Being human is all about balance. We strive to find an ever-elusive equilibrium between work and life. We go to yoga classes in hopes of improving our physical steadiness. We eat an assortment of fruits and vegetables, but we also munch on chips and dip. And, from a physiological standpoint, our blood cells need balance, too.
As athletesespecially ones who spend time outdoors during a heat wavethe ethos we usually hear is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. However, a 2020 research article from Stanford University School of Medicine offers a different perspective. In the piece, the studys lead author notes that
How Much Water is Too Much?
One of the most important things to maintain balance in our blood cells is the sodium-to-water ratio, says , associate professor of exercise and sport science at . When youre dehydrated, you contain less water, causing your blood cells to shrink. However, when you drink some H2O, your cells recover quickly.
When you consume a lot of water (more than three liters in an hour), your sodium levels dip to abnormally low levels, taking you into dangerous territory. If the water count in your body is much higher than your sodium levels, you can develop a dangerous result of overhydration. If you drink too much water, all of your cells start to swell, Hew-Butler says. That becomes a problem in your brain, because your brain can only swell five to eight percent [beyond its normal size] before it runs out of space in the skull.
Its not something to be taken lightly. In some cases, hyponatremia , Hew-Butler says. The amount of water that leads to hyponatremia is different for everyone, she adds. It depends on the size of the person, the ambient temperature, and exercise intensity and duration. However, if you need to quantify it, typically , potentially prompting a seizure, coma, or even death, Hew-Butler says.
Why Is Overhydration More Dangerous Than Dehydration?
Overhydration is a particularly large concern during the summer months. The first thing that everybody tells youand it’s not always wrongis to drink lots of water, Hew-Butler says. But, when its hot out, .
Thats because your blood cells actually retain water as a result of the heat, so youre not quite as dehydrated as you may think.
This isnt necessarily new information, Hew-Butler says. The results of a support that hyponatremia is [generally] more common than heatstroke. She adds that its the most common cause of serious illness in the Grand Canyonmore than heat exhaustion, grand mal seizures, nausea, and dizziness.
How to Hydrate Properly
What should you do to achieve that balance of hydration? Drink to thirst, recommends , a sports physiologist and the founder of sports nutrition brand . (So yes, that means skipping out on your emotional support water bottle.) However, even when youre feeling parched, make sure to monitor your H2O intake.
During exercise, the thirst mechanism will prioritize [sodium] balance over water balance, Lim says. As we lose sodium in our sweat, we will naturally drink less water to maintain sodium balance. Since theres not as much sodium in the body, we dont drink everything we lose, so we can keep the ratio of water to sodium the same. Essentially, your body makes you thirsty when that sodium-to-water ratio is skewing high on sodium. And thats when you should drink water.
You know that old saying, Listen to your body? Thats sage advice when it comes to hydration, especially when its hot out. Drinking to thirst is important even though it can result in dehydration, says Lim. That dehydration is important to keep the sodium balance correct.