Drinking too much water during a workout can result in hyponatremia, an event that results in dangerously low sodium levels in the bloodstream.
Hydration is important, especially before, during and after intense workouts, but did you know there is a risk of overhydrating?
For the casual athlete, low sodium levels can impact performance and hurt recovery, and in some cases cause extreme medical emergencies. The more intense your workout routine, the more at risk you are of dangerously lowering sodium levels due to drinking too much water and overhydrating.
Some common symptoms of drinking too much water during exercise can include:
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Muscle spasms
- Vomiting
The earliest signs of over-hydration can also include confusion, lightheadedness and weakness in the limbs. The side effects of drinking too much water during strenuous workouts can range from mild to severe. For the most serious side-effects that athletes can encounter from drinking too much water during every workout, we simply have to look at the case of Professional IFBB Figure Athlete, Aida Aragon.
In 2004, Aida Aragon suffered a grand mal seizure and was actually admitted to the hospital in a coma. In Aida's words, her condition began in training. She says "I was ... getting through my workouts without a problem but extremely thirsty all the time. I felt like I could not get enough water." She reacted by hydrating even more, but by drinking only water, she did not address the real issue of low sodium levels and brought on a serious medical incident by overhydrating.
After recovering from her medical situation, Aida had a new perspective on life.
"I felt myself living every day as if it were my last. I approached my training in the same way. I also felt a purpose to help and motivate those that felt helpless in their life and health, not just athletics." It took a major emergency for her to realize that simply drinking water was not enough and not healthy for athletes with an intense workout regimen.
Aida is not only using her experience as a springboard to staying healthy during her fitness routine, she also wants to educate and prevent this scenario from crippling other athletes.
She says, "Athletes are special individuals that have a special something that drives us through our challenges. I found myself not thinking of my athletics as an escape but more as a career. I found my passion translates into the work I was doing with supplement companies."
The key to prevention is not only being aware of the risks of drinking too much water during a workout routine but also knowing that there are supplements that you can include to reduce these risks and replenish the essential nutrients that your body needs.
So how do we know the difference between not feeling right during a workout and the onset of hyponatremia?
It's important to pay attention to how you feel during your workouts. You know what a good workout feels like, and you know what a bad one feels like. Pay attention to the symptoms of over-hydration, if these occur over the course multiple workouts, take a close look at your hydration habits. If you see these symptoms every time you have an intense workout, you may be at risk of low levels of sodium in your bloodstream.
If you do experience even mild symptoms, consider reducing water in your hydration schedule and supplement with a performance drink that contains natural sodium and electrolytes. Adding a beverage enhanced with sodium, minerals and electrolytes can help reduce the risks of drinking too much water by replenishing your body with supplements that water lacks.
TapouT has more sodium than other sports drinks and is formulated with athletes of all types in mind. One of the ways TapouT helps intense athletes is by including 240mg of sodium for hyponatremia prevention. Injecting this sodium into your hydration routine will replenish the sodium you burn and sweat out during your workout.
Recovering sodium levels quickly is a major key in hyponatremia prevention. Water doesn't contain the natural sodium your body requires, and many other mainstream sports drink simply don't contain enough. Hyponatremia will set in if you don't take care of your body and replenish your sodium levels after workouts. This can take its toll on your body if you fail to recover properly day after day, and you may experience more severe symptoms than simple headaches and fatigue.
Not only is TapouT the performance drink with the sodium to ward off over-hydration, but it also has four electrolytes and eight vitamins to help your body replenish other essential nutrients after the most intense workouts.