Athletic experts urge proper hydration during high temperatures

Climate scientists across the world have declared an ongoing climate crisis, as temperatures reached the highest in Earth’s history during July. Locally, Detroit has topped the World Air Quality Index on and off throughout the summer, forcing members of Wayne State’s community to adapt.

While dehydration is the bigger universal concern surrounding hydration, overhydration poses a dangerous threat as well, Associate Professor of Exercise and Sport Science Dr. Tamara Hew-Butler said. She said as temperatures rise with climate change, issues with overhydrating are likely to increase.

“Particularly with athletes, the problem is that they’re so competitive, if someone tells them they need to drink a lot of water, they’ll do it. Even if it doesn’t feel right to them, they’ll still do it to try and get an edge,” Hew-Butler said.

Overhydration, medically referred to as hyponatremia, happens when a person severely dilutes their body’s sodium levels with water, Executive Vice President of Horizon Therapeutics Dr. Andy Pasternak said.

While various factors contribute to hyponatremia, Pasternak said that heat is a huge factor, as it leads people to feel the need to overcompensate sweat loss in water intake.

Mild cases of hyponatremia tend to progress over time, Pasternak said. Early symptoms include weight gain, fatigue, headache and nausea, he said, but since these symptoms overlap with many other health problems athletes are prone to, hyponatremia can be difficult to recognize.

But when it comes on suddenly, usually by drinking too much water in a short period of time, hyponatremia can be fatal, Hew-Butler said.

“If you drink too much water and it dilutes the sodium in your body, your brain swells. Your brain can only swell about five to eight percent and then it hits the skull, runs out of space and then pushes your brain stem out, so you die pretty quickly,” said Hew-Butler.

Juan Sancho-Martinez, a graduate student athletic trainer said it’s important for athletes to be aware of the various different heat illnesses.

“Thankfully, I have never been in a situation in which an athlete has experienced the extreme symptoms of these illnesses, however it is one of the things you should be most prepared for as an athletic trainer to recognize and treat,” Sancho-Martinez said.

Pasternak said of the many myths surrounding hydration, marketing information used by sport drink companies is one of the most dangerous.

“If people drink Gatorade or sports drinks, that’s going to give them some sodium, but relative to your blood they still don’t have much sodium in them,” Pasternak said.

Hew-Butler said a healthy diet should provide the body with enough electrolytes.

“People always talk about the water, or they talk about the salt, and it’s the balance between the water and the salt that’s really important. Nobody talks about that,” Hew-Butler said.

She said that while there is no one-size-fits-all formula for proper hydration, students can use their body size, exercise intensity and environment heat level as measurable factors; the larger the calculations for each of these factors, the more water someone should drink to reach an appropriate hydration level.

For the average person or athlete who exercises recreationally, overhydration is usually not an issue, Pasternak said.

WSU volleyball student-athlete Nicole Golder said she is aware of the positive effects hydration has on athletic performance.

“I make sure to always carry a water bottle with me to games, practice, class and work. Before a game, I make sure to hydrate the night before and the morning of,” Golder said.

Hew-Butler said the human body is good at regulating itself if it becomes under or over-hydrated.

The key to staying healthy is listening to your body, Hew-Butler said.

“You can mess up, and your body will adapt to that,” she said. “It’s only when you really mess up that you can get yourself in trouble.”

Emily Crane is a contributing writer for The South End. Crane can be reached at [email protected].

Cover photo provided by Managing Editor Natalie Davies. She can be reached at [email protected].