A group chaired by Nephrology Prof. Mitchell Rosner published international guidelines in the “Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine” in July discussing the issue of overhydration and highlighting its health risks.
The new guidelines focus on a condition known as hyponatremia — which can be caused by overhydration — and provide an overview of risks and recommendations for preventing the condition.
The updated guidelines were published after concern regarding the number of deaths still occurring due to this condition. There have been 14 deaths related to overhydration since 1981.
“Simple preventative measures were being ignored, and while the initial deaths occurred in mostly endurance events, we were seeing more deaths in other sporting activities such as football,” Rosner said in an email.
Overhydration most often occurs in two situations: when individuals intake excessive amounts of fluid in short periods of time, and when individuals drink an excessive amount of fluid over a long period of time, as is seen with athletes.
During Virginia football practice, water intake is determined by the hydration crew. They hand out water and monitor how much each player is drinking. The emphasis, though, remains on dehydration, said fourth-year College Rameel Ahmad, a hydration crew member.
Across sports, athletes are told about the importance of hydration. Overhydration, however, remains more of a mystery.
“I have been informed [of overhydration], but I never thought it would be a problem,” fifth-year Batten student Malcolm Brogdon said in an email. Brogdon is the shooting guard on the men’s basketball team.
The initial symptoms of overhydration are nausea, vomiting and mental cloudiness. These can lead to headaches and seizures, which can lead to brain death in the most severe cases.
“Hydration can affect my mood, performance, likelihood of getting sick and recovery time,” fourth-year College student and women’s crew team member Grace Tuttle said in an email. “I try to stay on top of it. We take water with us, as well as Gatorade, in the boats.”
Along with strenuous physical activity, certain medical conditions can lead to a higher likelihood of suffering from overhydration, Rosner said. These include liver disease, kidney problems and congestive heart failure.
“Most of our education relating to hydrating has been about under-hydrating or dehydration,” Tuttle said.
Overhydration can be prevented with a few simple steps, as humans have the protective mechanism known as thirst sensation.
“If you drink to your thirst sensation and stop drinking when you are no longer thirsty, then you will not have this problem,”Rosner said. “For athletes, we also recommend checking weights during their activities, and the goal should be a small weight loss during the activity. If you gain weight during a short athletic event, you have had too much fluid.”
Overhydration is not a large concern for the general student body, but the knowledge can be helpful for at-risk athletes.
“If you are thirsty, you need to drink,” Rosner said. “If you are not thirsty, no need.”
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