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Dehydration - Should We Care?

By Thomas Broderick

A seminar was held recently in St Brigid's GAA club discussing the importance of fluid for sport and the effect it has on our sporting performance. This was part of the coach education programme currently being put into operation at the club. Coaches and mentors were informed that their players should be drinking up to 200ml of water every 15-20minutes to replace the water lost through sweat. These mentors will now be allowing drinking time during training to ensure that players are remaining hydrated during training.

This process will be introduced to the St Brigid's nursery in the next number of weeks to get children into the habit of drinking while 'exercising. St Brigid's Club coaches are currently coaching Gaelic Football in primary schools in the Castleknock and Blanchardstown area and this process of drinking water will also be implemented at the primary schools level. It is the hope at St Brigid's GAA that our children will get into the habit of drinking water at an early age and will continue this during their lifetime.

Dehydration can be defined as "Loss of water content and essential body salts needed for normal body functioning." It is the lack of adequate body fluids for the body to carry on normal functions at an optimum level. More simply defined, you are dehydrated if you don't have enough fluid in the body or the amount of water in your body has dropped below its adequate level. So before you read on get yourself a glass of water.

The importance of fluid in everyday living must be recognised. Dehydration affects your concentration, which means that you might be under performing in your work or study. Young children become crankier when dehydrated so you will find it more difficult to be patient with them and they will be impatient with other children also. Dehydration as a result will affect your mood and levels of energy. Many of us go about the day dehydrated not realising it can be affecting our metabolism, our way and speed of thought and our general well-being. Are you familiar with the following: feeling dizzy and light-headed, having a dry or sticky mouth and or producing less urine and darker urine. These are common symptoms of dehydration. Thirst is the most common indicator of dehydration however we must remember that we may already be dehydrated before we are thirsty.

Just think for a moment how many glasses of water you have had today? Do you think it is enough? How many glasses of water have your children had today? The fact that many of us don't know the answers to these questions indicates that we do not take the problem of dehydration serious enough. We must ensure that our children get into the habit of drinking water. How many of you make sure that your child brushes their teeth before they go to school, when they come home for school and before they go to bed? Children get into this good habit early and continue it through their teens and into young adulthood. We must begin to ensure that our children and ourselves are drinking adequate water to maintain optimum bodily function.

This might mean as many as 10 cups of water or somewhere between 2 and 2.5 litres of water a day, depending on factors such as temperature, activity levels and how much liquids they are getting from foods and other fluids. Schedule this into you and your family's day. This might mean having a glass or two glasses of water in the morning. This should be routine as you lose water when sleeping, which should be replaced as quickly as possible. Children should have a bottle of water going to school and should be encouraged to sip water during the day. Also when they come home they should have more water to combat dehydration after a hard day in school. Just remember that we should be drinking between 2-3 litres of water daily. You are the only one who can ensure that you and your children are drinking the necessary amount of water.  
  
A few things to remember: Being well hydrated is important to your physical and mental health. Dehydration makes a person tired, cranky, and stiff-jointed. Dehydration can bring on headaches, aches and cramps. Dehydration can make it more difficult for parents to be patient with their children and children to be more patient with their classmates. The simple process of drinking enough water will give you and your children more energy and allow you to get more out of your day. Get you and your children into the habit of drinking water. Don't let something like dehydration affect your standard of living. Hopefully the glass of water you got earlier is empty. Easy isn't it!!!!!!  If you would like any further information on this topic please contact Tomas Broderick c/o St Brigids's GAA Cub, Russell Park, Old Navan Road Castleknock Dublin 15.

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