ESSAYS
Water of Life,
Water of Death
By Tyrone Tony Reed, Jr.
Growing up, we’ve all heard how good water is for us. We were told to leave the sodas and pops alone, and to drink at least 8 glasses of “high-quality H20” everyday. No matter what might be wrong with us, it was always good to drink plenty of water.
It was said that you could never go wrong with water. It makes up 60 percent of the human body, 70 percent of the human brain, 82 percent of the body’s blood, and nearly 90 percent of the lungs. After learning all of these facts, water does seem very vital to our lives.
- Use sodium containing sports drinks during long distance, high intensity events.
- Eat salty foods before and during competition if possible.
- As there are no steadfast guidelines for everyone, it is important for an athlete to understand his or her individual fluid needs.
- Weigh yourself before and after training and drink enough sodium based sports drink to offset any fluid loss during exercise
- Increase salt intake by 10-25 grams per day several days prior to competition. The increased sodium concentration will allow additional hydration with water to remain balanced so that the dilution of blood sodium does not occur.
- Avoid use of aspirin, ibuprofen, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents as they may increase the risk of hyponatremia in athletes.
- As many triathletes are taking these medications, they need to be aware of their detrimental effect on performance. Additional, chronic use of these medications often mask the bodies own warning mechanisms that alert athletes to pain and injury. Athletes should be discouraged from excessive use of these medications.
- As many triathletes are taking these medications, they need to be aware of their detrimental effect on performance. Additional, chronic use of these medications often mask the bodies own warning mechanisms that alert athletes to pain and injury. Athletes should be discouraged from excessive use of these medications.
- A general recommendation of approximately 1 gram of sodium per hour of high intensity exercise seems to hold true. Foods that provide additional sodium include chicken noodle soup, a dill pickle, cheese, pretzels, and tomato juice.
It is very vital, but water can also be very deadly to us. I’m not taking about drowning in it. I’m saying that drinking too much water can harm you and eventually kill you.
Imagine that you’re at a marathon. The runners have been running very hard and very long. The crowd is excited as the runners near the finish line. Suddenly, number 89 collapses right after winning the race. Her coaches run up to her side and begin to give her water.
But, according to Reuters Health, the last thing athletes may need is water. These conclusions were made after an investigation on marathon runners who developed brain swelling as a result of “water intoxication.”
“Water intoxication” or hyponatremia occurs when there is little or no sodium in the blood stream. This usually happens because sodium is lost in sweat during high intensity exercises (such as marathons.) Elizabeth Quinn, “Sports Medicine” reporter for About.com, illustrates it this way: “Consider a full glass of salt-water. If you dump out half of the contents of the glass (as is lost in sweat), and replace that with water only, the sodium concentration of in the glass is far less and the water is more dilute. This often occurs in the bloodstream of an athlete who only hydrates with water during excessive sweating.” Add on extra endurance practices that take place in hot, humid conditions and you have the ideal conditions for hyponatremia to develop.
It’s really hard to distinguish symptoms of “water intoxication” from those of dehydration: muscle cramps, confusion, nausea, inappropriate behavior, slurred speech, and disorientation. This causes athletes to believe that they are dehydrated and so they begin to drink water, increasing the problem. The more water one drinks, the more likely seizures, coma, and even death are to occur.
Walter Dean Jennings’ fraternity brothers found this out the hard way. Jennings, who was a freshman at Plattsburgh State University, died on March 12, 2003, on the last day of a 10-day Psi Epsilon Chi pledging process. According to an article featured in New York’s “The Saratogian,” Jennings was forced by fraternity members to drink pitchers of water through a funnel. The initiation process was known as “water torture.”
And the torture continued well into the early morning. Not only did Jennings’ frat brother Michael West, force him to continue to drink more and more water (even though it was clear that he was ill), but he also forced him to eat mayonnaise. After Jennings passed out, his frat brothers rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead due to “water intoxication.” His death has resulted in hazing charges being brought against those members involved. The eleven members have been expelled, and as part of their sentencing, only one got jail time (a year), they are required to participate in a PBS documentary, “Unless a Death Occurs,” a film about hazing which is expected to be released in May.
So, how do you prevent “water intoxication” from occurring? Here are some tips from Elizabeth Quinn:
If you experience any symptoms like those of dehydration after a intense exercises or activities, it could be “water intoxication.” You should immediately drink a sports drink such as Gatorade or Powerade (which contain sodium.) If symptoms are extreme, a medical professional should be seen. Remember, that as with food, drink water in moderation.
