Hullo!
Ok so everyone knows that youve gotta drink lots of water in the warmer weather, esp if planning to go for a run- what im wondering about is - is it possible to over hydrate and what are the symptoms?
I usually drink about 3-4 pints of water in the morning (between 8-11 am) and go for a run around 11ish... ive noticed however my hands feeling "tinggly" (spell?!) and the other day after my run, one of my hands went very numb.... I do know that a sign of being well hydrated is slightly swollen fingers- but Im wondering if theres a chance Ive taken it to the extreme?! Would appreciate your advice!
Sarah
Comments
I don't know if the tingling is related to this but I would suggest you drink much less and then see what happens.
why do you drink that much water anyway? it seems excessive. and are you taking any electrolytes in with the water to replace those you will be flushing out??
no i dont really know what im doing i guess- i just drink water assuming its good for me and i think im just used to it now!
but will cut down on my intake ... thanks so much for your response
sure you should stay hydrated during the day, but I would have thought that unless you are in a manual job, or work in a hot environment, which means you sweat a lot I don't see that you need 3/4 pints of water in 3 hours.
cut back on the water and see if this has any noticeable effect - if it doesn't I would suggest you go see your GP
The trick is to drink little and often rather than taking loads on board at once.
You will know how well hydrated are by the colour of your pee - the paler the better. If it looks like cider you need to drink more, if not, you are ok.
I wonder, do you drink that much water throughout the day, or are you cramming your daily intake into the 3 hour period before your run because you feel you need to be hydrated before hand? If it's the latter, I'd say it's maybe counter productive as most of that volume probably goes straight through you and then you don't benefit from the hydration for the rest of the day.
Like mrs punch, I'd spend most of the morning on the loo and still be sloshing around on my run!
I's say spread that amount out during the day - little and often.
Edit - X-post with scream, but at least we're saying the same thing!
I do generally sip the water- but once the glass is empty- fill it straight away! ive just got used to it really- and yes i do need a wee often, but not overly so.... the wee colour is always pale! I do drink around another 3 pints or so after my run- usually between 1 and 6pm ish...
I will cut down in the mornings and space the amout that i do drink out over the day! I do seem to be thirsty often, but as i said before, i think that maybe as im used to it now!
Thank you all again for your responses- just one more thing- i guess ive thrown myself into this running lark, ive built up over the past year or so to about 40 miles pw- seeing as im starting to get more dedicated to running- what should i really be doing to keep my body ticking over? I eat well- carbs/protein and lots of veg in between... you mentioned electrolytes- are these what sports drinks provide? is there any other way of replacing these without having to buy gallons of sports drinks?! also would you recommend any reading materials that will help? i really dont want to do myself a mischief- im very keen, but from lurking in the forums, and reading various posts here and there, i know its easy to over do things...
cheap sports drink?
Squash with some sugar and salt added!!
Your diet sounds fine, and as long as you're not drinking too much water, or sweating hugely for hours on end, your electolytes should be OK.
sweat/vomiting/diarrhoea will make you lose 'lytes rapidly so it's essential you replace them quickly to prevent issues - there are many ways to do this including electrolyte replacment packs (tend to be emergency uses like drips etc), sports drinks, supplements, tablets etc.
taking too much 'lytes isn't so big an issue as the body will usually cope but for example too much salt (sodium) over a long period can lead to high blood pressure. an injection of concentrated potassium salts will kill you!
these are extremes of course but for most running regimes a good diet is fine
cutting down the volume of water you drink would help reduce the possibility of losing too much through peeing
it certainly does pay! and I will make sure i dont over drink from now on!
thanks again everyone- great advice and information.
PS I really didnt know thats what killed Leah Betts... she was from a town near where I grew up- although I guess at the time, it brought awareness to ecstasy and scared the bejesus into kids like me growing up at the time! (well most of us anyway.... )
That's right moose, it was the combination of the two that sealed her fate.
She had drunk too much - that was what had put her life in danger - but the ecstasy stopped the ability to urinate, dooming her.
Saying that Leah Betts wasn't killed by ecstacy is like saying that someone who was shot wasn't killed by the person pulling the trigger! The effect of the drugs she took was to make her thirsty and stop her urinating which led to hyponaturaemia. So maybe ecstacy didn't directly kill her, as in an overdose, but it was certainly what pulled the trigger.
Even drinking 3 pints of water in the morning, you shouldn't be puffing up. The modern diet is quite heavily salted, unless you prepare everything from fresh with no salt added, so its unlikely you'd be salt deficient before you start running.
Did you do anything different on your run that ended in tingly fingers? faster, slower, new sports bra etc?
Morning!
Hi Wotsit- no i did nothing differently, although I do think I drank a little more as happened on Tues when it was warmer- in all my wisdom, i thought drinking more before i went for a run would help!
what if your pee is black? does that mean you need to drink more?
i have these weird yellow lumps on the end of it, too...
That's blackwater fever, Candy, and you need medical help!
I don't even want to think about the yellow lumps, thanks.
Hi,
I had that tingling numb feeling on my arms and hands sometimes when toward the end of a long run, and I put it down to the carrying of the bottle over the distance.
Since I got the waist bottle carrier, I didnt seem to have the problem - so perhaps check that??
Hi Silburbas thanks for suggestion, but i dont carry a water bottle with me for shorter runs, and i have a waist belt for longer runs, so cant be that...