How to Recognize and Prevent Dehydration in Young Athletes

Young athletes spend a considerable amount of time engaging in exercise, often outside in the heat. As a result, their risk of dehydration increases greatly.

Dehydration doesn’t just impair children’s athletic performance; it can also have a significant negative impact on their health. According to the Mayo Clinic, dehydration may increase one’s risk of heat injury, seizures, low blood volume shock, as well as urinary and kidney problems. Because of the significance of these risks, learning how to recognize and prevent dehydration in young athletes is essential. Continue reading for information on the common signs of dehydration and ways to prevent it from occurring in young athletes.

Signs of dehydration in young athletes

Dehydration can reveal itself in many different ways. If one of your athletes is exhibiting any of these signs of dehydration, make sure to provide them with plenty of water immediately.

• Fatigue: If an athlete is feeling more fatigued than usual during practice, don’t just chalk it up to a bad workout. Fatigue is a common sign of dehydration.
• Nausea: When engaging in rigorous exercise, nausea can occur as a result of blood flow being taken away from the stomach. However, this isn’t the only reason why an athlete may experience nausea. Another potential cause of queasiness during exercise is dehydration. If an athlete complains of nausea, encourage them to sit on the bench for a while and drink some water.
• Confusion: If a young athlete who is usually on top of their game is failing to understand instructions, their confusion may be a result of dehydration.
• Dizziness: Dizziness can result from even mild dehydration. When the body doesn’t receive enough fluids, the volume of one’s blood decreases, which lowers blood pressure and prevents an adequate amount of blood from getting to the brain.

How to prevent dehydration in young athletes

While recognizing signs of dehydration is important, it’s best to prevent it from occurring in the first place. One of the best ways to prevent young athletes from getting dehydrated is simple: encourage them to drink plenty of water.

Children should drink enough water not only during practice but also before and after training. As a general rule, kids who are 9 to 18 years old should drink between 7 and 11 cups of water each day, some of which can derive from foods with a high water content. The exact amount of water that kids should drink will depend largely on their age, weight, amount of physical activity, and the weather.

In addition to drinking water, kids should also eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Such food groups generally have a higher water content than other solid foods and will help ward off dehydration.