DRINK UP!

Hot enough for you? I think that summer has definitely arrived. With the weather comes some great riding opportunities but it also brings its own issues. I am talking about dehydration. If you recall last month’s article, I talked about reaction time and one of the things that can influence your reaction time is dehydration. Sometimes when we ride, we don’t think about taking in the proper amounts of fluids to compensate for the fluids that we lose. (I am not talking about alcohol, that does not keep you from dehydrating! More on that in another article.) Although you may not perceive it because you don’t think you are sweating much when you at highway speeds, your body is still doing what it needs to do to keep you cool. You don’t realize you are sweating because the sweat is evaporating as soon as it reaches your skin because of the wind flow. It is not like when you are stopped in traffic on a motorcycle in the summer and can feel the sweat dripping down your face. Some of the symptoms caused by dehydration include: Extreme thirst Less frequent urination Dark-colored urine Fatigue Dizziness Confusion (If you are like me, you don’t need any help being confused!) The last three symptoms are not good to have when it comes to riding your motorcycle so make certain to take in plenty of water when you ride. And you can also keep an eye out for each other to make certain your riding partner is not getting dehydrated. Having said that, if you are riding with me, please don’t ask to check the color of my urine to make certain I am drinking enough water. What you do with your other riding buddies is your business. But you can watch for signs of fatigue, dizziness, and confusion while on your ride. When you are planning a ride, plan for plenty of stops to replenish your fluids. Remember, caffeinated beverages are not the best source of hydration. I did have a coworker who would tell me drinking coffee in the summer aids my body in cooling off because it would make me sweat, and sweating was the body’s built-in cooling system. I told him if that was his logic for drinking coffee in the summer, then when wintertime rolled around, he needed to drink iced tea. Untreated dehydration can lead to much bigger problems like heat injuries from heat cramps to heatstroke. Other problems include kidney failure, seizures, and low volume blood shock. That occurs when dehydration causes low blood volume which causes a drop in blood pressure and a drop in the amount of oxygen in your body. This is serious and can be fatal. So when you are going to go for a ride, drink up! You make certain that your bike is ready for the trip. Use that same thinking to make certain your body is ready for the trip and you can have a safe, pleasurable adventure.