FEATURE ARTICLE
Dehydration and Mobile Water Storage.
By Stu Marks, Adventure-Crew Editor
There are countless sources that always mention the importance of proper hydration when setting out on a hike. Strangely enough, there are still hundreds of well equipped hikers hospitalized annually for just this problem. So, we who inform feel the need to continue our “harping” on this most basic of necessities.
In July of 2001, the Heartland AIDS Ride hosted 2,100 bicycle riders who rode 520 miles in six days from Minneapolis to Chicago. The volunteer medical staff was well organized and kept detailed logs along the entire event route as they treated 244 patients with varying complaints and injuries. The largest reoccurring treatment was for dehydration. In spite of well organized and preparatory education, being surrounded by event organizers, other riders, and medical volunteers, 35% of those treated were treated for not drinking enough water.
What did I learn from reading this? Just carrying the bottle or camelback isn’t enough. One must pour the water down one’s throat. Yes, you have to actually drink the water.
It seems that many outdoor enthusiasts carry a false sense of security by having spent time and money on the gear. This is a common occurrence in practices where participants spend concentrated time and effort in preparation of an event. In military training, it is common for sergeants and lieutenants to spend much of their time focusing on actually reminding new field recruits to drink the water that they each carry. Can you imagine a platoon of desert camo clad infantry having to be reminded to drink water?
You see, water can not enter the body in sufficient volumes by mere osmosis through the hip or back. It must enter through the mouth.
Well, if professional outdoorsmen, like soldiers, find it necessary to make hydration a major part of training and field requirements, then certainly, the rest of us need to make it a priority also.
So, here are some well recognized hydration facts, tips and practices for everyone to follow; soldiers as well as the rest of us.
OUTPUT
- Respiration. With normal daily activities we lose approximately one to two liters of water via evaporation from the lungs. As we breathe, the air that we inhale is "conditioned" -- it is warmed to 98.6F and humidified to 100% humidity. This warm, moist air is then exhaled and the cycle starts over again. The combination of extreme cold temperatures and altitude can dramatically increase the rate of water loss through the lungs -- up to one cup per hour, or six liters in 24 hours.
- Perspiration. With normal daily activities we do not sweat very hard so loss is minimal -- about one to two liters per day. But with exertion in hot, dry weather, loss through sweating can become extreme. During heavy exertion, we can lose one to three liters of water per hour, which can easily amount to 8-10 liters of fluid over an afternoon of exercise.
- Urination. One to two liters of fluid are lost daily via urination -- a natural clearing of waste products from the blood. The amount of urine produced will increase with overhydration and decrease with dehydration.
- Defecation. The average daily loss of fluid through defecation is only about 0.1 liter. However, this can increase dramatically with diarrhea to as much as 25 liters over a 24-hour period.
INPUT
- Being thirsty is not enough of an early warning to your body’s need for water. The body needs much more water than your pallet lets on about.
- Take regular breaks from your activity to drink water. Of course, this is true of every day life, not just while outdoors on vacation.
- If you’re in a situation where you would normally be sweating, and you’re not, then you’ve already gone too long without drinking.
- Keep water bottles handy. More bottles around means easier access to the water your active body needs. So, don’t bury drinking bottles in back packs. Keep them handy in outside pouches of the pack, or in belt keepers of their own.
WHAT TO DRINK
- Many recognized authorities suggest anything from Kool-Aid to soft drinks like pop to help hydrate, listing water as the best source. There is such a broad contrast between good ole fashioned water, and soft drinks that I think suggesting the latter is laughable in it’s hindrance to good health.
If there needs to be an alternative to water, go for the almost water products on the shelf. There are a few products on the grocery shelves today that merely add a touch of sweetness to fresh filtered water, without adding the volume of questionable colorings, flavorings and preservatives that pop requires.
But again, I stress that under hot, active conditions, water isn’t only the best option, it might be the only option. Many drinks have so many additives in them that they hinder the body’s ability to recover from physical stress. To prove my point, go out on a long, hot hike with nothing but beer and Coke, and see how you feel after four hours of up hill, and at the end of the day. Remember, you have to walk four hours back.
WHY WATER
- Water is merely the vehicle that carries the stored products in your body. From storage to usage, there is no other way to get nutrients to muscles and other soft tissues like the brain than through the blood system.
Muscles and other organs, like the brain and skin, have only enough moisture and nutrients to operate normally for a short period of time; from minutes to hours.
If the blood’s water content is too low, your body’s soft tissues use up their onboard nutrients without being able to replenish their supply quick enough. The result? Head aches, dizziness or light headedness, weak and achy muscles, muscle spasms, etc.
Water’s ability to carry away waste materiel is also important. Reduce the body’s ability to urinate and sweat, and you create even more problems.
STYLIN’
There are many different ways to carry water. Look around on the Internet, check out your choices.
One relatively new product that I found useful is the Water Holster, by Platypus. Even though we don’t sell this product in our online store (http://www.adventure-crew.com/cart/shop/default.asp, yet, I hope), I found its features and versatility very useful. It’s a small, single liter water bag that keeps water cooler, longer than the standard water bottle. It also won’t add that plastic flavor to your water because of its beverage-grade polyethylene lining. And, it’s under $15 retail.
Another favorite of mine is the popular Camelbak. The picture I’ve included is the newer Delta-5 Tactical Vest, but the Camelbak comes in varied shapes and sizes to fit day packs, full packs, and stand alone configurations. So, you don’t have to hike around looking like a cast member from the movie Dune. The one pictured below retails for around $180, but can be found for $130 and lower.
The old standbys are getting high tech, also. If you’re tired of the plastic taste that gets added to your fresh, clean water, then switch to polycarbonate. These bottles range in price from free when printed with promotional logos and given out at political rallies and “walk-a-thons”, to a few dollars when purchased from retailers.
A few things to remember though, clear bottles allow damaging light to enter your water. Though the bacteria that can grow in light is supposed to take longer to mature than the water is intended to stay in the bottle (you’re supposed to be drinking it, not storing it), it is true that colored bottles are a little better for your health. Remember though, that the darker the color, the more heat it absorbs and transfers to your cool water. Just can’t win, can we?
Something else I learned from personal experience, personal water stored in a swinging carrier stays cooler, longer. If the bottle is stowed strapped tight to your body, simple body heat transfer enters your water, while a swinging bottle strapped to your shoulder is not affected by your body heat at all.
Experiment with over the shoulder water holders and you might get used to it. I picked up a handy Coleman water carrier that includes the ice core, and is contained within an outdoorsy, soft foam cover with a long strap. It pretty much stays near my hip area while the strap is over the neck and opposite shoulder. And, on the bicycle, I don’t even notice it.
Speaking of “on the bicycle,” carrying capacity dictates options. I have a small, soft sided beverage and ice carrier that can be filled up for short and long trips. It Velcros on to any standard back wheel bike rack, has a radient heat barrier that surrounds the ice chamber (like foil), collapsible side pouches that open into deep storage bins for over-night trips or equipment bins, and just way too many pockets. It’s great! I usually carry it full of ice with only a handful of bottles of water. This insures that my drink is nice and cold when I want it. This little mini ice chest was acquired at the bike shop for about $50. Probably would have been less expensive on the net, or maybe at Wal-Mart but, I have a soft spot in my heart for local retailers, especially when they’re already selling me a $400 bicycle.
So;
-Stay Hydrated
-Drink BEFORE you get thirsty when enjoying vigorous exercise or when in prolonged hot weather
-Choose convenient, safe, water vessels that can be stored close at hand for easy access.
-Keep an eye on youngsters or others at risk of dehydration
-The colder the water, the slower it should be consumed. Guzzling down large amounts of ice cold water is not healthy. And, can even be life threatening to those with cardiac conditions and other at risk problems. Sipping is always better than guzzling. It allows the stomach to better accept the fluid and pass it on down so that it can be assimiliated quickly into the blood stream without causing cramping or stomach aches. Drinking warm water is not harmful. As a matter of fact, water at or near body temp is easier for one’s system to accept faster.
-Water is the best choice for hydration of the body. Other choices are less beneficial as more flavors, colors, preservatives and other additives are combined.
-The worst hydration choices include beer and other alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks of any type. Alcohol actually serves to dehydrate the body, and heavy sugared drinks do some hydrating and a lot towards temporarily raising the metabolic rate before dropping it into the basement, causing shortness of energy among other things. “Crashing” is a term often used to describe what the stressed body goes through a few minutes after consuming soft drinks and the wrong kind of candy bars.
-Choosing fresh, succulent fruits as a snack goes a long way towards providing the body with sustainable energy while supplying yet another source of healthy water.
-Remember that regular hydrating means regular elimination, also. Planning treks that are bathroom friendly, one way or another, keeps everyone happy.