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The Dangers of Overhydration: What You Need to Know

By Youth1, 10/24/18, 12:00PM PDT

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Particularly for football players who play outdoors, wear heavy equipment and are often enduring hot conditions, heat related symptoms are a concern.

A bottle of water and sports go hand in hand. The logic behind it is elementary: you work out or play sports, you sweat, you dehydrate, you drink water, you replenish and rehydrate. But as with any substance we put into our body, too much of it, even water, can be damaging. How damaging?

The scientific term for severe overhydration is Hyponatremia, and it can cause a litany of negative symptoms from nausea and vomiting, to fainting, comas, and death. While you don’t need to be scared of our friend H20, it’s important to understand that even a low-grade level of overhydration can seriously impede your athletic performance. 

How prolific is the problem? Very, according to MDAlert.com, who stated in 2015 that there were more athletes injured by Hyponatremia on a yearly basis than dehydration.