Go easy on 3-litre water a day mantra; over-hydration can be fatal

Go easy on 3-litre water a day mantra; over-hydration can be fatal

“Drink 2-3 litres of water a day,” says your doctor. You follow the order to a fault. It’s not wrong. Staying constantly hydrated keeps the body going. Water entering our bodies is like filling a car with petrol. Well, it’s the same principle — you function properly. But then, you remember something mother said when you were a child. “Too much of anything is bad.” You think to yourself, “Is there anything as too much water in a person’s system?” The answer is, yes! Women running the Stayfree DNA I Can Women’s Half Marathon will want to constantly drink water, given the sudden rise in mercury. They need to remember to constantly sip, but not gulp down the water in a hurry. Hyponatraemia, aka water intoxication, is a condition caused by drinking too much fluid. Marathon runners can develop this if they drink too much while running. This is caused when sodium levels drop due to water loss. Consuming water in large amounts in this period is not advisable, as it doesn’t add sodium into your system and while you may feel hydrated, the absence of sodium can be fatal, due to water toxicity. Gayathri Bhaskaran, who has been running the Mumbai Marathon in the full marathon division, shares her mantras. She says she doesn’t follow a fixed pattern because she doesn’t know the conditions in which she runs. “In the 2011 marathon, the conditions were tougher than they were this year. It was hotter and we approached the sea link at 10am, as we had to take that to get back to Azad Maidan, which made things tough. This year, they altered the route and put the sea link stretch much earlier. So, it was easy for the runners,” she says. Bhaskaran adds that these factors play a role in the amount of water of fluid consumed. “Last year, I drank more water than this year. This time around, I slowly sipped on water every 15 minutes. I just needed to keep my mouth moist. Runners should also drink water slowly. Do not stop and drink water, as it can lead to cramps. And, do not drink too much water even after the race is over,” she says. Mumbai-based sports nutritionist Kinita Kadakia says an individual’s water needs depend on many factors, including health, how active one is and the type of sport. Although there is no one formula that fits all, knowing more about the body’s need for fluids will help estimate how much water you should drink every day. “The more you exercise, the more fluid you’ll need to keep your body hydrated. How much additional fluid is needed depends on how much you sweat. It is best if you drink a sports drink to replace the sodium lost,” she recommends.