There are slightly more severe symptoms when fluid loss gets to 5%:
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Increased heart rate- this will make your heart work harder to pump blood around the body; more oxygen will be used along with more energy.
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Increased respiration- this will lead to more energy being used to perform the functions needed. Your will become tired a lot easier and quicker.
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Decreased sweating- this will become a big problem and even more so if you are playing in a hot climate; your body will struggle to lose heat efficiently as the sweat usually evaporates off your skin causing heat loss.
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Decreased urination- this will mean your body is trying to retain fluid
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Increased body temperature- your body will be working harder to cool your body down via sweat etc. which requires a lot more energy.
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Extreme fatigue- an athlete would struggle greatly if this occurred and your body would try be trying extremely hard to transport oxygen to the required; however remembering that oxygen travels in the blood plasma that consists of 90% fluid, it means that muscle will struggle to get the required oxygen.
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Muscle cramps- an athlete wouldn’t be able compete whilst experiencing cramp; this can be seen often in competitions such as a cup final in football. It is caused by a lack of oxygen being supplied to the muscles; fluid will help to transport the oxygen in the blood plasma to the required muscles.
- Headaches- these are caused by a lack of oxygen to the head; again, blood is carried in the blood plasma which is consists of 90% fluid.
- Nausea- this in simple terms is vomiting and occurs when signals from nervous system struggle to correspond correctly from the ear to the eye and visa versa. This can confusion in the nervous system can occur when there is not enough fluid in the blood plasma to transport them fast enough.
- Tingling of the limbs- this is caused by a numbness forming through a lack of oxygen to the muscle tissue; this muscle tissue will begin to rip therefore and due to the lack of protein etc. being transported to the muscle, tingling will begin.
Finally, at the stage in which 10% of fluid loss is obtained there are even more severe signs and athletes rarely experience these symptoms whilst competing because they quite simply could not compete:
- Muscle spasms
- Vomiting
- Racing pulse
- Shrivelled skin
- Dim vision
- Painful urination
- Confusion
- Difficulty breathing
- Seizures
- Chest and Abdominal pain
- Unconsciousness
Hyperhydration occurs when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside of safe limits by over-consumption of water. It can potentially cause a fatal disturbance in brain functions. There are also signs and symptoms however they are not as prominent. These symptoms are:
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Water retention- this is also known as oedema and this is the accumulation of excess water under the skin or in the body cells. This retention of fluid appears as swelling. It causes swelling of the fingers, legs, ankles, feet, abdomen & breasts (in women).
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Abdominal bloating- this is a follow on from water retention and is caused by the accumulation of water underneath the cells in the abdominal walls. This appears as swelling.
- Breast tenderness (in women) - this is another follow on from water retention and again is caused by the accumulation of water underneath the breast tissue.
- Weight gain- this is caused by the cells within the body swelling through water retention; the more water you take on board then the more weight you are going to put on.
With various tests and after being questioned and checked by a doctor you may find that you have high levels of aldosterone, which is thought to increase in the presence of stress, high levels of oestrogen(in women), and low levels of magnesium and dopamine.
Task 2
Describe the fluid intake you would like the athlete to have during the following periods: Pre event
During event/training
Post event/training
You should also describe what type of fluid intake would be best for their needs. For example, should they be taking in water or sports drinks and what type of sports drinks would be best (e.g. hypertonic, isotonic or hypotonic). Remember to describe why you have chosen a particular method of hydration.
An athlete’s fluid intake will vary depending on the situation that they are in. Pre- event, you should be looking to be fully hydrated. The easiest way to do this is to check the colour of your urine before training or competing; if you urine is a dark colour then you need to drink more. Before exercise you should be drinking about 15-20 fl oz, 2-3 hours before exercise and then you should drink 8-10 fl oz again 10-15 min before exercise. The best type of drink to consume before exercise is an isotonic drink; this is because they provide a lot of fluid which will help the circulation of oxygen within the blood plasma. Isotonic drinks also provide electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Bicarbonate) and consist of between 6 to 8% carbohydrate which is the optimal amount. Isotonic drinks are very effective and encourage further drinking because of the sodium within them; this salty taste to the drink makes athletes come back for another drink approximately 10-15 minutes later. This ensures that during training or competition athletes will continue to drink.
During training or a competition you should be drinking about 8-10 fl oz every 10-15 min during exercise. If exercising longer than 90 minutes, drink 8-10 fl oz of a sports drink (with no more than 8 percent carbohydrate) every 15 - 30 minutes. The best drink to consume varies depending on the intensity or type of sport. For example, during a football or rugby match an isotonic drink would again be most suitable because isotonic drinks replace fluids lost by sweating and supply a boost of carbohydrate where the carbohydrate solution is between 6% and 8%. The best drinks therefore would be ones such as Lucozade Sport or High Five for example. However, if the athlete was say a jockey or a gymnast, then the most suitable type of drink is a hypotonic drink where fluid lost via sweating is replaced quickly replaces. It is most suitable for these kind of athletes because they need to take the fluid on board but want to avoid the boost of carbohydrates.
Finally, after training or competition you should be drinking 20-24 fl oz water for every 1 lb lost. Consume a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein within the 2 hours after exercise to replenish glycogen stores. The most suitable drink to consume therefore would be a hypertonic drink as these drinks are used to top up muscle glycogen stores. During extreme long distance events, high levels of energy are required and hypertonic drinks can be taken during exercise to meet the energy requirements. If used during exercise Hypertonic drinks need to be used in conjunction with isotonic drinks to replace fluids.
Task 3
Finally, explain the effects of hydration on sports performance. Remember to explain how appropriate hydration will aid performance and how dehydration will lead to impaired performance. Include physiological and psychological effects and use examples to illustrate how performance could be affected.
Hydration levels will have a major impact upon sport performance; if hydration is at the right level then an athlete will have the best chance possible to perform to their best potential. Good hydration can ensure that concentration levels are at their highest along with increasing reaction- response times and allow better decision making. These are the psychological effects of good hydration. Your physiological performance will also be at its best whilst good hydration us obtained. Speed and strength are at their best whilst hydration is at the correct level. When hydration levels are right then your heart rate will be pumping blood around the body at the right rate supplying oxygen to the necessary muscles correctly. You perceived exertion will be at the right level when hydration levels are correct
When dehydration occurs, this results in an increased body temperature, this makes the body work harder to lower the body’s temperature. However, because blood plasma thickens when there is a lack of water in it, it makes it harder for the required hormones to reach the surface of the skin and release sweat (the sweat would usually evaporate off the skin taking the heat with it and thus cooling the body down). Your heart rate also increases as a result of dehydration and this puts a stress on your heart to supply more blood around the body. You also have a higher perceived exertion from dehydration, meaning that your think you have worked harder than what you really have- this is a bad thing for athletes who are trying to lose weight, for example, they think they have worked harder and thus lost more weight than what they really have. During hydration it is possible that there will be increased reliance on carbohydrate as a fuel source.
An example of dehydration can be seen in the recent F.A Cup Final between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur; Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon both got cramp during extra time. Cramp is a common symptoms of dehydration at a fluid loss of 2% and occurs when not enough oxygen is supplied to required muscles. When a lack of water exists in the blood plasma, the blood struggles to transport enough oxygen to the required muscles fast enough
