I just learnt about overhydration and hyponatraemia this year. For years I have been running with some problems when I drank water, often it was too much. Especially when I did long runs with hydration back pack. My belly would be bloated with water, and in some cases I would feel my hands swollen. It was recently, I found out about it from Dr Tim Noakes, the guy who shared about Low Carb High Fat can be the cure or solution to metabolic syndrome such as Diabetes. He had also done research on overhydration. Now I found this video that comedically covers this truth.
Now I don’t carry so much water, and I have never experienced the swelling hands anymore. and simplest scientific rehydration is weigh myself before and after an event, and drink to replace the missing mass.
I do still worry when my urine color is strong, then I just drink more cold water. I find that cold water causes me to pee, and warm water helps me to crap. So I guess cold water is absorbed faster into the blood stream, as the kidney does filter the blood. I worry as my concern is the wastes that the body produces might not be circulated and excreted very well without enough water. but that’s about it. Previously I drank till my pee is clear, but now I am worried if that means I am overhydrated, so now a pale color is sufficient.
My summary of the video
- is to Drink to thirst,
- keep note that during exercise, the body will go into water conservation mode, so we don’t need to drink as much. (In fact I noticed that most elite runners don’t even much drink during their events, if at all).
- don’t listen to hype on hydration, or the fear mongering of dehyrdation, as long as we drink to thirst we should be fine. (the human body has evolved to survive without water for a significant amount of time)
- too much water leads to hyponatremia (which actually means too little salt, but to me that means an imbalance of salt to water, obviously more water, means your salt concentration is less)
Blog Of Bobby :p 