid of, but you must assure that your body receives enough liquid before, during and after exercises. To keep a good check on your water levels, weigh yourself just before the workout session and immediately after it. Deduct the amount of water that you take during the session. You must have 16 ounces of water to replenish the amount of water loss for each pound. For example, if you lose 3 pounds of weight during the session, you must drink at least 48 ounces of water. Another good way to assure that your body is properly hydrated is through the color of your urine. A lemonade-like color of your urine indicates that the body is well hydrated while a darker tone indicates water requirement.

In order to ensure optimum water levels, you must consume water 15 minutes before you start your workout session. After every 20 minutes of exercise, try to gulp at least 8 ounces of water. Water is the best hydrating agent during your exercises but a sports drink can help you as well. Sport drinks not only replenish the water content but also contain electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, which address necessary salt needs. Moreover, the body absorbs carbohydrates quicker through sport drinks than any other way. This means that energy restores faster through a sports drink than through plain water. Fruit juice can be good option during your workout session, as it rich in simple carbohydrates and is a natural way to replenish.