Around The Islands: Sports Health
Hydration
Proper Hydration
by Brian McInnis
It's one of the most common ailments to befall high school athletes of all types of sports, whether it be cross country runners to football linemen to a shooting guard in basketball. It's also of particular focus in Hawaii because of the islands' combination of heat and humidity.
That problem is dehydration.
When active athletes heat up, their bodies sweat a large amount of the fluids they've built up (about 60 percent of the body is water). Now, normally this is not a problem if the athlete has taken care to drink plenty of water, or sports drinks, before and during practice - but problems can develop fast if the athlete does not properly store up fluids, or hydrate. Heat illnesses range from the common heat cramps, serious heat exhaustion, and potentially fatal heat strokes.
Kevin Chang, an athletic trainer and specialist with the Straub Bone and Joint center, warns local athletes to be aware of the problem, and offers strategies that can help prevent or minimize any of that from occurring.
"Most athletes do not know about being dehydrated until it’s too late," said Chang, who has experience as a strength and conditioning specialist with the Sacred Hearts Academy. "When you’re out there participating, you are actually sweating more than you are thirsty. So, you’re actually losing more than you can intake."
He says to combat this by drinking plenty of fluids prior to practice or games. It gives the body a head start on replenishing its needs.
If an athlete sweats more than 2 percent of his or her total body weight without replenishing fluids, the situation can become critical. Even if the athlete does not feel ill, the body's performance will be affected, no matter what the sport is.
That's what Chang tries to impress upon student athletes. They won't be able to run as fast, jump as high, or do whatever their particular sport demands if their body is not equipped to deal with dehydration. In other words, it's in their best interest to be smart about it.
"If you come into a state of dehydration, you have heat exertion, or heat cramps, then you go into heat exhaustion or heat stroke," said Chang. "So, there are different degrees of dehydration. Of course, heat stroke being the worst, when your body stops producing sweat and your body organs start to fail you."
In Hawaii, football players are at particular risk because of the extra padding they wear - the gear insulates heat against the body and makes things worse - as well as from common two-a-day practices, when players may not have prepared their bodies properly for the second practice in a single day. But that doesn't mean other sports aren't at risk. Cross-country runners, for example, often collapse from heat exhaustion at the finish line. At this year's Iolani Cross Country Invitational at Kualoa Ranch, seven runners had to be hooked up to IV's to restore fluids, according to Chang.
"It’s been [said] throughout history, ‘no pain no gain,’ and ‘if you want to become tougher, don’t drink water,'" said Chang, shaking his head. "The coaches actually inhibit it; they don’t allow athletes to drink freely, so they get into a state of dehydration. The public hasn’t really been aware of the situation, [for] athletics at least, in the high school level, maybe until the ‘90s."
Athletes are at the biggest risk for heat illnesses during the first week or two of the season, when their bodies may not be conditioned enough for acclimatized to conditions they will face the rest of the season. To be detailed, for every pound of sweat an athlete loses in one practice (and yes, larger athletes can sweat out up to 10 pounds or more!) Chang says the athlete must drink 20 ounces of water per pound to be restored back to normal.
The best way to figure out how many pounds in sweat an athlete has lost is for them to weigh themselves before they practice, then immediately afterward wearing the same gear. When athletes compete in humid and hot conditions, it's a recipe for disaster. "When it becomes humid, the mechanisms don’t work as well," Chang said. "You’re sweating, but basically the water’s not being evaporated from your skin - compared to if you’re in dry weather. That’s the reason why higher humidity is harder. And it’s compounded when you have equipment on."
An example of the tragic consequences of heat stroke occurred at the 2006 Honolulu Marathon. Jonah Pak, a volunteer, died on the sidelines when he collapsed from the heat. In addition, a runner had to be resuscitated and brought to Straub when he collapsed at the finish line.
Some of the warning signs of dehydration include fatigue, nausea, headaches, dizziness, and sometimes, sudden anger and confusion. It's best to remove extra clothing and rest in a cool area if that happens, while taking small amounts of fluids. And don't resume exercise for two hours or more, according to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.
