Dehydration
Dehydration during exercise is a common problem. Some young athletes can begin to suffer the consequences of dehydration if they become dehydrated by just 2 percent of their body weight during exercise in the heat.

That’s why it’s important to recognize the warning signs:
· Noticeable Thirst
· Muscle Cramps
· Weakness
· Decreased Performance
· Nausea
· Headache
· Fatigue
· Lightheaded feeling or dizziness
· Difficulty paying attention

Treating the symptoms of dehydration is crucial in preventing more serious conditions such as heat exhaustion.

1) Rest in a cool place
2) Consume a sports drink that contains the adequate amount of electrolytes
3) Prevent dehydration in the future by consuming fluids before, during and after exercise (educate and allow ample time to rehydrate)

Heat Exhaustion
If dehydration goes untreated, the likelihood of heat exhaustion may increase. Eventually, fatigue and exhaustion will occur because you can no longer support exercise and core body temperature control at the same time. Common symptoms of heat exhaustion are:
· Dizziness and Fatigue
· Chills
· Rapid pulse

Treatment of heat exhaustion is similar to that of dehydration and should take place immediately. This treatment includes:
· Rest in a cool, shaded area and place ice cold towels on the body
· Drink a sports drink that contains the adequate amount of electrolytes
· Lie down with legs elevated to promote circulation
· Athlete should begin to feel better relatively soon, if not, assume heat stroke

Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is a medical emergency, when it is not recognized promptly and treated properly it can result in death. If rapid cooling does not occur, cellular damage to organs could be extreme and have fatal consequences. Symptoms and results of heat stroke include:

·Very high core body temperature (measured rectally - do not use oral, axillary, tympanic, temporal artery, etc6).
·Altered Central Nervous System function (i.e. confusion or unconsciousness or altered mental status, feeling
 out-of- sorts, extreme lethargy)
·Otherwise healthy athlete collapses during intense exercise in the heat

Remember athletes get better relatively quickly with heat exhaustion and they get worse with heat stroke. The important thing to remember is that heat stroke must be treated immediately by doing the following:

· Immediate cool down by whatever means possible
- An ice bath in a “cool pool” is preferable due to the superior cooling rates (holding head out of bath)
- Ice packs over as much of the body as possible
- A cool shower
- Cool, wet towels
- Water spray

· SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY (always transport a suspected heat stroke to the hospital!)

Do not drink fluids since nausea and vomiting are extremely common. Remove from cooling source when temperature is lowered to 102 degrees F.

Hydration Game Plan
Young athletes may not think dehydration will ever happen to them, but it can—and if it does, parents, coaches and athletes better know what to do about it. Here are the key steps:

1. Know your sweat rate
Staying properly hydrated is all about maintaining your body’s fluid balance so there’s never too much or too little. Athletes need to know how much they sweat and how much they need to drink to replace it:
--Weigh-in before and after competition
--Keep track of how much fluid is consumed during a workout
--Add the amount of weight lost after exercise with the amount of fluid consumed to know how much they should drink to stay hydrated.
Also, check urine color. If a pale yellow like lemonade then they are likely pretty well hydrated. If their urine is dark yellow like apple juice then they are likely dehydrated. This is an easy and accurate way to assess hydration status.

2. Hydrate before, during and after workouts
Proper hydration will help you perform at your best and protect you from feeling dehydration’s serious side effects.

· Before gives you a head start to help you compete at your best.
· During gives you the energy to keep going.
· After helps you replace the fluids and electrolytes—or the minerals your body loses in sweat, like sodium, potassium and chloride—that are vital to your body’s recovery.

3. Choose the right beverage
While water may be good when there’s nothing else available, research shows a properly formulated sports drink, like Gatorade, is best when you’re working out. That’s because it has:
· Electrolytes to replace what you lose in sweat.
· Flavor to encourage you to drink.
· Carbohydrates to give energy to your working muscles.
Children should avoid fruit juices, carbonated beverages, caffeinated beverages and energy drinks immediately before and during activity.
· Fruit juices can slow fluid absorption and cause upset stomach, may also lack sodium.
· Carbonated beverages, such as soft drinks, during the active occasion can reduce voluntary drinking due to stomach fullness and throat burn when gulping and lack sodium.
· Energy drinks should be avoided because many contain caffeine and have high carbohydrate concentrations, which slows the emptying of fluids from the stomach.

4. Speak up if you feel ill
Suffering in silence when feeling the early signs of dehydration can be dangerous. Instead, athletes should be encouraged to tell coaches or teammates how they’re feeling so they can get the rest, fluid and medical attention they might need.
Finally, talk to a doctor if you have additional questions about proper hydration. The health and success of your kids may depend on it.

Heat Illness Prevention Techniques

Acclimation
* Acclimation to the heat is an important factor in preventing heat illness. The rate of acclimation for children is slower than that of adults7.
* A child needs as many as 8 to 10 days (45-60 minutes/day) in a new climate to acclimate sufficiently. Such exposures can be taken at a rate of one per day or one every other day.
* During the acclimation process, it’s important to drink adequate amounts of fluid to build blood plasma volumes.
* When a child becomes acclimated and his or her sweat rate increases, it’s important the child drink sufficient fluids to replace the increased sweat losses and stay hydrated.
* Medical staff, parents, players and coaches must understand that thirst is not a good indicator of a child’s fluid needs,8 so children need to drink on a schedule.

Proper Rest
* Parents and coaches should encourage breaks in a shaded area whenever possible, especially during tournaments, multi-game and multi-practice days.
* It’s important to be aware of high temperatures and humidity and change practice and game times to cooler portions in the day, such as morning and dusk.
* Additionally, competitive rules need to be relaxed during hot weather playing conditions.
* Practices must be modified based on conditions. Add rest breaks to lower core temperature and provide ample time to rehydrate.

Dress Code
· Children should wear clothing that is light-colored, which will absorb less heat from the sun.
· Lightweight, loose-fitting materials help to facilitate the evaporation of sweat.
Environmental Conditions

* Heat stress is affected by air temperature, humidity, and direct sunshine. Use heat index or wet bulb temperature/wet bulb globe temperature as a guide for workouts or competitions. Modify workouts and competition in response to the environmental conditions.