Pour yourself a tall glass of water: summer is here! Temperatures are going to climb which means you’re at greater risk of getting dehydrated. We’re entering the season of sweating and sizzling, so it’s important to stay on top of your water intake. Dehydration can lead to serious health complications, so doing everything you can to stay hydrated is vital for your health. Read on as we break down some of the ways you can protect yourself when it gets hot out there.
Drink More Water Than You Think You Need
According to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, humans need an average of 2.7-3.7 liters of water a day to be properly hydrated. The variance in numbers is due to gender (women need around 2.7 while men need 3.7) and other health factors like obesity or chronic medical issues. While it’s important to drink enough water to meet that hydration watermark, it’s smart to drink a little more than you think you need during the summer. Why? You lose fluid at a faster rate thanks to the heat. You’re sweating out what you’re taking in, so it’s important to be diligent and stay on top of your water intake.
Electrolytes
Another way to help stave off dehydration is to replenish your electrolytes. Electrolytes are substances that carry a positive or negative electrical charge when they get dissolved in water. This process helps regulate chemical reactions in your body. Several essential minerals that include sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium contain electrolytes. Your body loses electrolytes when it loses a large amount of body fluids. Sweating brought on by exercise and/or heat exposure can trigger this kind of loss. This is why keeping your electrolytes replenished is so important: as you get dehydrated, you lose them, and losing electrolytes makes it easier to become even more dehydrated. It becomes a vicious circle.
Sports drinks and electrolyte-infused waters are popular ways of getting electrolytes, but you can also get them through foods and drinks that include:
- Fruit juice
- Leafy greens
- Yogurt
- Tomatoes
- Smoothies
- Pumpkin seeds
- Avocados
- Coconut water
- Watermelon
- Beans
- Potatoes
Be careful with sports drinks: they can often have a high sugar content. Too much sugar can make you more vulnerable to dehydration, as higher sugar intake can lead to increased urination.
Water Alternatives
Speaking of fruits: tasty fruits like cantaloupe, watermelon, pineapple, and oranges have a high-water content. Drinking a lot of water is great for your health but can get a little monotonous on the taste buds. Adding in regular portions of fruit to your diet gives you essential nutrients while also helping to hydrate you. Like sports drinks, though, you should exercise caution because fruits can be sugary.
In addition to fruits, teas and smoothies make for a refreshing alternative source of hydration. Agua frescas are also high in water content. While milk can seem like a bad choice, it’s actually very hydrating. With teas and other non-water drinks, be mindful of caffeine content. Caffeine can act as a diuretic, which causes you to urinate and decrease fluid buildup in the body.
Salt Tablets
If you’re planning to do strenuous work outdoors like exercising or physical labor, it may not be a bad idea to take a salt tablet. These tablets contain an average of 400 milligrams of sodium. Salt tablets help keep your electrolytes balanced and prevent cramping that can be caused by electrolyte loss. These tablets can also be useful for alleviating dehydration caused by excessive sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, diuretics, or chronic health conditions like hyponatremia.
Talk with a doctor before you start taking salt tablets and make sure that you do not exceed the recommended dosage.
Know The Signs
Dehydration can sneak up on you. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it means that you’re ALREADY dehydrated. If you feel parched and are experiencing any of these symptoms, drink water and take it easy. Don’t do anything that’ll make you sweat profusely and thus render you more dehydrated.
Symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Extreme thirst
- Irritability
- Sunken eyes/cheeks
- Dry mouth and tongue
- Dark-colored urine
- Less frequent urination
Article by Austin Brietta
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