Try this…..you might be pleasantly surprised.

Hydrate with a well formulated sport drink (e.g eload™) in the morning before your training or competition.

During the day we can regulate our fluid losses by drinking and by consuming water rich foods.

Overnight when we are sleeping and in a fasting state we still continue to lose body fluid. During your sleep there are various processes that cause you to lose water gradually.

The first is breathing. Each time you exhale you lose a little bit of water. Exhale onto a cool piece of glass, and you can see this moisture.

The second is transpiration through the skin a.k.a (sweating). With sweating you also lose electrolytes. We sweat constantly even when the skin feels dry. The dry skin means we are simply sweating at about the same rate natural evaporation eliminates the water.

There is also the glycogen connection. There is about a 3:1 ratio of water to carbohydrate (glycogen) in our muscle cells, so in other words, when we lose glycogen overnight, we lose water.

And finally, yet another activity which causes you to lose fluid far more quickly than any of the above mentioned is…..using the restroom.

It’s no secret why we weigh less in the morning. A half a litre (500ml/16floz.) of water weighs 0.5kg or 1lb. To calculate overnight fluid losses simply weigh yourself in your birthday suit before bed, then again in the morning after going to the rest room. To hydrate yourself you need to drink back your losses.

This is particularly important on hot days. Ideally, the aim is to replace fluid, electrolyte and carbohydrate lost overnight so as not to start your training or competition in a deficit.

If you are competing or training it makes sense to pre-hydrate (we like to say pre-load) with your sport drink (we recommend eload™).

Studies show that lining your stomach with a carbohydrate and electrolyte solution before activity aids better absorption during activity. Your muscles will function better and recover quicker if they are fully loaded.

Correctly formulated sport drinks are absorbed more rapidly than water and are superior hydrators compared to water.

In a nutshell, they are better absorbed and also contain the carbs and electrolytes needed for optimal functioning.

To find out how much fluid you need to replace during exercise check out our fluid calculators

Douglas Stoddard M.D, M Sport Med, Dip Sport Med, ES