KUALA LUMPUR: The National Sports Institute (ISN) has advised sports enthusiasts and athletes to take some preventive measures when doing activities outdoors to reduce complications due to the current hot spell.
ISN in a statement today provided recommendations and guidelines aimed at preventing heat-related illnesses such as dehydration, muscle cramps, heat stress and heat stroke.
“When doing sports activities in a hot environment, the rate of blood flow and sweat will be higher than usual to release heat. This will cause a load on the body’s physiology during prolonged exercise.
“Hot and humid environments will reduce the ability to release heat through radiation/convection and evaporation. In general, the higher the relative humidity level, the less heat is released through sweating,” read the statement.
According to ISN, it is also important to ensure that the body remained hydrated through a water intake strategy before, during and after doing sports activities.
“There should be an intake of two cups (500-600 ml) of water within two hours before doing the activity, while one should drink two to three cups (500-750 ml) of plain water or sports drink for every hour of sports activity carried out for 60 minutes or more.
“The water intake after sports activities depends on the loss of a person’s body weight, where on average, for every one kg of body weight lost, it should be replenished with 1.5 litres of water,” it said.
ISN also advised sportsmen and athletes to perform heat acclimatisation for one to two weeks to increase the efficiency of sweating and heat release, as well as increase adaptation to reduce the physiological burden and increase exercise capacity.
Athletes are also encouraged to wear light clothing made of quality fabric that helps air flow to absorb moisture, preferably of white and bright colours.
However, 100 per cent cotton fabric is not recommended as it would absorb the sweat and prevent heat from dissipating.
Organisers of sports and recreational events also need to be responsible for ensuring the safety of the participants by adjusting the start time based on the weather patterns, allowing for longer and sufficient time for breaks or drinks, as well as longer recovery times.
They should also provide medical emergency protocols and facilities in case of heat-related illnesses, cooling facilities such as shelters, ice, wet towels and water pools, apart from cancelling the event in case of unexpected and persistent hot weather. – BERNAMA
