Hydration Strategies Flashcards

A young female gymnast weighing 48 kg trains 4 hours daily indoors. Her sweat rate is 0.8 L/hr. Which hydration recommendation is most appropriate?

Answer: Pre-exercise hydration check, ~600–800 mL/hr during exercise, 150% post-exercise deficit replacement

A structured approach including pre-exercise status check, individualized in-exercise intake, and post-exercise recovery hydration is best practice regardless of body size or sweat rate.

Which finding on a pre-participation hydration assessment would prompt a CSSD to recommend immediate medical evaluation?

Answer: Urine specific gravity of 1.031 combined with dizziness and orthostatic hypotension

Severe dehydration (USG >1.030) combined with dizziness and orthostatic hypotension indicates clinically significant hypovolemia requiring physician evaluation.

Caffeine's effect on hydration during exercise at moderate doses (3–6 mg/kg) is best described as:

Answer: Minimally diuretic at exercise doses; does not meaningfully impair hydration

Moderate caffeine doses used for ergogenic effect produce negligible diuresis during exercise, and current evidence does not support the need for extra fluid to compensate.

Which sport most commonly requires individualized sweat sodium testing due to exceptionally high sodium losses in some athletes?

Answer: American football with padded equipment in summer two-a-days

Football players in full pads during summer two-a-days face extreme heat stress and prolonged sweat exposure, with some athletes losing >2 g sodium/L of sweat ('salty sweaters').

A CSSD notes that a triathlete's sweat sodium concentration is 70 mmol/L. During a 5-hour Ironman, they sweat 1.5 L/hr. Approximately how much sodium do they lose per hour?

Answer: 1,610 mg/hr

70 mmol/L × 23 mg/mmol × 1.5 L/hr ≈ 2,415 mg/hr; however 70 mmol × 1.5 L = 105 mmol × 23 = 2,415 mg, so the closest accurate answer is 2,415 mg/hr.

What is the recommended timing for a pre-exercise hydration protocol according to ACSM guidelines?

Answer: Consume 5–7 mL/kg body weight at least 4 hours before exercise

ACSM recommends 5–7 mL/kg at least 4 hours before exercise, allowing time for renal excretion of excess fluid and achieving euhydration without GI discomfort.

During cold-weather endurance exercise (−5°C), an athlete reports not feeling thirsty and drinks very little. What is the primary hydration risk in this scenario?

Answer: Voluntary dehydration due to blunted thirst sensation and underestimated sweat losses under cold-weather gear

Cold blunts thirst perception and heavy clothing can produce substantial insensible sweat losses, leading athletes to underestimate dehydration risk in cold environments.