Fatigue question, has anyone experienced something like this?

SouthernCourts

SouthernCourts

Semi-Pro
I'll try to summarize what happens to me in matches that are very hot or humid, with the full realization that a huge part of the solution will simply be getting in better shape.

So, I am a world class sweater, to the point that in really hot weather, I need to bring three or four shirts for a three-set match. This happens whether I'm in shape or not, it's just genetics, I suppose. In cool weather, I feel like I can run all day, and the only consequence is heavy breathing for a while. In the heat, and especially in the humidity, it's a totally different story. Like clockwork, in the second set, it starts to become a slog. I'm sucking win, sweating like crazy, and almost instantly start feeling lethargic in a way that it's hard to push through. After playing a tough two-setter today, I measured my blood sugar (am not diabetic, just a hypochondriac), and it was 60, which I know is on the low end. There's also serious dehydration, despite the fact that I drink a TON of liquid, gatorade and water both, during the match. On days like these, when I really push myself (TMI warning), I won't have to pee for hours afterward, no matter what I drink, and when I do it will be dark yellow, a clear sign of dehydration.

I'm a little bit lost as to what's happening to me. It's mildly scary at times, despite the fact that it's happened a bunch and I know I'm not at risk of dying or anything like that. I've never passed out, so I don't know if it's heat exhaustion or sun stroke. I'll have a mild headache sometimes, but no pounding in the head or anything like that. And I'll get cold sweats inside for the first hour or so afterward, which I think is a blood sugar issue, because once I eat some food, I'm better. Blood pressure, for whatever it's worth, is normal.

Has anyone else experienced this? Especially looking for advice from people who sweat a ton like me...I've heard that wearing a wet shirt is bad for sweat evaporation, but it's hard because it doesn't take long before a new shirt gets soaked. Is there anything I can do, anything I can eat or drink, to mitigate some of these effects? Thanks in advance for any advice. Meanwhile, I'll work on my fitness.
 
Without knowing your physical measurements; height,weight, bodyfat etc..it's hard to day..You might need to look at your fitness regimen and incorporate more sprinting..Also your diet might need some changes if you are sweating too much...:)
 
This condition can be more common in early summer. It will be interesting to see if your body is still doing the same thing at the end of summer. Sometimes your body needs time to adjust to the heat. Pat Rafter used to sweat more than usual and it would be interesting to research the net on how he overcome it ( if he did that is)
 
If you are losing that much salt in sweat it will really throw things off. I have a condition that causes me to lose more salt than normal through sweat so if it is hot and humid, I always take buffered salt tablets (Saltsticks from Amazon) to counter it. I haven't had a problem since. Not saying this will work for you but if your electrolytes and sodium levels are off you will feel REALLY bad especially a few hours after the conclusion of the match. One thing you have to be cognizant of is that you have to hydrate before you need to starting the night before. Your body is telling you that you are not doing that but part of it is due to losing so much water/salt through sweating. Some people don't like drinking a lot to counter due to internal sloshing. :) You also need to concentrate on getting slow digesting carbs in your system to keep from getting down to 60. That's really low and it will affect your body AND mind. Try eating Belvita biscuits before a match and it should help flatten out your sugars over time.

It takes a while for the real effects of dehydration to set in and you often don't feel the worst of it for a few hours after it sets in. I speak from unfortunate experience. The time I did go to the ER, it was very cyclical. 2 hours after getting home from a baseball tournament I was cycling through periods of chills, sweats, feeling normal and then having something weird like seeing something gross on TV that would make me feel sick and the cycle would set in again for several minutes. I ended up having IV fluids and that's when it was discovered that I lose more salt than is normal. I am now very careful in choosing when I play tennis. I'll even wait until the last day to enter a tourney based on the weather report for the weekend. It's that scary to me.
 
Last edited:
My husband is a prolific sweater ... truly world class ... he also is a distance runner and competes in marathons, ultra marathons and Spartan races. He swears by the goo or the blocks for the replenishment of sugars, salts, etc. and insists on gatorade or other electrolyte replacements and not simply water.

I tried them out when I noticed my 2nd set brain fog ... as tiredness crept in, my brain went to sleep and I lost my concentration ... wow, they made a huge difference!

It is not just hydration, but the right hydration, and if your blood sugar dropped that low, you need to be replacing some sugars as well. If you are feeling so poorly that chills set in ... yeah, you need to get that addressed with better pre-match hydration and in match hydration.
 
I wish i could sweat like you in hot humid conditions. Normally i dried up before i even break a sweat, resulting in internal body overheating.

Sent from my Redmi Note 2 using Tapatalk
 
SouthernCourts said:
I'll try to summarize what happens to me in matches that are very hot or humid, with the full realization that a huge part of the solution will simply be getting in better shape.

So, I am a world class sweater, to the point that in really hot weather, I need to bring three or four shirts for a three-set match. This happens whether I'm in shape or not, it's just genetics, I suppose. In cool weather, I feel like I can run all day, and the only consequence is heavy breathing for a while. In the heat, and especially in the humidity, it's a totally different story. Like clockwork, in the second set, it starts to become a slog. I'm sucking win, sweating like crazy, and almost instantly start feeling lethargic in a way that it's hard to push through. After playing a tough two-setter today, I measured my blood sugar (am not diabetic, just a hypochondriac), and it was 60, which I know is on the low end. There's also serious dehydration, despite the fact that I drink a TON of liquid, gatorade and water both, during the match. On days like these, when I really push myself (TMI warning), I won't have to pee for hours afterward, no matter what I drink, and when I do it will be dark yellow, a clear sign of dehydration.

I'm a little bit lost as to what's happening to me. It's mildly scary at times, despite the fact that it's happened a bunch and I know I'm not at risk of dying or anything like that. I've never passed out, so I don't know if it's heat exhaustion or sun stroke. I'll have a mild headache sometimes, but no pounding in the head or anything like that. And I'll get cold sweats inside for the first hour or so afterward, which I think is a blood sugar issue, because once I eat some food, I'm better. Blood pressure, for whatever it's worth, is normal.

Has anyone else experienced this? Especially looking for advice from people who sweat a ton like me...I've heard that wearing a wet shirt is bad for sweat evaporation, but it's hard because it doesn't take long before a new shirt gets soaked. Is there anything I can do, anything I can eat or drink, to mitigate some of these effects? Thanks in advance for any advice. Meanwhile, I'll work on my fitness.
Click to expand...

From what I read, hydration begins from the night before. So, if you are playing a match, it would be a good idea to start drinking more water from the night before or the morning of. When you sweat, you are also losing eletrolytes as well. So, you might want to look into eletrolyte tablet / powder. I heard Patrick Rafter began to add salt to hit gatorade to compensate his execessive sweating. And, make sure you consume some snack to prevent such a low blood sugar level.

Might be worthwhile to seek a nutritionist. Sounds like there should be a simple solution to this.
 
I used to use the salt sticks but now I'm more of a Goo guy. They can pick up your energy level very quickly in the heat and humidity.
 
IA-SteveB said:
If you are losing that much salt in sweat it will really throw things off. I have a condition that causes me to lose more salt than normal through sweat so if it is hot and humid, I always take buffered salt tablets (Saltsticks from Amazon) to counter it. I haven't had a problem since. Not saying this will work for you but if your electrolytes and sodium levels are off you will feel REALLY bad especially a few hours after the conclusion of the match. One thing you have to be cognizant of is that you have to hydrate before you need to starting the night before. Your body is telling you that you are not doing that but part of it is due to losing so much water/salt through sweating. Some people don't like drinking a lot to counter due to internal sloshing. :) You also need to concentrate on getting slow digesting carbs in your system to keep from getting down to 60. That's really low and it will affect your body AND mind. Try eating Belvita biscuits before a match and it should help flatten out your sugars over time.

It takes a while for the real effects of dehydration to set in and you often don't feel the worst of it for a few hours after it sets in. I speak from unfortunate experience. The time I did go to the ER, it was very cyclical. 2 hours after getting home from a baseball tournament I was cycling through periods of chills, sweats, feeling normal and then having something weird like seeing something gross on TV that would make me feel sick and the cycle would set in again for several minutes. I ended up having IV fluids and that's when it was discovered that I lose more salt than is normal. I am now very careful in choosing when I play tennis. I'll even wait until the last day to enter a tourney based on the weather report for the weekend. It's that scary to me.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this, I have a feeling I have a pretty similar condition. You already gave me a lot, but what other symptoms did you have? I went through this again last night, it was so hard to last through the match, and I couldn't sleep at all except in fits and starts. Awful.
 
SouthernCourts said:
Thanks for this, I have a feeling I have a pretty similar condition. You already gave me a lot, but what other symptoms did you have? I went through this again last night, it was so hard to last through the match, and I couldn't sleep at all except in fits and starts. Awful.
Click to expand...

What's your fitness level like? I am a heavy sweater just like you and I used to cramp a lot. I take electrolyte supplements and have also worked harder on my fitness doing crossfit and other exercises besides just tennis.

I've noticed a dramatic decrease in cramps over time doing those things.
 
SouthernCourts said:
Thanks for this, I have a feeling I have a pretty similar condition. You already gave me a lot, but what other symptoms did you have? I went through this again last night, it was so hard to last through the match, and I couldn't sleep at all except in fits and starts. Awful.
Click to expand...
My symptoms are not as clearly defined as yours. I don't get particularly gassed or cramped in a match because my fitness levels are pretty good. I do make sure to hydrate plenty and take the salt supplements as regular routine when the weather commands it. Last night it was 90 with high humidity and not much breeze so I was losing a lot of salt through sweating. It didn't affect me that much during my play but like always, almost 2 hours later I started feeling loopy/jumpy because my salts and electrolytes were way off even with taking salt supplement every 20-30 minutes during play. It is so weird because I can feel fine driving home, showering, eating and what have you but once 2 hours post-match is reached and I start feeling funny I know exactly why. Salt. I then take a few more supplements over time the rest of the evening and come back to normal. What sucks is if I play until 9 and don't feel bad until 11. Makes for a rough night of almost falling asleep and then being jumpy because salts are off.
 
IA-SteveB said:
My symptoms are not as clearly defined as yours. I don't get particularly gassed or cramped in a match because my fitness levels are pretty good. I do make sure to hydrate plenty and take the salt supplements as regular routine when the weather commands it. Last night it was 90 with high humidity and not much breeze so I was losing a lot of salt through sweating. It didn't affect me that much during my play but like always, almost 2 hours later I started feeling loopy/jumpy because my salts and electrolytes were way off even with taking salt supplement every 20-30 minutes during play. It is so weird because I can feel fine driving home, showering, eating and what have you but once 2 hours post-match is reached and I start feeling funny I know exactly why. Salt. I then take a few more supplements over time the rest of the evening and come back to normal. What sucks is if I play until 9 and don't feel bad until 11. Makes for a rough night of almost falling asleep and then being jumpy because salts are off.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot. I have the same jumpy feeling trying to sleep when I play late, which is quite often these days. Just ordered the salt tablets you recommended. How many/when do you take them on match days?
 
Power Player said:
What's your fitness level like? I am a heavy sweater just like you and I used to cramp a lot. I take electrolyte supplements and have also worked harder on my fitness doing crossfit and other exercises besides just tennis.

I've noticed a dramatic decrease in cramps over time doing those things.
Click to expand...

Fitness for sure has to get better. I think I get fooled by how well I do in cooler temperatures, when I can run all day and feel good even in long matches. But the minute the sweaty weather comes, it is a completely different story and I can acutely feel my lack of fitness.

What supplements do you take?
 
SouthernCourts said:
Thanks a lot. I have the same jumpy feeling trying to sleep when I play late, which is quite often these days. Just ordered the salt tablets you recommended. How many/when do you take them on match days?
Click to expand...
I just take one every 20 minutes starting 20 minutes before I play. You kind of go through them fast but I'll trade that for feeling well any day. I don't have problems with blood pressure and my doctor thought it was fine to take. I'm not telling you what to do, just telling you what I do. :) I think you'll see a change. It isn't magic but it helps me.
 
SouthernCourts said:
Fitness for sure has to get better. I think I get fooled by how well I do in cooler temperatures, when I can run all day and feel good even in long matches. But the minute the sweaty weather comes, it is a completely different story and I can acutely feel my lack of fitness.

What supplements do you take?
Click to expand...

Same salt tabs SteveB takes. That's about it. Also I drink water with BCAA powder in it.
 
Used to be a moderate sweater. Then I took some acne medicine called acutane (if you know of it you know how serious this stuff is) for 6 months. While on the medicine I barely sweated at all. After getting off of acutane, I feel like I sweat more than Rafa. I always have to wear a sweatband and basically go through an overgrip every hitting session.
 
Just a side note. I played in very hot and humid weather yesterday and took SaltSticks to combat salt and electrolyte loss. Remember that I had mentioned earlier in the thread that I lose more salt than the average Joe. I drank a bit of G2 and a lot of water during the match along with a tablet every 20 minutes or so. I work at a hospital so I stopped there afterwards and asked my doctor to test me since I wanted to be sure I was adequately replenishing what I am losing during a match. My health and well being are important to me and this was a particularly taxing match and probably the worst conditions I will experience. My results came back spot on so I am going to stick with hydrating before, during and after matches with SaltSticks thrown in the mix when I am sweating a lot. I think part of me was worried that I would get home and start feeling bad so I just wanted to know for sure if I was doing the right thing. In the past it had taken two hours before the effects of having diminished salts/electrolytes set in, i.e. getting really sick. I didn't want that and it didn't happen. :)
 
I've been drinking 2 parts water and one part "sports drink" pretty frequently during hot weather play.
It is marginally helpful. I've been playing too much, and need to take a break for a few days to rest.
 
SouthernCourts said:
I'll try to summarize what happens to me in matches that are very hot or humid, with the full realization that a huge part of the solution will simply be getting in better shape.

So, I am a world class sweater, to the point that in really hot weather, I need to bring three or four shirts for a three-set match. This happens whether I'm in shape or not, it's just genetics, I suppose. In cool weather, I feel like I can run all day, and the only consequence is heavy breathing for a while. In the heat, and especially in the humidity, it's a totally different story. Like clockwork, in the second set, it starts to become a slog. I'm sucking win, sweating like crazy, and almost instantly start feeling lethargic in a way that it's hard to push through. After playing a tough two-setter today, I measured my blood sugar (am not diabetic, just a hypochondriac), and it was 60, which I know is on the low end. There's also serious dehydration, despite the fact that I drink a TON of liquid, gatorade and water both, during the match. On days like these, when I really push myself (TMI warning), I won't have to pee for hours afterward, no matter what I drink, and when I do it will be dark yellow, a clear sign of dehydration.

I'm a little bit lost as to what's happening to me. It's mildly scary at times, despite the fact that it's happened a bunch and I know I'm not at risk of dying or anything like that. I've never passed out, so I don't know if it's heat exhaustion or sun stroke. I'll have a mild headache sometimes, but no pounding in the head or anything like that. And I'll get cold sweats inside for the first hour or so afterward, which I think is a blood sugar issue, because once I eat some food, I'm better. Blood pressure, for whatever it's worth, is normal.

Has anyone else experienced this? Especially looking for advice from people who sweat a ton like me...I've heard that wearing a wet shirt is bad for sweat evaporation, but it's hard because it doesn't take long before a new shirt gets soaked. Is there anything I can do, anything I can eat or drink, to mitigate some of these effects? Thanks in advance for any advice. Meanwhile, I'll work on my fitness.
Click to expand...

Note that you may not just be salt-depleted but other stuff as well [magnesium, calcium; stuff with a positive valence like sodium]. This might be a contributor to the headache. Cold sweats are a sign of heat stroke, not just mere dehydration. Be careful.

First of all, you have a very efficient cooling system if you sweat a lot.

Do you eat anything during matches? Maybe consider some simple carbs and sugars to maintain a constant blood sugar level rather than the "high to low" roller coaster.

Also, maybe try a different sports drink [I use Cytomax] because the formulation will be different.

I agree with @IA-SteveB in that you should start hydrating the day before.

I don't have your problem in tennis but experience it when on a long and difficult hike, especially climbing: I won't have to pee much and then when I stop hiking I'm going every 20-30 minutes. It's still an indication of dehydration, despite how much I'm drinking.
 
S&V-not_dead_yet said:
Note that you may not just be salt-depleted but other stuff as well [magnesium, calcium; stuff with a positive valence like sodium]. This might be a contributor to the headache. Cold sweats are a sign of heat stroke, not just mere dehydration. Be careful.

First of all, you have a very efficient cooling system if you sweat a lot.

Do you eat anything during matches? Maybe consider some simple carbs and sugars to maintain a constant blood sugar level rather than the "high to low" roller coaster.

Also, maybe try a different sports drink [I use Cytomax] because the formulation will be different.

I agree with @IA-SteveB in that you should start hydrating the day before.

I don't have your problem in tennis but experience it when on a long and difficult hike, especially climbing: I won't have to pee much and then when I stop hiking I'm going every 20-30 minutes. It's still an indication of dehydration, despite how much I'm drinking.
Click to expand...


I am a heavy sweater as well. Pre-hydration is necessary. The second link shows that a heavy sweater in hot weather can lose 2L/H. Worse it show that rehydration is about 50% efficient if you use sports drinks. Less if you drink only water. So that means for 2 hrs of play (for a heavy sweater, in high heat), you'll need 6 liters to fully rehydrate. There is no way a heavy sweater can drink that much during a match. Be hydrated before you start. Drink constantly, a little at a time to avoid bloating. Actively rehydrate afterwards. As a heavy sweater, there is only so much you can do. Just do the best you can.

I learned this after going to a tennis camp in an unexpected heatwave and I had to miss a day plus because I got behind the hydration curve and couldn't catch up. Imagine 2L/H for 5.5 hours a day. I was doomed.


http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/2008_Heat_and_Hydration_for_Tennis_Final.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3818660/



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
robok9 said:
Used to be a moderate sweater. Then I took some acne medicine called acutane (if you know of it you know how serious this stuff is) for 6 months. While on the medicine I barely sweated at all. After getting off of acutane, I feel like I sweat more than Rafa. I always have to wear a sweatband and basically go through an overgrip every hitting session.
Click to expand...

That's some serious stuff. Did you have any other side effects?
 
OnTheLine said:
My husband is a prolific sweater ... truly world class ... he also is a distance runner and competes in marathons, ultra marathons and Spartan races. He swears by the goo or the blocks for the replenishment of sugars, salts, etc. and insists on gatorade or other electrolyte replacements and not simply water.

I tried them out when I noticed my 2nd set brain fog ... as tiredness crept in, my brain went to sleep and I lost my concentration ... wow, they made a huge difference!

It is not just hydration, but the right hydration, and if your blood sugar dropped that low, you need to be replacing some sugars as well. If you are feeling so poorly that chills set in ... yeah, you need to get that addressed with better pre-match hydration and in match hydration.
Click to expand...

Goo you say? Could you provide more information? I am interested in trying this or salt sticks. As a young healthy male I should be in the best shape of my life, but sadly I have IBS-C so it's like carrying extra luggage on court. Generally I start with a big boost of energy then it all fades away very quickly.
 
Bisty said:
Goo you say? Could you provide more information? I am interested in trying this or salt sticks. As a young healthy male I should be in the best shape of my life, but sadly I have IBS-C so it's like carrying extra luggage on court. Generally I start with a big boost of energy then it all fades away very quickly.
Click to expand...

In most grocery stores there is a section that has protein bars and the like. You will find various forms of this product there. I like the one by Cliff that I think are called Bloks ... or something close to that ... just be careful and look at the label, some have extra caffeine or extra sodium so if you don't want that, just get the regular one.
 
OnTheLine said:
In most grocery stores there is a section that has protein bars and the like. You will find various forms of this product there. I like the one by Cliff that I think are called Bloks ... or something close to that ... just be careful and look at the label, some have extra caffeine or extra sodium so if you don't want that, just get the regular one.
Click to expand...

The one I've used is called "Gu". it's a bit slimy for some so buyer beware.
 
Yes. I dealt with this for a while and have it (relatively) under control.

For me, sodium and carbohydrate intake is key. Half liter of water and half liter of water mixed with a nuun tablet per half hour. This is minimum. This means a gallon of fluid over 2 hours.

Second critical factor is carbohydrate intake. Trail mix is my favorite. The sugar from chocolate and raisins keeps you from hitting a sugar low and the extra sodium helps keep the electrolytes up.

I've played 3.5 hr matches and felt like there was plenty more in the tank.
 
SouthernCourts said:
I've heard that wearing a wet shirt is bad for sweat evaporation, but it's hard because it doesn't take long before a new shirt gets soaked.
Click to expand...

Wear those silky sunscreen shirts. I like the long sleeves, they dont get heavy like cotton when they get wet and keep you cool.

I used to take quinine (not sure if its recommended anymore). It was for water retention like others have mentioned. My coach called them a potatoe pill.

He also told me to drink a gallon of water before each match, it was hard to do because i got nervous and stomach didnt always wanna take it.

Pretzels maybe a good on court snack for you, easy on the stomach, makes your thirsty and has salt
 
Chadillac said:
He also told me to drink a gallon of water before each match, it was hard to do because i got nervous and stomach didnt always wanna take it.
Click to expand...
Man, I couldn't even imagine the internal sloshing with a gallon of water in me before a match.
S&V-not_dead_yet said:
I didn't know Gu cam in Placebo flavor; how was it? ;)
Click to expand...
It was really sweet, probably tricking me into thinking it was good stuff. :) Seriously, I will buy more of them because it really did seem to pep me up and give me a bit more focus. There are worse things I can pay $1.50 for. I don't expect anything to be a magic Pac-man power pill but even a small difference that can be noticed is worth something.
 
IA-SteveB said:
Man, I couldn't even imagine the internal sloshing with a gallon of water in me before a match.

It was really sweet, probably tricking me into thinking it was good stuff. :) Seriously, I will buy more of them because it really did seem to pep me up and give me a bit more focus. There are worse things I can pay $1.50 for. I don't expect anything to be a magic Pac-man power pill but even a small difference that can be noticed is worth something.
Click to expand...


Gallon BEFORE a match!?

Talk about a way to pi$$ out all of your electrolytes... that's a muscle cramp waiting to happen.
 
IA-SteveB said:
Man, I couldn't even imagine the internal sloshing with a gallon of water in me before a match.
Click to expand...

Its not that bad, you start like an hour or two before the match. Pee a few times before starting.

As the op said, he drinks alot of water but still pee's brown in the end. He is processing his water faster than he put it back, maybe just needs a little boost.
 
Gu, Clif Blocks, etc.. will make you fat as a tennis player. Also way too much sugar. Your efforts won't be enough to burn them off and you'll get fat. Speaking from experience. Stick with fruit, salt, or some kind of nut based bar. You'll like the results just as much and you won't be fat. Win win.
 
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