Summer: Staying Hydrated, Staying Healthy

After a seemingly endless rainy season, summer has finally come. The sun is already out, the grass is green and you’re ready to partake in all those outdoor picnics, beautiful hike, perfect beach moments and pool afternoons that you dreamed of during the rainy season. Summer can be a time of rest, excitement and fun, but it also welcomes number of health hazards, if people do not take simple precautions. As the heat rises this summer, you’ll need to pay close attention to one important aspect of your health: your hydration.

Hydration is the introduction of additional fluid into the body or a condition of having adequate fluid in the body tissues. Dehydration on the other hand, is the condition that results from excessive loss of body fluid. Mild to moderate dehydration is characterized by thirst, restless or irritable behaviour, normal to slightly sunken eyes and a sunken fontanelle in infants. Signs of severe dehydration include lethargy or unconsciousness, poor drinking or inability to drink, lack of urine output, cool moist extremities, low or undetectable blood pressure, and a rapid and feeble pulse. (WHO, 2011)

Dehydration can happen at any time of the year in any weather condition. Summer heat seems to bring on more instances of dehydration due to larger losses of body fluid through sweating. Staying well hydrated is important because it helps our hearts pump blood through the blood vessels to the muscles. And, it helps our muscles work more efficiently. When it’s hot out and we’re not hydrated enough, this means the heart is working extra hard to do its job.

You may have heard about the age-old advice to drink eight glasses of water a day, but how much should you be drinking? It seems like a pretty basic question, but unfortunately there’s no clear-cut answer. It’s surprising how little we know about the relationship between hydration and long-term health. We can live significantly longer without calories, carbs, or essential vitamins but if there is one nutrient that we can’t survive without for more than a few days it is water.

If you’re struggling to stay hydrated or looking for more creative way to get in your daily water count, just follow some tips below:

1. Drink up before every activity. Hydrate yourself before you exercise or even go out in the sun. It is very important to keep hydrated once your out and sweating beforehand to avoid straining your heart.

2. Say no to caffeine. Ditch every caffeinated drink you may encounter, which acts as a diuretic (makes you pee more) and causes more fluid loss.

3. Eat fruit and vegetables! Increase intake in fruits and vegetables which is high in water content because it contains substantial amount of water such as watermelon, papaya, cucumber and many others.

4. Never leave your water jag. Keep a refillable water bottle in your bag or on your desk, in your car, by your bedside table, or wherever else you may go. Having water on hand and at your sight is one way to ensure you’ll remember to drink it.

5. Start and end your day with a big glass of water. Since you will not drink any water over night and you’ll lose moisture in the night from sweating and breathing, it’s great to have a big glass of water when you wake up, even before your morning coffee or tea and before going to bed.

Water is truly the elixir of life. As you experience all the wonderful milestones of summer, remember to drink plenty of water and eat a diet rich in hydrating whole fruits and vegetables to keep you going strong all summer long. Your body and mind will definitely thank you! //HVA (www.nnc.gov.ph)