We all know It’s important to drink water, but sometimes it could be hard to stay on top of it making it easy to become dehydrated. Let’s talk about combating dehydration.
The most common reasons I hear from clients are:
- Getting so busy you forget to drink enough.
- Not realizing you’re thirsty.
- Having a sore throat or mouth sores, making it uncomfortable to drink
- Being sick to your stomach
It’s natural to lose some water by sweating, breathing, urinating, and eliminating, and through tears. Under normal circumstances you will replace the lost liquid by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water. If you lose too much water or don’t drink and eat enough, you will become dehydrated.
You can lose excessive amounts of water with:
- A fever
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Excessive sweating
- Peeing a lot (Diabetes and some medications like water pills — also called diuretics — can make you pee more often.)
Symptoms of mild or moderate dehydration include:
- Number one- The first sign is – your body’s way of sending a gentle reminder your body that you are already dehydrated.
- Dry or sticky mouth
- Not urinating often enough
- Dark yellow urine
- Dry, cool skin
- Headache
- Muscle cramps
Signs of severe dehydration include:
- Not urinating at all, having very dark yellow output and pain/burning when trying to urinate.
- Very dry skin
- Feeling dizzy
- Rapid heartbeat
- Rapid breathing
- Sunken eyes
- Sleepiness, lack of energy, confusion or irritability
- Fainting
- Inability to have a bowel movement
Symptoms for babies and young children can be different than for adults:
- Dry mouth and tongue
- No tears when crying
- Dry diapers for 3 hours
- Sunken eyes, cheeks, soft spot on the top of the skull
- Sleepiness, lack of energy, or irritability
- Severe dehydration is a medical emergency and needs to be treated immediately.
Severe dehydration can cause permanent organ damage or even death!
Complications
Dehydration can lead to serious complications, including:
- Heat injury. If you don’t drink enough fluids when you’re exercising vigorously and perspiring heavily, you may end up with a heat injury, ranging in severity from mild heat cramps to heat exhaustion or potentially life-threatening heatstroke.
- Urinary and kidney problems. Prolonged or repeated bouts of dehydration can cause urinary tract infections, kidney stones and even kidney failure.
- Electrolytes — such as potassium and sodium — help carry electrical signals from cell to cell. If your electrolytes are out of balance, the normal electrical messages can become mixed up, which can lead to involuntary muscle contractions and sometimes to a loss of consciousness.
- Low blood volume shock (hypovolemic shock). This is one of the most serious, and sometimes life-threatening, complications of dehydration. It occurs when low blood volume causes a drop in blood pressure and a drop in the amount of oxygen
Let’s talk about solutions-
Especially in cold weather, the last thing I want to do is drink a glass of cold water. Even at room temperature, it is not all that appealing. I tend to lean toward warm drinks like tea or coffee. Hydrating right? Well, sort of. The hot liquid is fine and dandy but not if it’s laden with caffeine, which is a diuretic causing mild to moderate dehydration. The good news- there are tons of caffeine free teas and coffee blends to fill your cup.
How about those hot toddies to get you toasty? Well, you may feel toasty in more ways than one, but these alcohol-based drinks also dehydrate you.
Don’t disown the toddy just yet- for a dehydration proof version, keep the hot water, honey, lemon, and steep chamomile tea into the mix, and lose the booze.
During the warmer months, infused waters are a refreshing way to stay hydrated. They are a delicious alternative to plain water, beautiful in a glass or other clear dispenser and can be made with super healthy ingredients. These beverages are simple and inexpensive to make and are a lovely presentation for guests.
Infused water recipes-Click to check out our delicious water infusions.
Last but by no means least, smoothies. Don’t discount the healing powers of the freshly made smoothie. Not only can you get a quick hydration boost, it’s a quick and easy way to grab a meal or in between meal power boost on the go.
Check out these smoothie recipes 
DISCLAIMER–The views and opinions expressed here are based solely on personal experience, research and my interactions other professionals in the field of health and wellness. This article is not a diagnose, or medically based advise. Your experiences and sentiments may differ from my own. If you are suffering from any serious medical condition, you should consult your doctor or naturopath for a diagnosis.
Learn more from the resources gathered here:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/dehydration-adults#1
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/dehydration.html
