WATER, WATER
The Many Facts
Anders J
There are many “facts” about dehydration and fellow
riders, met on your adventures, will certainly offer
you one or more. It’s all well intended but unfortunately
not always well researched. I was once one
of those who, with a confident smirk, would tell you the
‘truths’ about dehydration.
Having done my homework, the smirk has been
wiped from my face, I’ll try to clear up some of the
myths regarding dehydration.
It’s ironic that while you can ride hours through rain,
soaked in water, you still run the risk of dehydration.
Chemical reactions in our cells require water and water
keeps the tissues flexible. Water is also needed for blood
production and circulation through the cardiovascular
system.
In short, staying hydrated is crucial! The human body
is about 60% water in adult males and 55% in adult females
so, if you take a 90kg man, he's composed of 54.5
litres of water. Most of this water is contained within
the cells of the body or intracellular space. The rest is in
what is referred to as the extracellular space, which consists
of the blood vessels, or intravascular space and the
spaces between cells which is called interstitial space.
None of these spaces can be filled from the surroundings.
We need to drink to stay hydrated. Dehydration
sets in when a person has lost about 2 percent of his or
her body weight. So, for the 90kg man, this means losing
1.8 litres of water.
The first symptoms of dehydration include thirst,
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