The challenge was made to try and post something everyday. I will do my best to make these posts running/cycling/swimming-related, although I make no promises. So, here goes...
The topic of hyponatremia (commonly referred to as water poisoning) came up in conversation tonight (Kirby is running a 24-hr race this weekend). We realized that not everyone had heard of it, so...
Basically, hyponatremia means a low concentration of sodium in the blood. This is problematic because it causes water to move into cells, causing them to swell (remember back to biology/chemistry and osmosis... water moves down its concentration gradient... or, more simply, salt sucks). And when brain cells swell... not so good... the skull kind of prevents this! With respect to exercise, hyponatremia can occur when athletes drink too much "plain" water (i.e., when you sweat, you lose both water and salt). That's why it's important to drink some type of sports drink with electrolytes (like PowerBar's Endurance Beverage) in addition to water for longer races! For more information, read Salt and the Ultraendurance Athlete. Have a good night everyone! #20
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