Importance of staying hydrated & Dangers of dehydration
Your body depends on water to survive. Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work properly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and lubricate your joints. This is why water is essential for overall good health.
Signs that you're becoming dehydrated
The first symptoms of dehydration include thirst, darker urine, and decreased urine production. Urine colour is one of the best indicators of a person’s hydration level, clear urine means you are well hydrated and darker urine means you are dehydrated. However, it is important to note that, particularly in older adults, dehydration can occur without thirst. This is why it is important to drink more water when ill, or during hotter weather.
As the condition progresses to moderate dehydration, symptoms include dry mouth, lethargy, weakness in muscles, headache, dizziness. More severe levels of dehydration include not urinating or having very dark yellow coloured urine, very dry skin, feeling dizzy, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, sunken eyes, sleepiness, lack of energy, confusion or irritability and fainting
Treatment For Dehydration
Dehydration must be treated by replenishing the fluid level in the body. This can be done by consuming clear fluids such as water, clear broths, frozen water or ice pops, or sports drinks (such as Lucozade) but some people may require intravenous fluids in order to rehydrate. People who are dehydrated should avoid drinks containing caffeine such as coffee, tea, and sodas.
Prevention is the most important treatment for dehydration. Consuming plenty of fluids and foods that have high water content (such as fruits and vegetables) should be enough for most people to prevent dehydration. Be cautious about doing activities during extreme heat or the hottest part of the day, and anyone who is exercising should make replenishing fluids a priority.
How much water should I drink per day?
Each individual’s needs are unique to them and depend on their health, age, size and weight, activity levels, the type of job they do and the climate they live in. Drinking little and often is the best way to stay hydrated.
In the UK health experts advise to aim for 6-8 glasses of water and other liquids each day to replace normal water loss which is around 1.2 to 1.5 litres.
Water, lower fat milk and sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count. But water is preferred as the other alternatives tend to produce urine quicker, meaning that you will start entering a stage of dehydration if your water intake isn't sufficient.
If you are exercising or generally active you should make sure to increase the amount to account for the water leaving your body through sweat.
