Coaches frequently tell their players to drink a lot of water before they are thirsty. Some schools, like Mississippi State, do hydration tests before each practice to ensure their players are adequately hydrated. Walker Wilbanks’ untimely death as a football player may have been averted if he had not consumed so much water relative to sodium (Perchick, 2014). This is because such problems as hyponatremia could be avoided if the school encouraged athletes to take water only when they felt thirsty. Athletes should not try to anticipate their thirst by drinking a certain amount. Mild dehydration may occur by merely drinking when thirsty, but the hazards are minimal. Although dehydration may at times have adverse effects, no one has ever died from it on a sports field. However, over-hydration (hyponatremia) has occasionally been the cause of death in athletes. It is important to replace the sodium lost through sweat with sodium-containing beverages and foods to avoid hyponatremia and dehydration.
Proper hydration education for athletes is an essential measure for avoiding hyponatremia. Athletes should be taught by their schools to limit their excessive use of drinks and to consume adequate sodium (Aschwanden, 2021). Athletes and patients can be educated in a variety of methods. Approaches like one-on-one instruction, hands-on demonstrations, and the use of analogies to clarify complex ideas are highly effective. Brochures and other written materials, models, toys, YouTube videos, podcasts, professional peer educators, posters, infographics, PowerPoint presentations, and group classes are some of the numerous instructional tools available to schools and coaches. What works for one patient or athlete may not work for another. Nonetheless, it is common knowledge that a combination of methods yields the best results.
References
Aschwanden, C. (2021). How much water do you actually need? The New York Times. Web.
Perchick, M. (2014). Football player’s death leads to discussion about hyponatremia. WAPT. Web.