Cold & fluids: drinking at the ice rink

Why cold dampens thirst

Robert Kenefick and colleagues had participants walk and stand at 4 °C and at 27 °C – sometimes well hydrated, sometimes with a fluid deficit. The result, published in 2004 in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: in the cold, the sensation of thirst was up to 40 per cent lower, both at rest and during moderate exercise. The authors explain this by the constriction of blood vessels in the cold: more blood collects in the core of the body, and receptors signal apparently sufficient volume to the brain. They conclude that dampened thirst in the cold can further increase the risk of dehydration.

An ice rink is usually warmer than 4 °C, and ice hockey is not a walk. But the study shows the mechanism many players know: you feel as if you hardly need anything.

Sweat you can't see

It gets warm under helmet, pads and jersey; the sweat barely evaporates and stays in the material. Swiss Ice Hockey described sweat losses of up to two litres per hour for national team players and pointed out that the gut can only absorb a limited amount of fluid per hour. It follows: start training and games well hydrated, drink regularly along the way and keep drinking afterwards. For recreational and youth players the amounts are usually smaller, but the pattern is the same.

Drink by rhythm, not by feel

For figure skating, the German Skating Union gives four simple rules: ritualise your drinking, be guided by thirst, don't drink beyond your sense of thirst, and drink small amounts several times rather than a lot at once. In ice sports, ritualising specifically means: drink before warming up, drink in every break, drink after training. Your own bottle at the boards or in your bag makes it easy.

Which drinks are suitable?

• Water and juice spritzer for training and short sessions
• unsweetened tea, ideally warm if you are cold at the rink
• drinks with carbohydrates and sodium for long, intense efforts with a lot of sweating; the DEU names fruit juice spritzers in a one-to-two ratio, for example
• after exercise, additionally something with carbohydrates and protein, such as chocolate milk or milk

Energy drinks and alcohol don't belong in your sports bag; the DEU advises avoiding alcohol. In case of headaches, dizziness or feeling unwell: take a break, tell a coach or carer and, if in doubt, get medical advice.