Any student who has previously played a sport whether it be through a club or in high school knows that the coach always reminds players to “stay hydrated.” Many times they tell you to drink plenty of water throughout the day, even when you’re not thirsty, so you are hydrated for your game later that night. However, drinking too much water can be fatal.
According to sports medicine physician Dr. James Winger, drinking too much water and sports drink is the reason for the deaths of two high school football players. This over-hydration in athletes is called exercise-associated hyponatremia. This form of hyponatremia occurs because athletes hydrate even when they are not thirsty. During exercise, too much fluid in the body can cause the body to become overwhelmed with the ability to remove water. As a result, the sodium content of blood becomes dangerously and abnormally low which causes cells to absorb excess water which then results in swelling.
There have been two cases in the south where football players have died because of exercise-associated hyponatremia. After drinking two gallons of water and two gallons of sport drink, Zyrees Oliver collapsed at home after a practice and then died later in the hospital. After vomiting and complaining of a leg cramp in the second half of a football game, Walker Wilbank was taken to the hospital where he had a seizure and then later died. Jennifer Lea Strange and Matthew Carrington also died because of water intoxication, however their deaths were not caused by athletics. There have also been multiple suspected deaths of runners due to hyponatremia.
Although coaches recommend drinking water before, during, and after games to stay hydrated, Winger recommends only drinking when thirsty. The risks of drinking only when thirsty is mild dehydration which can be treated easily with smaller risks associated with it.
Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140902143238.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/georgia-teen-dies-from-drinking-too-much-water-gatorade/
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/26364634/jackson-prep-football-player-dies
This post caught my eye because I wrote a blog post on adjusting to new germs at college, and every article I read insisted that staying hydrated was essential to getting healthy when you’re sick, and staying healthy when you’re not. Here is an article with six benefits to drinking water: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water
This was very interesting to me because Ive heard the make sure you rare hydrated for your game line hundreds of times from my dad throughout my playing career. Water definitely makes you feel better throughout the day and keeps your mind thinking properly.
I agree with this post completely and wholeheartedly. I drink a lot of water throughout the day, I even carry a gallon water jug with me to classes, and I think it is really important for me to keep this up. On a couple of occasions I have forgotten or left my jug at home and I will notice that because I am not drinking as much water throughout the day my focus and drive both suffer dramatically. I could easily get up and go to the fountain but the amount of times I would have to do that to consume as much water as I normally do is just impractical. I find it very beneficial and important to drink a lot of water on a daily basis. Like the article says, not too much, but enough so that I can keep my concentration on more important things throughout the day. Drinking water is a very easy task that a lot of people take for granted and don’t realize how much it affects them.
I think these two case studies are very extreme examples. It is sad that these two boys died from excessive water intact, but this is not a common occurrence. In fact, dehydration is much more common. When the body becomes dehydrated, sweat production can shut down, allowing the body to overheat. If left unchecked, athletes may pass out or die. I don’t see a problem with encouraging athletes to hydrate well, common sense should tell them not to drink gallons of water in a matter of hours.
I completely agree with this concept. As humans, we cannot successfully go an extended period of time without water. It refreshes our minds and bodies. On days that i forget to drink water, I tend to be in a worse mood and might even start cramping up for no reason. Water is essential to our everyday life.
I could not agree with this article more and stress how important it is to stay hydrated. I can relate from personal experiences from suffering from dehydration 3 times in my life. Ever since then i have set reminders on my phone to drink water. Especially if you are exercising, your body needs to be hydrated or else it wont function properly.