Hydration Research Paper

Hydration – This is the amount of water stored in the bones, muscle, fat, and organs. By being hydrated it allows the body to function as it should.

Drinking enough stops the mouth becoming dry and in fact helps digestion due the water in the saliva and stomach secretions. Water is also in the blood and helps the transportation of nutrients and oxygen to all the cells of the body. It is in body fluids which helps lubricate joints and cushions organs and tissues, it is in urine which helps carry waste products out of the body and it is in sweat which removes body heat generated during exercise.

Dehydration signs and symptoms – Dehydration is when the body loses more water than it takes in. Very early signs of dehydration include dark coloured

A first symptom of hyper hydration can include behavioural changes as the brain is the most susceptible to overhydrating. Other symptoms prone to happen due to the brain being affected includes, shouting and delirious, drowsiness, confusion, inattentive, blurred vision, muscle cramps and twitching, poor coordination, nausea, vomiting, rapid breathing, sudden weight gain, weakness and paralysis on one side of the body.

Hypo hydration – Hypo hydration take place when a person uses or loses more fluid than they take in, and their body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. If the fluid isn’t replaced, symptoms such as headaches and dizziness will occur.

Super-hydration ¬– Super hydration consists of drinking large amounts of water every day, creating a state in which the body is super hydrated. When the water is ingested, glycerol increases water retention which overall reduces heat stress and hot conditions, lowering heart rate and body temperature.

Fluid

These drinks quickly replace fluids lost by sweating as it is taken up by the body more quickly than just water. These drinks are mainly suitable for athletes who require fluid without a carbohydrate boost.

Effects on sports performance:

Carlson, a director of performance nutrition for top world athletes believes that “Your ability to perform athletically can decline with a very small amount of dehydration, just losing 2% of your body weight in fluid can decrease performance by up to 25%.” – http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/water-for-exercise-fitness?page=2

Being hydrated is important when performing exercise as it allows the athlete to execute the activity at their optimum. Dehydration has an effort on all aspect of carrying out exercise. A person’s body is made up of more than 90% of water. Dehydration causes an unbalance in water level in the blood system this means that the person’s blood becomes thicker and their body has to work harder to cause it to circulate. A lack of water also makes it harder for the blood cells to transport oxygen and remove toxins from the body. This also affects the rest of the cells in the body, leading to fatigue early on. This causes the duration, frequency and intensity of the exercise being carried out to