Why Do You Need to Be Hydrated During Games?

Water is one of the most important elements for regulating your body. When you exercise or play your body maintains its temperature by sweating. Being hydrated during games is very necessary to replace the fluids that are lost during the game. Fluid hydration is essential to reduce the risk of heart stroke, hydration allows your muscles to work properly and increases performance on the court. It helps in assisting with digestion and lubricating your tissues and joints.

Sometimes athletes get into fluid deficit. Therefore, athletes need to be hydrated during games. During such conditions, athletes may over-drink water. You should know that how much water you should be drinking. While you’re in a game, you can lose up to 2L of sweat every hour. Staying hydrated is extremely important especially if you are an athlete, sportsperson, or into fitness.

Dehydration has a major negative impact on your game as well as health. And dehydration can reduce your speed, power, and strength and it can affect your performance. If an athlete remains dehydrated for a long time their attention power also reduces.

Symptoms of Dehydration

The symptoms of dehydration include:

• Weakness
• Low blood pressure, that can cause dizziness.
• Change in the color of urine. Your urine will turn dark.
• Dry mouth.
• Sleepiness or fatigue.
• Extreme thirst.
• Headache.

Why hydration is important?

Today we are discussing why do we need to be hydrated during games and where we take about game it means that this is related to athletes and they are always in the front-line in terms of discipline and routines so how an athlete trains his/her body for athletic performance or develop good habits to win the game, it’s very necessary to provide your body good hydration and keep yourself hydrated.

• While playing games most active part of your body is your joints. Water provides the cushioning your joints need to remain healthy and function smoothly.

• When you keep yourselves hydrated at regular interval of time, your body is more active to regulates your body temperature.

• While running or playing football, sweating is a normal thing but this sweating depleted your electrolyte level that can cause dehydration. Hydration helps to maintain a healthy balance of electrolytes in your body.

• Your body organ and especially soft tissue require water to function properly. And hydration helps to protect your organs and soft tissues.

• Hydration is good for your heart. It helps to maintain normal blood pressure and heart function.

• Water helps in digestion, brings oxygen and nutrients to your cells, and supports in removing bacteria and other impurities through your liver and kidneys.

How much fluid & when?

You have seen that intake of fluids is important to prevent dehydration during games. But It is necessary to know how much fluid you need to take and when to be hydrated during games.

The number of fluid intakes depends upon the

individual and sport.

Keep one thing in mind, always start the game well hydrated this will help you to lower the risk of becoming dehydrated during the game.

Drinking too much water is also not good for you. An excessive amount of fluid can cause increased urination and feel bloated.

• Develop a plan for drinking water during games based on your sweat rates.
• Measure your weight change after games.
• To estimate your final fluid deficit during recovery you will continue to lose fluids through sweating and urine.
• Plan to replace 120-125% of the fluid deficit.
• In 2-4 hours if you lose 1 kg then you have to drink 1200-1250L water to re-hydrate your body.
• If possible try to hydrate yourself with some snacks.

Best hydration drinks during games

Now you need to know that which is the best hydration drink during games?

There are several drinks for hydration

1. Water

 can be considered one of the best and easily available sources of hydration. Water does not have calories or fat, so it’s good for your health as well.

2. Sports Drink

The Sports drinks are a better choice than normal water. And these drinks have electrically charged minerals that are involved in many important bodily functions. You can say sports drinks are a “one-stop-shop” to re-hydrate your body.

3. Coconut Water

It is another fluid you can choose to be hydrated. Coconut water is rich in magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants.

If you compare this with sport’s drinks then it has less sodium content. Coconut water helps to restore the electrolyte balance in your body and keeps you hydrated for a long time.

Should you drink too much fluid?

Drinking too much fluid to keep yourself hydrated is not a healthy option. Too much fluid will affect your performance. During winters your pace is gentle, the rate of sweat loss may be quite low.

It is unnecessary and dangerous to drink at rates that are far greater than sweat losses. Too much water can dilution of blood sodium levels (hyponatremia). This can cause headache disorientation, coma, and in severe cases, death. But this condition is rare.

Conclusion

Fluids are very important for our body to be hydrated during the games. Along with fluid, you should take care of your diet what you eat and how much you should eat. You need to eat a light meal of at least 100 calories about an hour or so before your game.

I’ve mentioned above about the intake of fluids.

The topic I’ve covered in this article

• Symptoms of Dehydration

Why

• hydration is important?
• How much fluid & when?
• Best hydration drinks during games
• Should you drink too much fluid?

Thank you for reading out this whole article. I hope it was helpful for you. If yes, then share this with your friends and family and let us know in the comments how was their experience.