In these hot and humid Florida days, staying hydrated is more important that ever. SIMED Primary Care physician Tenley Noone, MD breaks down how dehydration affect us and some useful tips on how to prevent dehydration.
Feeling fatigued, dizzy, nauseous and moody? Are you getting headaches? Does your brain feel slowed down? It may be your body telling you to hydrate. Your body uses water for everything it does. Water is important to help you breathe, to help metabolize food and burn fat, to help your brain think and even help you sleep.
Most people don't realize the first sign of dehydration is decreased urination. A good rule of thumb to monitor your hydration is typically to watch your pee color and frequency. You want a light yellow and should be urinating 3-4 times throughout the day. Unfortunately some blood pressure medications can make this method very inaccurate so those people need to be more careful with monitoring their dehydration warning signs. If you are only peeing once or twice a day you're already down 3-5% of your body's water volume.
When you start feeling tired, becoming easily fatigued, feeling thirsty, having muscle cramps especially in the small muscles groups like feet and calves, feeling your body take deep breaths and getting dizziness when you move, your body is already down 6-9% of your body's total water.
More severe fluid loss can lead to abdominal pain, chest pain, a fast heartbeat, worsening lethargy, confusion, stroke and death.
The debate about how much water we need is an on-going one. I typically advised 20-40 oz a day but your body will need more if you've had extra salt, caffeine or alcohol. But what if you don't like the taste of water? I advised my water-hating patients to try adding natural flavors to their water to help. Some options are mint leaves, fruits, cucumber, citrus, ginger (especially if you're nauseous), or store bought water additives.
With our Florida summer heat and humidity aim for over 40 oz especially if you are exercising (taking your 150 minutes of exercise every week as recommended by your doctor). The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 16 to 20 ounces at least four hours before exercise and three to eight ounces every 15 minutes during exercise.
A very important point about Florida summer hydration is how you hydrate. Sweat is salty and you're body will also need to replace potassium and sodium while exercising or sweating heavily. Low sodium (called hyponatremia) typically starts as feeling confused, nauseous, and losing the ability to think. If you've been outside, exercising or sweating heavily you should include electrolytes in your water, and this was how Gatorade was born. This is also why you've likely heard of coconut water because it also has potassium and some sodium in it. Another option is using electrolyte gels or homemade smoothies.
Now I've saved the best news for last. Approximately 20% of our daily water is gotten from some food! Soup, yogurt and oatmeal are all great fluid-filled options. Certain vegetables and fruits can help you hydrate like melons, berries, lettuce, and grapes. The fresher the better; and you can soak certain fruits like berries and grapes in water to increase the amount they contain. Just remember to be mindful of the natural sugars.
For locations and contact info please visit us at SIMED Primary Care or for our urgent care facility SIMED First Care. To request an appointment online with Dr. Noone please click on link online appointment request.