If you decide to exercise in a long period of time, you should not let your body become dehydrated. Why? Due to the lack of fluid in the body can lead to injury when you’re exercising.
Keeping the body hydrated during physical activity and exercise can prevent injury either mild or even life-threatening. Dehydration can cause a reduction in blood volume in the body and the thickening of the blood that makes the work of cardiovascular system becomes more severe and increase the heart’s rhythm.
As quoted by the experts from the Mayo Clinic, dehydration can also result in electrolyte imbalances, such as sodium and potassium, which serves to control cell function. This imbalance can cause seizures, muscle contraction and loss of consciousness.
Symptoms of dehydration include dry mouth, dizziness, excessive thirst, less urination, sunken eyes, low blood pressure, rapid breathing and confusion.
Injury
Muscle cramps during exercise can be a sign that you are dehydrated. Keep in mind that the fluid has an important role in keeping the body relaxed and reduce the irritation caused by exercise and activity. Without adequate fluid, this will lead to muscle spasms and contractions are painful.
Exercising the body is in a state of dehydration can also cause delayed muscle pain attacks. A study published in the Journal of Athletic Training indicates that the delayed muscle pain attacks occur in individuals more susceptible to physical activity in hot and humid conditions. In fact, brain swelling can also occur due to dehydration during exercise.
Experts from the Mayo Clinic explains that, dehydration can lead to swelling of the cells in the brain, which leads to life-threatening situation.
Treatment and Prevention
Peak Performance website reported that a person is engaging in physical activity, and fluid loss of about 3 to 5 percent of the total weight of the body tend to decrease the response, impaired judgment and concentration. These factors is one of the triggers of injury due to dehydration.
How do I fix this? You only need to meet about 17-20 ounces (about 480-570 ml) of fluid (two hours before exercise), 17 ounces of fluid 15 minutes before exercise and 5-12 ounces of fluid every 15-20 minutes during exercise to stay hydrated, as the recommended by “Sports Injuries Guidebook”
To exercise or sports activities that lasted more than an hour, drink an electrolyte replacement solution rather than plain water.
Warning
Dehydration, which occurs mainly during long-term exercise and weight, can cause coma or even death. Rhabdomyolysis is a condition caused by dehydration during exercise, this has resulted in degeneration of muscle cells in the body that causes muscle pain, fatigue and brittle, as reported by the PubMed Health. This condition can also cause the myoglobin, a protein that normally contained in muscle tissue, in the urine, which gives the color brown.
In more serious cases, rhabdomyolysis can lead to kidney failure and death. Low blood volume is one sign that someone made a mistake in the fluid needs during exercise. According to the Mayo Clinic, drinking too much water during exercise can also be dangerous due to dilute the sodium in the body to dangerous levels and cause hyponatremia, which can be fatal in some cases.
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Health of the Day 
Posted on March 8, 2012
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