I can definitely confirm that after a long day of hiking in West Texas, and downing about 1.5gl water over the course of the day, the only thing that made me feel better was the McDonald's fries that I stopped to get after finishing!
Thanks for the advice ! I tend to drink a phenomenal amount of it in one gulp without taking the mandatory salt supplement (I prefer sea salt) to replenish the salt lost through perspiration. Although I've routinely observed beer drinkers take in a phenomenal amount of the more intoxicating brew in a sitting without much after-effect apart from getting drunk... (mind you beer is relatively rich in salt ). I know you folks expected the dummy which I am to make such a comment...
To seriously get back to the article; a crash course in the matter teaches us that in essence osmotic pressure rises within cells thus potentially causing their disruption if there is a major disequilibrium in salt concentration between the intracellular medium and the exta-cellular one (I read about this somewhere some years back. Although what you said about kidney malfunction is totally new to me) ... That's something most people don't consider once they are thirsty enough to gulp down a bucket full in one sitting... And that is something I routinely do... So thanks again for reminding me of the dangers !
This is good info to know, many years ago and new to mountaineering I drank about 3 litres of water very quickly before heading up to sleep on a dry summit (The Black Tusk) and had a horrible ascent, mostly just dizzy and extremely lethargic. It was after many already long days and my body was probably already low on salt. It was a very uncomfortable experience that nobody wants. Hopefully people will read this and avoid such situations.
Because you refer to one pint per hour during exercise. But what about hiking in particular vile climates such as the desert southwest of the US in July? I always thought that one pint per hour is far too little in such a case, and one would need to drink at least one litre per hour (about 35 oz.) to avoid dying of dehydration...
Also, you say that your body only processes 12-15 oz. of liquid per hour under normal conditions, but does this also apply to beer? Because yesterday I drank about one gallon of beer over the course of 4-5 hours and this morning I was more dehydrated than anything else...
I heard from rangers that this is fairly common with hikers in the Grand Canyon. They reported that most hikers carry plenty of water but that is not the problem, it's over hydration that results in a sodium imbalance that can be very dangerous and even lead to death. The solution they recommend is salty junk food like chips, crackers, etc.
I drink a greater amount of water than most when I am on the trail or mountain but I am familiar with the effects of over hydration. Thank you for helping to educate the good folks of this site, this is a very serious and important issue!
Dr Noakes is the guru of exercise related hyponatremia. This summitpost article and the comments have a few inaccuracies. I think water intoxication is much more likely to occur in ultra runners who have access to frequent aid stations or a support crew with water. I doubt many mountaineers carry enough water to give themselves severe hyponatremia. In any event, the best advice by far is to drink water when you are thirsty. The human thirst mechanism has been regulating our sodium level for hundreds of thousands of years
Thanks for the article, because not many people are aware of the dangers of water intoxication. In my early 20's I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Papua New Guinea and didn't know any better. One day I decided to hike 40 miles (no joke) between two Catholic missions. The temps were in the high 80s, the humidity was near 90%, and there was clean water everywhere, so I drank, drank, and drank again with very little to eat. By the end of the hike I was confused, irritable, and had a massive pounding headache. I thought I was dehydrated, and just drank more. I'm lucky that I didn't end up like the lady in your article. Anyways, I researched my symptoms, learned about water intoxication, and made sure to eat plenty of bananas, sugar cane, and salty tortillas the next time I made the hike. What a difference!
FlatheadNative - Jun 8, 2008 8:52 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Rule of Thumb...Thanks your comments are quite helpful and I have incorporated them into the How Much is Enough Section in this article.
txmountaineer - Jun 11, 2008 6:29 pm - Voted 10/10
Personal ExperienceI can definitely confirm that after a long day of hiking in West Texas, and downing about 1.5gl water over the course of the day, the only thing that made me feel better was the McDonald's fries that I stopped to get after finishing!
suddendescent - Jun 13, 2008 5:15 pm - Hasn't voted
Feeling intoxicatedThanks for the advice ! I tend to drink a phenomenal amount of it in one gulp without taking the mandatory salt supplement (I prefer sea salt) to replenish the salt lost through perspiration. Although I've routinely observed beer drinkers take in a phenomenal amount of the more intoxicating brew in a sitting without much after-effect apart from getting drunk... (mind you beer is relatively rich in salt ). I know you folks expected the dummy which I am to make such a comment...
To seriously get back to the article; a crash course in the matter teaches us that in essence osmotic pressure rises within cells thus potentially causing their disruption if there is a major disequilibrium in salt concentration between the intracellular medium and the exta-cellular one (I read about this somewhere some years back. Although what you said about kidney malfunction is totally new to me) ... That's something most people don't consider once they are thirsty enough to gulp down a bucket full in one sitting... And that is something I routinely do... So thanks again for reminding me of the dangers !
nomad - Jun 14, 2008 11:04 am - Hasn't voted
great informationthank you for the information, it helped me know a lot on drinking water amounts.
FlatheadNative - Jun 14, 2008 11:25 am - Hasn't voted
Re: great informationThanks I am glad it helps. That was my goal.
ClimberMan420 - Jul 7, 2008 2:14 am - Hasn't voted
To much waterThis is good info to know, many years ago and new to mountaineering I drank about 3 litres of water very quickly before heading up to sleep on a dry summit (The Black Tusk) and had a horrible ascent, mostly just dizzy and extremely lethargic. It was after many already long days and my body was probably already low on salt. It was a very uncomfortable experience that nobody wants. Hopefully people will read this and avoid such situations.
FlatheadNative - Jul 7, 2008 9:41 am - Hasn't voted
Re: To much waterI have heard of a few others including myself who have had similar experiences. Thanks for the comments and the metric conversion as well.
ClimberMan420 - Jul 7, 2008 2:18 am - Hasn't voted
metricamounts in litres and ml would be great.
Maybe I should but I dont know quarts and oz exactly.
1000ml = 1 litre
Thanks
CORDILLERAORIENTAL - Jul 10, 2008 2:35 am - Voted 10/10
Nice work!This information is very useful.
Thanks for taking the time to write the article.
Cheers,
Ruben
hundy - Jul 15, 2008 11:36 pm - Voted 10/10
Thank youThank you, that was very imformative.
GERTS - Feb 25, 2010 9:21 am - Voted 10/10
WOW!I never thought of that. Thanks for the info..
Proterra - Jul 9, 2013 8:53 am - Voted 10/10
I suppose this refers to normal conditions?Because you refer to one pint per hour during exercise. But what about hiking in particular vile climates such as the desert southwest of the US in July? I always thought that one pint per hour is far too little in such a case, and one would need to drink at least one litre per hour (about 35 oz.) to avoid dying of dehydration...
Also, you say that your body only processes 12-15 oz. of liquid per hour under normal conditions, but does this also apply to beer? Because yesterday I drank about one gallon of beer over the course of 4-5 hours and this morning I was more dehydrated than anything else...
mtneering - Jul 10, 2013 5:37 am - Hasn't voted
FYINatremia- The presence of sodium in the blood
reboyles - Jul 10, 2013 12:42 pm - Hasn't voted
HyperhydrationI heard from rangers that this is fairly common with hikers in the Grand Canyon. They reported that most hikers carry plenty of water but that is not the problem, it's over hydration that results in a sodium imbalance that can be very dangerous and even lead to death. The solution they recommend is salty junk food like chips, crackers, etc.
jrnewmann - Jul 13, 2013 12:06 am - Hasn't voted
Thank youI drink a greater amount of water than most when I am on the trail or mountain but I am familiar with the effects of over hydration. Thank you for helping to educate the good folks of this site, this is a very serious and important issue!
boisedoc - Jul 13, 2013 9:49 am - Hasn't voted
a suggested articlehttp://www.outsideonline.com/blog/outdoor-adventure/tim-noakes-on-the-serious-problem-of-overhydration-in-endurance-sports.html
Dr Noakes is the guru of exercise related hyponatremia. This summitpost article and the comments have a few inaccuracies. I think water intoxication is much more likely to occur in ultra runners who have access to frequent aid stations or a support crew with water. I doubt many mountaineers carry enough water to give themselves severe hyponatremia. In any event, the best advice by far is to drink water when you are thirsty. The human thirst mechanism has been regulating our sodium level for hundreds of thousands of years
FlatheadNative - Jul 13, 2013 10:08 am - Hasn't voted
Re: a suggested articleThanks doc. I wrote this a number of years ago and as you know there is quite a bit of research going on with hydration. Thanks for the link.
Cheers
Liba Kopeckova - Jul 15, 2013 9:16 pm - Voted 10/10
?Is this article an excuse for you guys to drink more beer? hahaha
http://www.backpacker.com/blogs/1074 = beer rehydrates better than water
MattGreene - Jul 16, 2013 2:46 pm - Hasn't voted
Good ArticleThanks for the article, because not many people are aware of the dangers of water intoxication. In my early 20's I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Papua New Guinea and didn't know any better. One day I decided to hike 40 miles (no joke) between two Catholic missions. The temps were in the high 80s, the humidity was near 90%, and there was clean water everywhere, so I drank, drank, and drank again with very little to eat. By the end of the hike I was confused, irritable, and had a massive pounding headache. I thought I was dehydrated, and just drank more. I'm lucky that I didn't end up like the lady in your article. Anyways, I researched my symptoms, learned about water intoxication, and made sure to eat plenty of bananas, sugar cane, and salty tortillas the next time I made the hike. What a difference!
abrennalinerush - Jul 23, 2013 11:16 am - Hasn't voted
Great article!Swollen digits/hands can be another sign of hyponatremia. For me, that's a definite indicator that I need more salt/electrolytes ASAP.