Exercise generates heat. It also generates sweat and increases your need to drink fluids to keep your blood volume and your electrolyte concentrations in the proper range. Under certain exercise conditions, keeping hydrated can be a challenging process, and you may find yourself urinating excessively after a workout. The causes for this may be behavioral, or medical.
Overhydration
The hazards of dehydration, which can progress to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, are familiar to most people who work out regularly. However, "Running Times" notes that thirst is not a reliable real-time indicator of hydration status and that exercisers are often told to drink long before they're thirsty, and in copious amounts. Over-aggressive hydration can lead to water intoxication and a condition called hyponatremia, or dangerously low blood sodium. If, in addition to excessive post-workout urination, you feel especially fatigued or woozy, you may be overdoing your fluid intake, especially if your urine remains very clear for hours.
Diuretics
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a very common condition and a risk factor for atherosclerosis, stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney failure. Exercise is recommended for people with hypertension, so many of them work out while on diuretic drugs to treat the disorder. Diuretics promote urination by affecting the function of the kidneys, which in turn lowers plasma volume and blood pressure. If you take a diuretic daily and find yourself urinating often during or after your workout, consider changing the time at which you exercise to avoid being inconvenienced.
Diabetes Insipidus
Diabetes insipidus, or DI, is unrelated to the better-known condition diabetes mellitus, although the latter may also involve excessive urination. In DI, the kidneys fail to respond to vasopressin, a hormone released from the pituitary gland that results in water conservation. As a result, the kidneys allow unusually large amounts of water to pass into the urine, and those affected are constantly thirsty. Certain drugs, head trauma, or kidney disease can all cause DI. If your thirst seems out of proportion to your workout and you are producing several liters of urine per day, see a doctor to be evaluated for DI.
Kidney Disease
According to the National Kidney Foundation, a host of common disorders can lead to kidney malfunction, including diabetes and high blood pressure. Advancing age, a family history of kidney problems and Native American heritage are risk factors. If you find yourself urinating excessively after you exercise and notice that you have skin puffiness in unusual areas, you may have a kidney disorder. Your doctor will order a urinalysis to look for telltale signs of kidney disease, such as protein or blood in the urine, high levels of nitrogenous compounds, and hypertension. Fortunately, these conditions are often treatable.
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