How many people know what hyponatremia is without looking up a dictionary? The bad news is that most people don’t know what it is, but it’s a hazardous condition that happens all too often. More often than it should. Acute incidents are to blame for many people not understanding proper fluid levels to maintain during exercise. This is especially important during fairly intense workouts such as marathons and endurance activities.
Hyponatremia is significant because it is related to blood sodium levels in the body. Maintaining these levels in proper proportion is essential to keep the body healthy. If levels are adjusted by excessive sweating or excessive water intake, hyponatremia can occur, causing several problems. If you meet with a sports medicine physician to discuss participation in endurance activity, be sure to ask thoroughly about hyponatremia so that it can be avoided as much as possible.
Hyponatremia is essential because it occurs when sodium levels are too low. This happens during the normal process of sweating. However, the real problem is created when athletes continuously consume large amounts of water, lowering sodium levels in the blood. This low rate causes problems with hyponatremia.
Symptoms of hyponatremia are as subtle as a feeling of nausea, minor muscle cramps, possible confusion, and mild mental confusion. This is often mistaken for simply being dehydrated, which can prompt many people to drink more water, ultimately worsening the problem. Extreme cases of hyponatremia include symptoms such as coma and seizures, and in more extreme cases, death can occur.
To prevent and treat hyponatremia, you must drink a sports drink containing sodium or eat foods especially high in sodium to help the body quickly restore proper levels. Better to reduce plain water intake until the sodium level increases. The best alternative fluid is oral rehydration fluid. If you have severe symptoms, it’s best to see a doctor immediately, preferably a sports medicine doctor knowledgeable about treatment options.
There are some easy things you can do to prevent hyponatremia. The first is to ensure that you keep a sports energy drink on hand to drink continuously. Drinking water is also essential, as sports energy drinks help replenish sodium levels, and water flushes more sodium out of the body.
If you don’t have high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about increasing your sodium intake a few days before an endurance event. Raise your sodium levels only under the watchful eye of your doctor, or you may develop high blood pressure problems you didn’t have before.
In addition, it is always best to drink plenty of fluids. The best guideline is one cup of liquid, 8 ounces for every 20 minutes of activity. That translates to 3 cups of liquid if you’re doing an hour-long endurance activity.
In addition, it is best to replace only the fluids you lose. This means that you should avoid adding unnecessary fluids to your body. For example, if you lose 2 pounds from fluid loss, you need to replace the lost fluid. This means drinking no more than 4 cups of liquid to replace lost fluids.
With the proper precautions, you can avoid the problem of hyponatremia and instead enjoy safely participating in the endurance activities you choose. With careful medical treatment and adequate prevention, it is not a question that forces you to stop sports activities; Instead, it can make you more aware of your body’s nutritional needs.