Dehydration ?

MIsterGoof

HI,

I;ve just got back on the bike and believe I'm suffering from dehydration.

After a ride only about 30k (1 hour 5 -> 1 hour 10) I feel slightly sick and have a headache for the rest of the day (this also happens after 45 mins spinning class)..

Before the ride I down about 600ml of water. During the ride I'll drink 700ml of squash, After the ride I will drink another 600ml of water plus half a pint of milk, eat a banana, plus a sandwich. During the following 2 hours I'll drink at least 500ml of fluid (water tea, coffee....) each hour.

..and with all this liquid I still don't feel great, and am not p**ing excessively.

Does anyone have any ideas, this will only get worse as I lengthen my rides through the summer.

thanks

MG

MSByrne

That sounds like dehydration, I would suggest not downing water, as the slower you drink it the better it will be absorbed by your body. Also try swapping to squash on the ride for just plain water or something isotonic, the excessive sugar in the squash will actually draw water out of your bloodstream.
I'd also suggest laying of the caffeine after rides because it is a diuretic. Stick to water and drink it slowly and drink plenty, try for about a litre per hour on the ride.
Hope this helps/

pbt150

Try adding some salt to your drinks, especially the one on your ride - it actually speeds up the rate the water is absorbed, and replaces what you lose in sweat.

danowat

What colour is your urine?

springtide9

I suffer the same. The cure is easy...

- Just also take electrolytes in the form of sports drinks or as a tablet/additive.

- You also need to make sure you are always hydrated and not continually playing 'catch up'.

JST

I used to get headaches after rides even though I thought I was drinking enough. After a suggestion on here I started using Nuun tablets in my water on longer rides which seems to have done the trick. I think my problem was that I seem to sweat quite a bit during exercise, even when it is not that warm, so the salts/minerals also need replacing not just water. If I do a spin class I am drenched afterwards :oops: but I am ok for 45 mins and just take water. Not so bad outside as it evaporates

amaferanga

Can't see how that'd be dehydration given how much you're drinking for a ride of only an hour or so. Looks like you're replenishing most of the calories you burn as well.

cedargreen

You might even be drinking too much. The total amount of fluid you listed is over 3 litres, which is enough for a whole day. It should be possible to ride for an hour without taking in fluid en route, and just having a drink at the end, unless it's really hot and/or you start dehydrated.

kja

I reckoniit's the squash. It's stuffed full of all sorts of nasties. I used to drink a can of fizzy orange every lunchtime and would spend the rest of the day with a headache. Stick to water out on a ride.

MattL30

I'm 100% not medically informed, but isn't drinking a sh1t load and still not being right a possible indicator of diabetes (spelling?).

For the sake of 20 mins, I'd get down the quacks and suggest it to them, just so they can run a few simple blood tests to rule out anything nasty.

rake

i think dehydration creeps up and can take several days of drinking to clear up, thats with not doing anything either.

lardarce

MIsterGoof wrote:

HI,

I;ve just got back on the bike and believe I'm suffering from dehydration.

After a ride only about 30k (1 hour 5 -> 1 hour 10) I feel slightly sick and have a headache for the rest of the day (this also happens after 45 mins spinning class)..

Before the ride I down about 600ml of water. During the ride I'll drink 700ml of squash, After the ride I will drink another 600ml of water plus half a pint of milk, eat a banana, plus a sandwich. During the following 2 hours I'll drink at least 500ml of fluid (water tea, coffee....) each hour.

..and with all this liquid I still don't feel great, and am not p**ing excessively.

MG

Is your consumption a wind up? I think you may be drinking too much.
If I join the "drink loads of water" brigade at work then I get headaches and even my eyes ache! and thats just drinking a liter or 1 1/2 liters in a day.

I am 50 and In a normal day I can get by with 4 or 5 of cups of fresh coffee and (the water content of) pasta or rice for dinner, my son otoh has to have a drink on hand all the time.

On a 40 mile hot day ride last week I drank a small glass of water before I left and a pint of water when I got home, never drank the bottle on the bike, I didnt feel thirsty again all day. (apart from an appealing bottle of red wine) I am not a big sweater though.

I suppose we are all different?

alan14

I also think you may be drinking too much, particularly after the ride. See my post and other diagnoses in the following thread about post-ride headaches:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... sc&start=0

on the road

Could be overhydration.

meanredspider

MattL30 wrote:

I'm 100% not medically informed, but isn't drinking a sh1t load and still not being right a possible indicator of diabetes (spelling?).

For the sake of 20 mins, I'd get down the quacks and suggest it to them, just so they can run a few simple blood tests to rule out anything nasty.

Diabetes is normally associated with a combination of excessive thirst & excessive urination (plus tiredness & weight loss). But the point is probably a good one (especially reading the completely opposite views above) - worth getting along to your GP and asking someone qualified about your symptoms.

MIsterGoof

Thanks for all the replies,

so to summarise

I may be drinking too much I may need to add electrolytes (salts) to my drinks There may be a medical problem

I've always drunk quite a lot, I used to Swim competitively and would often clear 2 litres in a 2 hour training session (5k -> 9k), so I guess I've just kept that up.

I think on the next ride I'll try the same quantity of liquid but with some kind of electrolyte and then each ride change 1 thing each time to see what happens.

danowat wrote:

What colour is your urine?

My urine has some colour to start but as the day goes on it gets clear.

JST wrote:

I used to get headaches after rides even though I thought I was drinking enough. After a suggestion on here I started using Nuun tablets in my water on longer rides which seems to have done the trick. I think my problem was that I seem to sweat quite a bit during exercise, even when it is not that warm, so the salts/minerals also need replacing not just water. If I do a spin class I am drenched afterwards :oops: but I am ok for 45 mins and just take water. Not so bad outside as it evaporates

I also sweat like a tropical storm in the spinning class or almost every physical activity, when I was swimming I had my own water cooling system so was never aware of how much I sweated. Hence I never learned to really understand how my body was coping with this type of situation.

cedargreen / ALan14 / On the road wrote:

Drinking too uch?

I can see what you are saying and will include reducing my intake of liquid after adding the electrolytes ans see what happens.

If this does continue I'll see the Quack.

thanks guys, I'll update the thread after my next ride.

MG

Buckled_Rims

I can't understand how anyone can get dehydrated after only an 1hr session. I genuinely think you should see a doctor and explain to him not a forum.

The first thing everyone pounces upon is "dehydration". Yet, the human body can take a terrible punishment and recover - sometimes very quickly. For crying out loud, men can walk half way across the Sahara desert on only a few sips of water, yet some people can't even cycle around their housing estate without passing out :shock:

If you feel like what you describe after only 1 hr, then there's something wrong and it's not dehydration.

lardarce

Buckled_Rims wrote:

. For crying out loud, men can walk half way across the Sahara desert on only a few sips of water, yet some people can't even cycle around their housing estate without passing out :shock:
.

I was going to say something similar

I do wonder if this drink 3 liters a day is all hype from the bottled water/drinks :? companies? :?

on the road

My last ride was over 56 miles which I done on 600ml, and I still had to stop to relieve myself :oops:

Buckled_Rims

lardarce wrote:

I do wonder if this drink 3 liters a day is all hype from the bottled water/drinks :? companies? :?

The big problem is the way society is changing. Today most seem to work in dry air-conditioned offices. I tend to drink more coffee then usual when I work in an office. But, I've also worked outdoors and in factories where I don't drink as much because of the more natural atmosphere.

I do think "some" companies market water as an essential 3 litres a day or you will die! In many cases it's not the water loss but the loss of salts from the body that are vital to replace, which is why I probably place a recovery drink far higher up then water intake during a sportive.

Aggieboy

MIsterGoof wrote:

HI,

I;ve just got back on the bike and believe I'm suffering from dehydration.

After a ride only about 30k (1 hour 5 -> 1 hour 10) I feel slightly sick and have a headache for the rest of the day (this also happens after 45 mins spinning class)..

Before the ride I down about 600ml of water. During the ride I'll drink 700ml of squash, After the ride I will drink another 600ml of water plus half a pint of milk, eat a banana, plus a sandwich. During the following 2 hours I'll drink at least 500ml of fluid (water tea, coffee....) each hour.

..and with all this liquid I still don't feel great, and am not p**ing excessively.

Does anyone have any ideas, this will only get worse as I lengthen my rides through the summer.

thanks

MG

That does seem a lot of fluid before, during and after for a 1 hour ride. Are you sure you're not drowning!?

sampras38

amaferanga wrote:

Can't see how that'd be dehydration given how much you're drinking for a ride of only an hour or so. Looks like you're replenishing most of the calories you burn as well.

Exactly what I was thinking, and from what the OP says they are taking on more than enough fluids. You could try adding some salt or some kind of hydration/electrolyte product such as Nuun or Elete Water, but my guess is it's something else.

Although I'll agree that drinking water on it's own and nothing else when you're sweating alot is not the way to go. You need to replace the minerals etc with more than water.

MSByrne

It's not likely to be overhydration, that only really occurs in people with a problem with either their kidneys, liver or heart. A normal adult is capable of excreting over 20 litres of water each day. Crucially though you need to balance your electrolytes, because drinking lots of water can alter the ion gradients in your intestine and draw salts out of your blood. There's little harm you can do from drinking a lot of water as long as you keep electrolytes coming in.
A good mix I saw is a few teaspoons of sugar and a pinch of salt in your water, or just buy some nuun tablets.

TanukiRider

I dont think I could ridecomfortably after "downing" 600ml of water!!!

You really should be drinking it in smaller amounts right through the day to stay properly hydrated. I go out on a speed run once a week and take a 500ml bottle but rarely touch it till I get back. On longer rides I have 2 500ml bottles, 1 with sports drink and 1 plain water, and I can go 3 hours or more on those.

We are all different......... but bearing in mind the amount you are drinking I doubt its dehydration.

a_n_t

cedargreen wrote:

It should be possible to ride for an hour without taking in fluid en route, and just having a drink at the end, unless it's really hot and/or you start dehydrated.

true, I easily do 25 mile tt's without a bottle.

JST

When I first started riding and getting headaches I went to see the doctor as I was a little concerned but he couldn't find any problems and suggested sports drinks which is when I found out about Nuun. I didn't think I needed full on energy drinks for the distances I was doing and as I said before the Nuun seems to have sorted things for me.

However the difference between me and the op is the amount of general water/fluid intake. I try and get my 8 glasses/1.5-2.0 litres a day but often don't manage it and sometimes my urine is quite yellow :shock: But everyone is different and if the op is used to drinking that much them maybe it is right for him?

Good plan to start changing one thing at a time to rule things out. If it continues though prob worth seeing the doc just in case there is something... keep us updated...

DCowling

I sweat very badly, and although I was taking water / juice I was becoming dehydrated and getting bad cramp.
I have since started using nuun ( following advice on this forum) and now seldom go out without them.
At £4.90 a tube ( wiggle got them on offer ) it's a bargain, I initially thought they were expensive but then put it itno perspective against what I was spending on ciggies when I quit and it comes out at good value.

Also keep in mind that if you are just drinking excessive amounts plain water, you are actually flushing your system out ( diluting) add this to your perspiration and you are in danger of becoming ill

MIsterGoof

1st ride: I did not have my 600ml of water and just went out on the ride with a hydration drink, after the ride I only drank my usual milk and did not drink any extra. I felt fine. 2nd ride: I did not have my 600ml of water and just went out on the ride with squash only , after the ride I only drank my usual milk and did not drink any extra. I felt OK, not perfect but OK

to conclude - it seems there were 2 things going on 1: over hydration 2: missing the salts / minerals required.

NUUN tablets have been ordered.

thanks for all the thoughts and advice

MG

sampras38

And Nuun aren't the only product were looking at.

I tend to use Elete Water.

MIsterGoof

I'm sure I'll work my way through a few products until I find a few I like

sampras38

You might be interested in this article, and see exertional headaches.

http://www.cptips.com/hdache.htm