Dehydration

[abminara 0]

Hello. I have a problem - I play Ultimate Frisbee alot, our games usually last from 1 to 3 hrs. Including subs I, being one of the "not bad" players have to run for 1-2 hrs straight during each game. The problem is - I get dehydrated very quickly - ina bout 10-30 minutes of excessive gameplay I get very thursty and have to call water breaks. Ofcourse, all the stuff like Gatorate, etc. really helps, but I was wondering - is there any other more natural way to solve that problem? I realize that dehydration comes with sweat, which is one of the means the body uses to cool itself down, but today when I came from practice (2.5 hrs with no subs) I drank half gallon of water in 10 minutes and stil felt thirsty. Does anyone have any pieces of advice?

[FolkRockFan 0]

You have to hydrate before and after athletic activity. Before the game, spend an hour or so sipping water. Don't chug a gallon in 10 minutes or anything like that, but get a couple of quarts into your system. Do the same thing after you finish.Gatorade is good during the game because it replaces not just the water you lose by sweating, but also the salts and other stuff that you lose. Also: do you drink water or other healthy drinks the rest of the time? If you chug nothing but soda until Ultimate Frisbee day, then you've already dehydrated yourself to a certain extent. Soda's fine in moderation, though. Just balance it with water, juice and other fluids that actually hydrate the body.If the dehydration problem continues...or the feeling of thirst doesn't go away...I'd go to the doctor. There could be a medical problem.Oh, and while I'm thinking about it: it IS possible to drink too much water. Water poisoning can actually kill people. Weird but true.

[husker 0]

Absolutely agree with FolkRockFan. Make sure you drink water before and after playing frisbee. Soda helps dehydrate you so try to stay away from that also. Drinking during the game will help of course. When you drank that half gallon and were still thristy, it was probably because you body didn't have enough time to process the water. For example, when I eat dinner, I tend to eat rather quickly. I then move on to eating desserts or snacks. Then, like half an hour later I will feel really full. Now I'm no doctor, so I wouldn't trust everything I say. I'm just talking from experience.

[jlhaslip 4]

10-30 minutes of excessive gameplay I get very thursty and have to call water breaks.

One thing to note here:

By the time you feel thirsty, it is too late, your body has consumed all the reserves it has. that 'thirsty feeling' is the body telling you that it has no more reserves.
Try the above advise and let us know how it works for you.

To summarize:

Stay away from Soda as a hydration drink. The sugars are not good for you.
Small doses of water before, during and after exercise
'Cold' is harder to deal with. Use 'tap water', not chilled
Coffee is not a 'hydrator' either
Water is the best, or milk is good (afterwards)
Drink water BEFORE you get thirsty. Waiting will drain your reserves. It takes some time to get the water into your system, so small sips early and often is recommended

Hope this helps.

[Unknown_99 0]

Well to keep hydrated you have to sustain a certain amount of water within the body, but if you do exercises that exerts you more than the energy potential you may have you start to feel symptoms of fatigue. Just stick with water really, thats the best hydration drink you can stick with as it isn't sweeten drinks like most of the rest which give you a sudden craven for more. So may I advise buying a water bottle so when thirsty you may continue to drink but take it in small portions.

[abminara 0]

Stay away from Soda as a hydration drink. The sugars are not good for you.Small doses of water before, during and after exercise
'Cold' is harder to deal with. Use 'tap water', not chilled
Coffee is not a 'hydrator' either
Water is the best, or milk is good (afterwards)
Drink water BEFORE you get thirsty. Waiting will drain your reserves. It takes some time to get the water into your system, so small sips early and often is recommended

Hope this helps.

Thanks to you and to all who wrote in this thread. We had a practice today, and during the last period I drank .25 L. bottle of water slowly as you advised, and then again the same amount after warmup. It changed everytning tremendously! I did not feel thirsty a single time during the game. Although, I got tired more than usual (muscle pain), and I kinda felt "heavier" when running. Are these two connected?

btw, we won:)

P. S. I never dring soda in any way ever:)

[bishoujo 0]

If I drink too much water before doing sports, I do get muscle aches and may feel a bit 'heavier'. I think it's a matter of making your body get used to it. Other than taking in water orally, you can also try spraying water on yourself periodically. Notice how those footballers on tv always dunk a bottle of water over themselves. It's to cool down and helps a little with hydrating too. Instead of doing this during the game, since it's going to cause you to keep having those annoying breaks, one hour before the game, you have some clean water in a sprinkler with you at hand, and every few minutes, whenever you feel like it, you can take it out and spray your face, hands etc to keep yourself cool before the game.

[abminara 0]

If I drink too much water before doing sports, I do get muscle aches and may feel a bit 'heavier'. I think it's a matter of making your body get used to it. Other than taking in water orally, you can also try spraying water on yourself periodically. Notice how those footballers on tv always dunk a bottle of water over themselves. It's to cool down and helps a little with hydrating too. Instead of doing this during the game, since it's going to cause you to keep having those annoying breaks, one hour before the game, you have some clean water in a sprinkler with you at hand, and every few minutes, whenever you feel like it, you can take it out and spray your face, hands etc to keep yourself cool before the game.

Thanks... that's the first thing I thought about it, but the thing is that in Frisbee you cannot call breaks that often. Only at halftimes, which are usually an hour into the game:(

[Watermonkey 0]

I agree with quite a lot of what was said here, but I'd just take one thing from Folkrockfan and one thing from jlhaslip:

 

Folkrockfan said soda, a small amount, isn't harmful. I know you don't drink it, but for anyone else who's learning from this thread, don't touch it! Soda contains (often) several ingredients that, ingested in sufficient quantity, are deadly or are a major contributer to obesity: Phosphoric acid is deadly, and high fructose corn syrup, which is hard not to find these days as a sweetener, is a major factor in the epidemic of obesity and early onset diabetes in places that don't have societal emphasis and place high value on gardening and living an independent lifestyle (like most of North America).

 

Jlhaslip suggested that milk can be considered in hydration. Milk, according to a lot of research, can lead to asthma, and certainly generates a lot of mucus making it more difficult to breathe during activity from high-impact sports to singing. I have never been able to cut milk out from my diet altogether, but I never ever drink it as a beverage, just as an accompaniment to things like cold cereal, pasta, mashed potatoes, or coffee. That's the extent of my milk consumption and it's always "organic" to limit my intake of rBST and antibiotics. Remember, milk is another huge source for dietary sugar which is not something most people need more of. Personally, I just feel a whole lot better when I haven't had any non-fermented dairy in a couple days. Cheese, preferably made from RAW UNpasteurized milk, is not a bad thing, but now we're straying from the topic. For hydration, a high-mineral-content water from a natural source like a spring or private well where toxins like chlorine or fluoride aren't added would be preferable. And keep that bottle of water at your side at all times, even on your nightstand next to your bed, and just take a sip here and there all day long and I don't think you'll be "hydration-challenged" too much while you're chasing Frisbees...

[scutari 0]

here below you have some information about dehidration??

What is dehydration?
Dehydration can be defined as "the excessive loss of water from the body." Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can lead to dehydration in various ways. Often, dehydration becomes the major problem in an otherwise self-limited illness. Fluid loss may even be severe enough to become life-threatening.

The following information is designed to provide some understanding and guidance in order to avoid the effects of dehydration. Treatment, however, should be individualized, and your physician should be contacted before using any of the measures outlined here.

Our bodies require a certain amount of fluid intake on a daily basis to function; the minimum is about equal to four 8 ounce glasses (one liter or one quart). Requirements vary with activity and age, but most active persons need two to three times this basic amount. Basic fluid intake serves to replace the fluids which are required to perform our normal bodily functions. If we take in less or lose more fluid than is needed, the end result is dehydration.


What causes dehydration?

Excessive loss of fluid through the intestinal tract can happen when the intestine is "inflamed" or damaged, or when bacteria or viruses cause the lining of the intestine to produce more fluid than can be absorbed.

Abnormal connections that are between parts of the intestinal tract (fistula) may also lead to fluid depletion. A decrease in oral liquid intake may be due to nausea or loss of appetite; this may be worsened by an inability to keep things down (vomiting). Medications also can cause an increased fluid loss. Prior bowel resection or ileostomy can make a person more susceptible to dehydration.


What are symptoms and signs of dehydration?

A reliable clue to indicate dehydration is a rapid drop in weight. This loss may equal several pounds in a few days (or at times hours). A rapid drop of over 10% (fifteen pounds in a person weighing 150 pounds) is considered severe. Symptoms may be difficult to distinguish from those of the original illness, but in general, the following signs are suggestive of dehydration; increasing thirst, dry mouth, weakness or lightheadedness (particularly if worsening on standing), darkening of the urine, or a decrease in urination. Severe dehydration can lead to changes in the body's chemistry, kidney failure, and can even become life-threatening.

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