Anybody Ever OverHydrated?

“If you drink to much water you will screw up the equilibrium in your cells and suck all the electrolytes out of you body?? I have heard of this happening. Has this happened to anyone?

Not me, I am always munching on jerky (high sodium) or something else (like candy) when I hike.”

“When I drink so much. I pee alot.”

“Are you sure you are talking about water and not beer. Sometimes when I drink to much beer my equilibrium will get all messed up.”

“There's a medical term for it...uh.. hyper hydro--somthing or other. You basically dilute youself and flush all the electrolytes out.”

“ahhh Beer!”

“Or in other words you pee alot.”

“this happened to me once,,,I drank a case of Miller Lite Ice (in one day) at Talladega one year at the spring race,,,didn't bother to notice it was 5.5 beer,,,,it messed up my cells really bad,,,,at least a couple of million brain cells bailed that day,,,yep, it can be bad”

“lol chili. Nothing worse than watered down beer.

Don't go to Utah!!”

“Utah has beer?”

“havent you read Edward Abby's "Desert Solitare" yet?”

“If I didn't enjoy peeing, I certainly wouldn't drink so much!”

“When Abby was born I got so many damn iv's and bags of antibiotics and pitocin and whatever the hell else they wanted to put in me that I literally looked like a frickin sausage woman! My fingers, arms, legs and face where all swollen and bloated and my skin was sooo stretched it itched and felt like it would split any second. THAT is over hydrated. It sucked.”

“Too much too fast and you usually puke it back up.”

“I think Ed Abbey referred to Utah beer as horse piss in so many words. You'll pee it out quicker than you can get drunk. If anyone is coming to Utah bring me a case of your best local brew. I'll pay you.”

“I love to pee so ya I drink alot.....:p”

“Biz, is this a serious question? Are you in danger of over-hydrating, right now?
Slowly, put down the Evian bottle and back away. That's good. Nice and gentle.”

“I thought this was usually associated with mental illness? (ie and unhealthy compulsion)


Anybody ever forget to eat out on the trail? I'm usually wolfing down everything I can get my grubby hands on. I doubt that this could be much of a problem.”

“I hear of people who are too busy at work and forget to eat lunch. What's with them? I practically plan my day around my meals! I never "forget" to eat!”

“It's the unknown killer of thousands of hikers every minute!!!!! Put down that water!”

“Biz?”

“http://sportsmedicine.about.com/library/bl_hyponatremia.htm

Participants in extreme athletic events, such as marathons and triathlons, are at risk for drinking too much fluid, according to recent research published in the January issue of The Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.

"Most athletes understand the importance of drinking fluids during these events," Lewis Maharam, MD, tells WebMD. "They don't understand that drinking too much can be just as harmful as drinking too little. Overhydrating can lead to a dangerous condition called hyponatremia, or low blood sodium levels." Maharam, a sports medicine specialist practicing in New York City, is medical director of the New York City Marathon and the Country Music Marathon. He is secretary-treasurer of the International Marathon Medical Directors Association.

Marathoners who stay out on the course for a long time are at risk for hyponatremia, he says, because they lose salt in their sweat. "Those who drink lots of fluids in the days before the race and also stop at every drinking station along the course are also at special risk," he says. "Low blood sodium levels can lead to nausea, fatigue, vomiting, weakness, and sleepiness. In severe cases, it can lead to coma and death."

New Zealand researchers recorded weight changes and fluid intake in 18 participants in the Ironman Triathlon, a competition involving a 2.35-mile swim, 112-mile cycle, and a 26.2-mile marathon run. "The winner usually completes the course in the low eight hours," Allan Goldfarb, PhD, tells WebMD. "The average finisher takes about 12-15 hours." Goldfarb is professor of exercise physiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The researchers found that median fluid intake was about one and a half pints per hour, with somewhat higher fluid consumption seen during the cycling section than during other parts of the race. Five participants developed low sodium levels; four of them were women. "[T]he subjects who developed hyponatremia had evidence of fluid overload despite modest fluid intakes, suggesting both a failure of excretion of the fluid and that the fluid needs in some ultradistance athletes may be less than the current recommendations," the authors write.

"There is a new emphasis on prevention in healthcare, and when it comes to exercise, the way to prevent problems is preparation," says Timothy Maggs, DC. "People should train ahead of time in the same conditions they will encounter during the actual race. This is true for all vigorous and unusual exercise, but it is especially important for marathons and triathlons. The only way to determine how we'll respond to certain circumstances is by subjecting ourselves to those circumstances before the actual events." Maggs specializes in sports medicine in Schenectady, N.Y., and is the author of a regular magazine column called "The Running Doctor."

Maharam agrees. He advises participants in long races to take 10 days to two weeks to get used to hot weather, gradually building workout intensity and duration. "Step out of bed every morning and onto the scale," he says. "If you're anywhere from 1% to 3% lighter than yesterday, rehydrate by drinking 8 ounces of fluid for each pound lost before training again."

To avoid hyponatremia, he recommends:


Check your urine one-half hour before the race. If it is dark and concentrated, drink more fluids.
During a marathon race, drink 1 cup (8-10 ounces) of fluid every 15-20 minutes along the way.
Try not to drink more then you sweat.
Favor a sports drink that has some sodium in it over water, which has none (Sodium Needs for Athletes).
In the days before the race, add salt to your foods (provided that you don't have high blood pressure and your doctor has not restricted your salt intake).
Eat some salted pretzels during the last half of the race.
Recent research suggests that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Advil, Motrin, and ibuprofen may predispose runners to hyponatremia, Maharam warns. "Acetaminophen (Tylenol) has been shown to be safe," he says. "Therefore, I recommend that you only use acetaminophen, if needed, on marathon day. Do not use NSAIDs until you have finished the marathon, are able to drink without any nausea or vomiting, and have urinated a clear to clear-yellow urine."”

“I think you'd have to drink about two gallons at one time for this to happen without exersize.”

“Oh, hyponatremia happens when you're very sick too. I acquired it while in the hospital. You don't function much at all. Especially when they have you on a fast drip, and you haven't eaten anything all week because the hospital food is so bad.”

“Biz doesn't post here any more.”

“And then never post, again? Spock was Biz!”

“Are you OK, Biz?”

“Biz is out to lunch”

“Only over hydrated once.... To many Corona's and Patron Gold shots...”

“Why start a thread? And then never post, again?

It's called trolling. Biz was good at it. Too bad she died a slow, agonizing death from overhydration.”

“Say anything you want to about the Bizness, here, cause she ain't gonna see it nohow.
They are dragging out her bloated body, right now.”

“I've had several Utah microbrews that have alcohol levels up in the high 6% range. Any mass produced beer is water downed horse piss.

Also, I read somewhere that Utah uses the metric system in measuring alcohol content in alcoholic beverages. Yes, they generally have a lower % than the rest of the country, but it isn't really all that much due to the conversion factors.

Next time in Utah try a Poligamy Porter, very good!”

“I have to go tinkle”

“Wonder how much she weighed before they pried the water bottle out of her hands......”

“
He was good as new after a pound of jerky, though.”

“I am so disappointed that you hadn't mentioned it earlier, Kleet.
You know overhydration and jerky stuffing are two tremedous killers, especially in the state of Arizona. Jerry Lewis is changing his telethon to the "Over-hydrated Jerky Stuffers Telethon".
Please give generously so we can research the cause of these dreaded diseases.”

“Anybody ever forget to eat out on the trail? I'm usually wolfing down everything I can get my grubby hands on. I doubt that this could be much of a problem."
skullcap
10:14:43 AM
01/29/02”

“We are going to track down the killers of our innocent Arizona young women. Please donate to the "Overhydration and Jerky Stuffing Council" today!”

“Overhydration occurs when the body takes in more water than it excretes and its normal sodium level is diluted. This can result in digestive problems, behavioral changes, brain damage, seizures, or coma . An adult whose heart, kidneys, and pituitary gland are functioning properly would have to drink more than two gallons of water a day to develop water intoxication. This condition is most common in patients whose kidney function is impaired and may occurs when doctors, nurses, or other healthcare professionals administer greater amounts of water-producing fluids and medications than the patient's body can excrete. Overhydration is the most common electrolyte imbalance in hospitals, occurring in about 2% of all patients.

when i drink a lot, i have to pee, i don't get it... drink a lot, drink too little, ya have to walk the fine line”

“There's pretty much nothin a pound of somethin won't cure

?”

“Jerky, the anti-overhydrater.”

“What the heck was she drinking water for at a club?”

“The clubbers are drinking water and Red Bull so they can party longer; kind of like a marathon aid station.”

“I can't find the Over-hydrated Jerky Stuffers Telethon anywhere in my local listings!”

“Well? Inquiring minds want to know, Biz!”

“Only if that's why you pee in your pants.”

“Not so long ago on the news, there was story of a young adult dying from drinking to much fluid. I'm not sure if it was plain water. I think it was.

Over the years, you always here you need to drink 8 glasses of water per day, but then I heard a doctor on tv say it's not necessary to drink that much, which he's probably applying to a normal day and not someone hiking in hot temps.”

“There was this Indian who drank too much Earl Grey that night he died in his TEE PEE....God that was hilarious when I was 7.

Um speaking from a medical standpoint. There is a term for hyperhydration where you actually screw up the sodium balance. http://www.ift.org/cms/?pid=1001309

I have never had to treat it, but I hear it has happened. The real problem is that with over hydration I hear it places a KILLER strain on your kidneys.”

“It's called hyponatremia.
http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/default.cfm?Action=ReleaseDetail&ID=9086&NRWid=1569”

“Jeez, I never heard of OVER hydration. Didn't think it was possible. (other then drowning) Figured it would just be good flushing of your kidneys. Course I'm not much of a water drinker but trying. Kinda like the flavored or gatorade type drinks. I'm a sodaholic but that much sugar just makes you thirstier on the trail.

Learn something every day.”