stomach bugs

[ruffers]

Caught one of the various bugs going around at the moment and been off cycling for about a week now, just feel too weak yet can't wait to get back out, will need to keep hydrated on rides now according to the doc, what tips are out there regarding fluid intake on rides cheers in advance

 

[Lee_M]

drink more than you think you need

you can buy lots of isotinic drinks and tablets, or alternatively by diaralyte

for a short ride of a couple of hours though, water would be fine really

 

[kedab]

if you can drink it, drink it. don't ever wait until you're thirsty as by that point it's too late. i made this mistake once, never again. it was an awful feeling

 

[ruffers]

if you can drink it, drink it. don't ever wait until you're thirsty as by that point it's too late. i made this mistake once, never again. it was an awful feeling

How did u feel just unsure if its what I have done

 

[kedab]

How did u feel just unsure if its what I have done

i rolled to a stop at a set of lights during a Sunday outing, felt faint, nearly puked and had to get off the bike and sit down on a patch of grass to eat and drink - i'd been feeling great up until about 10 minutes before that point. that was the difference. 10 minutes. i had the food and drink with me of course but just didn't think too much about them. i do now!

 

[Cycleops]

Get some ORS (Oral Rehydration Salts) from a Pharmacy, mix with water. Don't bother with those isotonic or so called 'energy drinks' they are mostly sugar.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I think Gatorade is very good, 1-1 with water. Also good while the stomach troubles are in progress. I've never used it on the bike without cutting it with water. Yogurt is a good idea too. Especially where the trots are involved. Hydration is key there. Gatorade is good in that regard as well. Or Sunny Delight. Get well soon. Keep your electrolytes up.

 

[Rob3rt]

You had a stomach bug............ how did you doctor connect that to not drinking enough on the road?

Once recovered from your illness, there is no inherent reason that you ought to change the way you hydrate on a ride.

 

[Andrew_P]

I would imagine the Docs advice was more to do if you ride while still in recovery from the bug, as diarrhoea & vomiting will defintely dehydrate you.

 

[mark1974]

My youngest brought a nice stomach bug home from school last wednesday by saturday we went out for a ride.
Few hours later i was vomiting and the bug within 48hours had hit 6 of us.
Myself early hours sunday mad dash to loo 3 days later i am now feeling normal again last thing on my mind was to go out on a bike.
I had no energy i had rehydration packs from chemist and they were no good for me.
However few bottles of lucozade made a massive difference so they worked for me.
Yesterday i was able to start eating properly again today i feel pretty good.
Hope your well now ruffers as it knocked me for 6 i rarely get sick.

 

[Thomk]

if you can drink it, drink it. don't ever wait until you're thirsty as by that point it's too late. i made this mistake once, never again. it was an awful feeling

I would be cautious about following this advise. A view which is becoming more widely accepted these days is that you should drink when you feel the need to not least because there is a slight risk of hyponatraemia and ultimately death if this "if you can drink it, drink it" advise is followed to the extreme.

 

[Rob3rt]

You have to apply some common sense with regards hydration, if it is warm/hot and you are feeling thirsty periodically, just go with what your body is telling you, it is well evolved. If it is cold and you don't feel particularly thirsty but you are riding for a substantial period then chances are you might need to over ride/prompt the body here and force yourself to sip periodically. IME.

BTW, I have seen several sources state that for shorter events (think 10 mile Time Trial, 10km running race etc), the performance sapping effects of becoming mildly dehydrated are less so than the performance sapping effects of having water sloshing around in your stomach.

 

[ruffers]

Thanks mark1974 it with me tbh it just zapped my energy,

Reg the doctor and fluids we got chatting about what I do and he got round to hydration when cycling as if I don't stay hydrated my body concentrates on that rather than fighting illnesses or bugs etc

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

If you have something like a garmin edge device, you can set an interval timer on it that will alert you every (say) 30 minutes cycling time which is what I have mine set to. Each time it goes off, I drink a few mouthfuls regardless of whether I feel I need it.
As for fluid/isotonic etc, go with what ever you find easiest to drink and if that is an isotonic drink, fine; if it is plain water fine. Don't worry about it too much, just drink before you are thirsty and make sure you carry enough liquid with you or can obtain more on route.

Dioralyte (or other ORS) can be useful to carry for emergencies (I have a medical condition called Addison's disease which means I can't balance salts properly, so dioralyte comes in handy from time to time, so have to be very careful).