How much water should you drink after exercise?

Drinking water after exercise has certainly become an instinct for everyone. However, drinking water is not only important after exercising. The reason is, lack of fluids when exercising can cause dizziness, headaches, cramps, and other health conditions. With more fluids you drink, the body will be more energetic and have the stamina to continue activities.

So, how much water should you drink during exercise? Come on, see the answer below.

How much water to drink?

The first thing to consider in determining how much water to drink after exercise is to balance how much the body loses fluids. Losing weight does not indicate reduced body fat, but less fluid from the body.

Ideally, you should drink 8 ounces of water within 30 minutes of exercising. And for every 1 pound (0.5 kg) of body weight you lose, you should replace it with 1⁄2 to 500 mL of mineral water.

Likewise, try drinking water before exercising to prevent dehydration. General guidelines indicate that 2 or 3 hours before exercising it is recommended that you drink 500 to 600 ml of water.

You should also drink 200 ml to 300 ml of water every 10-20 minutes during exercise or exercise. Do it and try to drink water little by little until your weight returns to what it was before exercise.

The explanation above is only a rough estimate. However, how much water to drink usually depends on your age, gender, how much you should drink, height and weight, intensity of exercise, and how long you exercise. Generally, people who sweat a lot more may need to drink more, too.

Can I drink lots of water after exercise?

Although drinking water after exercise is mandatory, drinking too much water can cause hyponatremia. What is hyponatremia? Hyponatremia is a condition that occurs when your blood becomes thin due to drinking too much water so that your blood sodium level drops dramatically. This rarely occurs in people with normal activities, but sometimes it occurs in athletes such as marathon runners who consume a lot of water during and after exercise.

This hyponatremic condition usually causes confusion, weakness, agitation, and seizures. In extreme cases, death may occur. Early symptoms of hyponatremia include nausea and muscle cramps. These symptoms can also mimic symptoms of dehydration by making you drink more water, as was the case with athletes.

Hyponatremia is a medical emergency, and requires immediate treatment. One way to prevent hyponatremia is to replace lost body fluids with drinks containing electrolytes.