Biomechanics
By Amanda Brunner

Proper Hydration is a Must

Staying hydrated is key when riding out on the trails or in competitions. Water and salts are lost in several different ways such as sweating, through the lungs by rapid breathing and excretion through the kidneys (urine).

There are a few problems that could arise while biking if you become dehydrated. I will provide a few examples of the symptoms and how to fix the problem should you start to encounter such trouble yourself.

First and foremost your body needs a certain ratio of water to sodium in the blood stream. Sweating heavily could throw this whole ratio off because your body begins to lose both water and salt but at unequal ratios. If the balance is off and the amount of salt exceeds the amount of water in your body this could lead to hypernatremia (too much salt). Symptoms include weakness, disorientation, and lightheadedness. This problem could be cured by simply drinking water, but make sure you don’t over drink or else it could throw the body into the opposite condition known as hyponatremia (too little salt). These symptoms include weakness, irritability and if severe enough, risk of seizures.

If caught early enough this could be remedied by drinking sports drinks or a children’s hydration drink (such as Pedialyte) as these are designed to not only replace lost fluids but electrolytes as well. If you are already having symptoms, it is probably wiser to consider drinking a couple bottles of Pedialyte or Lytren they have a higher concentration of the electrolytes needed to keep the body balanced than even sports drinks.

While on the trails, working those muscles, lactic acid often has an opportunity to build up causing acidosis; the kidneys will help with the excretion of this muscular byproduct. The problem is that when acidosis is corrected, it often leads to low potassium (a condition known as hypokalemia). This condition causes weakness, muscle cramps, and disturbances in heart rhythm. Eating foods high in potassium can help correct this problem, however. Some foods that have a good source of potassium include bananas and yogurt (both of which are easily digested to boot). If you are taking any diuretics or blood pressure medication and you start to get these symptoms then you should consider seeing a health care professional due to potential complications.

If these problems persist or worsen after you’ve cooled down and begun the hydrating process, seek a health care professional. If you become profoundly weak, have an irregular or racing heart, severe lightheadedness, chest pain, shortness of breath, or you are unable to rehydrate your body due to retching or diarrhea, seek a health care professional immediately.

Keep yourself safe and hydrated and have fun out there on the trails.

If you have any questions on this topic or any other medical topics related to cycling please e-mail Amanda.

Who knows, your question may be in the next article.