Most of us already know that dehydration increases the risk of muscle cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke during exercise in warm weather. Even in mild weather, dehydration can leave exercisers groggy for hours afterward. When the hazards of dehydration became apparent, experts began to encourage drinking fluids during exercise. Guidelines were formulated for those whose high-intensity exercise produced lots of fluid loss in sweat. As a result, athletes began to increase fluid intake, and some drank too much, leading to water intoxication and hyponatremia (low blood sodium levels). Hundreds of cases, and a number of deaths, have been recorded in medical journals.

While some caution is justified, it’s not easy to drink enough to get into trouble. The typical victim of water intoxication is a runner who is out on a marathon course for over four hours and consumes enough fluids to gain weight during the race (that's a lot of water consumption!).

So, how much should you drink? Harvard Men’s Health Watch suggests that you should plan to drink two to three cups of water an hour, but boost the amount if you are sweating heavily. Unless you get way behind in your fluid replacement, sports drinks won’t be any better than water. Drink when you feel thirsty, but don’t force down huge amounts. Remember, if you gain weight, feel bloated, or experience nausea and vomiting, you’re on your way to trouble.

Personally, why would anyone drink to the point of nausea or bloating? Surely there is some common sense factor there that tells you you've had too much "to drink". I can't down that much water in one hour. I generally have a bottle of water over a period of a few hours. That is a lot of water in one  hour -- and imagine the runs to the loo! Can't we just settle for one 8 oz. glass of water an hour, eh?

The key here is...everyone's body is different. Drink if you are thirsty, not because some doctor says you should shove up to three glasses of water down your gullet in an hour's time.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."