Hyponatremia

Today is the five-year anniversary of the Iraqi war. May the souls of all of the women and men who have died as a result of the Iraqi war rest in peace. May the emotionally, mentally and physically injured have great lives.

Hyponatremia results from too little sodium in the blood. Often, blood pressure decreases and not enough blood gets to cells to nourish them. Hyponatremia results from hydration's without electrolytes during prolonged periods of sweating, such as endurance events. Athletes can sweat at a rate of 2.5 liters an hour and lose 115 to 690 milligrams (mg) of sodium, or 288 to 1,725 mg per hour, with each liter. If the athlete, or you!, is following a low-sodium diet, more sodium loss can occur! Muscle twitches may indicate hyponatremia.

Take care to follow hydration guidelines. If exercise last longer than an hour and a half, it may be wise to drink a sports drink with electrolytes such as sodium. If you tend to get hyponatremia, you do not have high blood pressure, and your physician approves,

Some of this information was taken from Winning Sports Nutrition by Linda Houtkooper, PhD, RD, FACSM, Jaclyn Maurer Abbot, PhD, RD and Veronica Mullins, MS, RD, CSCS.

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional, such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.com and http://www.amazon.com. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories.