Question

Prolonged exercise in the heat can lead to dehydration. From existing evidence, evaluate the key physiological responses that may occur in this scenario. (200 words)

Answer 1

Yes, prolonged exercise can cause dehydration. When the body is supposed to exercise more the brain send signal to respiratory muscles to increase breathing rate which increases oxygen intake and the rate of heart beat increases to increase cardiac output which supply more oxygenated blood to muscles to avoid fatigue. During this process the core temperature of the body rises than the normal temperature. Then the autonomic nervous system signals sweat glands to produce sweat to control body temperature. In this process the electrolytes in body were lost causing dehydration.