Dehydration is quite common, and over 200 million people around the world are dehydrated. But some people are more likely to become dehydrated than others. For instance, older people, infants, children, adults who work out outdoors, or anyone with a chronic illness are at a greater risk. Readout to know the 8 preventative tips for dehydration.
It’s such a good point to stress out that the most frightening part of dehydration is that it can cause death. But most of the time, if the dehydration is spotted early on, it may be easily remedied with electrolyte drinks.
As always, prevention is better than cure because it’s just easier to remain hydrated. And you don’t even have to go through the discomfort of being in that state. However, preventing it from happening still requires some effort, especially if you’re not keen on drinking water. To stay hydrated, here are some things you can do.
- Be Aware of The Symptoms of Dehydration
If you think you or someone you know is dehydrated, you should go to a doctor to be sure. Some symptoms of dehydration can easily be identified. Always remember that spotting those signs is key. After all, treating this condition successfully depends entirely on how early you can spot its symptoms. Therefore, make sure that you keep an eye out for these signs below.
- Extreme thirst
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Scant urination
- Dark urine
- Confusion
Do note that these symptoms can be harder to spot for children and infants, especially if they can’t communicate how they feel well. There are other symptoms that you can check, but you can easily miss them.
For example, the soft spot on top of an infant’s head could be sunken. The eyes and cheeks could be sunken, too. Younger children might also feel irritable and restless if they’re dehydrated. Aside from those, be on the lookout for dry mouth, infrequent urination, dry diapers after three hours, and crying with no tears.
- Call The Doctor When You’re Severely Dehydrated
You’ll need to be extremely cautious and contact your doctor immediately if you have any symptoms of severe dehydration:
- Disorientation
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Frequent urination
- Bloody or black stools
To learn more about severe dehydration, read here. This will also help you better understand how to avoid it and treat it in the future.
- Know What To Avoid
Just like with any complications, you can prevent dehydration by avoiding certain things that could cause it. Some people think that staying dehydrated means drinking just anything that quenches your thirst. You should know that certain drinks can actually dehydrate you, even if they taste better than water. Some of those drinks are the following:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Soft drinks
- Alcohol
- Know What Drinks Can Help You Hydrate
Now that you know what to avoid, you should also know what food and drinks are good for hydration. Of course, water is the number one drink that will help you rehydrate. But understandably, just drinking water all the time can be difficult, especially if you’re eating out.
If you’re too sick of drinking water, you have some alternatives that you can drink occasionally. Some of those are the following:
- Fruit-infused water
- Sports drinks
- Milk and milk alternatives
- Fruit juice
- Coconut water
These days, there are all kinds of water like alkaline water that can be amazing because they were made especially for hydration. But aside from being hydrating, they also have other benefits.
- Eat Hydrating Food
Hydration isn’t only limited to drinks; you can also hydrate yourself with food. However, even if they can rehydrate you, they aren’t enough. Nonetheless, adding the following foods below to your diet can make it easier for you to prevent dehydration.
- Watermelons
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Cantaloupe
- Oranges
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Celery
- Soups
- Yogurt
- Tomatoes
- Cauliflower
- Bell peppers
- Cabbages
- Grapefruit
- Cottage cheese
As you can see, many of these hydrating foods are perfect for a salad. So, adding a salad with your meals, in addition to drinking enough water, will be perfectly helpful in keeping you hydrated.
- Hydrate More When You’re Sick Or Working Out
As mentioned, some people are more at risk, which means that they must rehydrate even more. For instance, you can be one of them if you work out indoors and outdoors and sweat more than usual.
- Drink Enough Water
Many people think that you need eight glasses of water a day, but that’s not necessarily true for everyone. Again, anyone who works out or has illnesses that can cause dehydration will need to hydrate and drink more water. The same goes for those living in warmer climates because of the excess sweat. There are also some studies made that conclude that women should drink around 12 glasses of water while men should have 16.
- Make Drinking Water A Continuous Habit
Most people make the mistake of only drinking water when they’re thirsty. This is a big mistake because, by the time you’re incredibly thirsty, you’ve probably excreted a lot of water from your body.
If you’re taking care of plants, you wouldn’t want to water them when they’re already dried up, right? Think of it this way: people are essentially like plants that require regular watering to maintain their health and sustain their growth.
To make it easier for you to make drinking water a habit, you’ll need to have water available in your room, workplace, and even your car at all times. It would be helpful to have multiple reusable water bottles in every part of your home, as well as other places that you spend your time in.
It’s also understandable if you get tired of the taste of water. From time to time, you can change it out with other drinks that are also hydrating, which were all mentioned above.
Conclusion
Overall, staying hydrated is more about knowing your needs and your lifestyle. Water is the primary necessity for hydration, but it isn’t always as direct as drinking water in one go every day. It’s best to drink enough water at regular intervals throughout the day because it will make it easier to intake. Make sure that you keep an eye for any of the symptoms so that you can treat them immediately and avoid further complications and risks.
