Doing sports with a lot of resistance implies having a diet rich in nutrients and minerals to avoid falling into a problem such as hyponatremia. Marathons, triathlons or fairly long cycling races are the main ones affected by this problem: the lack of sodium .
Do you know it or have you suffered it? Are you preparing for some high resistance test and want to avoid falling into hyponatremia? Here are some tips for this.
What is hyponatremia?
Hyponatremia determines the lack of sodium concentration in our blood, compared to the usual ranges we usually have. This problem may be associated with excessive fluid intake without sodium intake during a long stress test.
Hyponatremia favors a high entry of water into the brain , which inflames it and can end up causing seizures, going into a coma or ending up dying. It is the great fear of high resistance athletes, especially in hot seasons, since they will intensify their dose of water and sweat will expel more sodium.
It is necessary to emphasize the importance that sodium has in our body. It is such an important mineral that it maintains the balance of blood pressure; something essential for the nerves, muscles and other tissues of the body to work properly.
How can hyponatremia be classified?
As with any condition, hyponatremia also has parameters to distinguish whether it is a mild, moderate or severe symptom. The normal concentration of sodium in our body's serum is between 135 – 145 mEq / liter. So the risks linked to hyponatremia depend on the sodium concentration:
- Mild (131 – 134 mEq / liter): does not usually produce symptoms.
- Moderate (126 – 130 mEq / liter): can cause headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, malaise, confusion or muscle cramps.
- Severe (<126 mEq / liter): can disrupt the mental state, cause seizures or even death.
Tips to avoid it
Do not panic, you can avoid its appearance with the advice provided by the American College of Sports Medicine:
- Before getting duped in a high resistance test, you must know yourself perfectly. Knowing your level of sweating (if you sweat a lot or little) is essential to detect possible hyponatremia while you exercise.
- You have to learn to drink. Both drinking little and drinking a lot can have fatal consequences. Be careful if you exercise in warm weather or during summer periods.
- Drink fluids periodically and progressively, nothing to drink all at once. Surely you have ever done it and it did not sit well on your stomach.
- The diet we have is very important. It must be rich in nutrients and minerals. Also, it would be quite good to consume isotonic drinks, which promote fluid retention.
