Dehydration v/s Over-hydration in Hot Summers

[Zeynab]

Important News!
 

We have been constantly told to drink plenty of fluids in hot and clammy summers, particularly after a stressful workout when one is drenched in perspiration.  Athletes (marathon runners) have since long been receiving this advise.

But recently, medical experts have come up with more important information in this regard.  They say, just as too little intake of fluids can be harmful (dehydration), too much of it can also be just as detrimental (overhydration).

Sweating causes loss of salt from the body.  Intake of fluids also lower the sodium (salt) level in the body.  Therefore, drinking too much water particularly after a hectic workout will lessen the level of salt in the body still more.  This can have serious consequences.  It can even result in death.  

To learn more about the importance of maintaining a balance between dehydration and over hydration, read the following:

Dehydration:

Dehydration is a condition caused by the loss of too much water from the body, when a person loses more fluids than they take in.  Severe diarrhea, vomiting or excessive sweating can cause dehydration.  You might also get dehydrated from playing sports.  It's rare to reach a level of dehydration during sports or other normal outdoor activity. But if you don't replace the fluid you lose through sweat, you can become dehydrated especially on a hot day.

Thirst is one indicator of dehydration, but it is not an early warning sign. By the time you feel thirsty, you might already be dehydrated. Other symptoms of dehydration include: feeling dizzy, lightheaded, dry or sticky mouth, producing less and darker urine.  As the condition progresses, a person will start to feel much sicker as more body organs are affected by the dehydration.

The easiest way to avoid dehydration is to drink lots of fluids, especially on hot, dry, windy days. Water is usually the best choice. Drinking water does not add calories to your diet and can be great for your health.  The amount that people need to drink will depend on factors like how much water they are getting from foods and other liquids and how much they're sweating from physical exertion.  Eight glasses (2 lit) of water a day is commonly considered to be the normal standard intake.  Dehydration is most common in very young children and the elderly in very hot weather.    

Over Hydration or Hyponatremia:

The flip side of dehydration is overhydration, or simply drinking too much water too quickly. When sodium is lost in sweat and water is drunk as a replacement, the sodium remaining in the blood can be diluted.  Hyponatremia or low blood sodium, generally happens after drinking too much plain water (over a quart and a half per hour) over several hours. Slightly low levels of sodium are fairly common in marathon runners, and usually go unnoticed. However, the sodium level may become profoundly low in overhydration and cause problems throughout the body. Since fluid balance is intimately tied to sodium, hyponatremia can lead to damage of certain kinds of tissues in the body. Changes are most noticeable in the nervous system, where seizures, coma, and even death can result.  

Recognizing overhydration is challenging because it may appear much like exertional heat illnesses. Early symptoms are vague, and include confusion, nausea, fatigue, muscle cramps, and weakness. Worse cases can include vomiting, muscle twitching, delirium, seizures, and coma. Distinguishing overhydration from heat stroke or heat exhaustion can be difficult even for trained medics. The important aspect is that heat stroke or heat exhaustion is indicated by a high temperature, whereas overhydration is not. The final diagnosis must be made at a medical facility, where appropriate treatment can occur.