How Do I Know If I Am Dehydrated?

Dehydration is a preventable and yet very serious health hazard.  It means the body is low on the fluids it needs to maintain proper health.  This can be a deadly problem especially when combined with exercise and extreme heat.  This article will give you the signs to watch for and how to prevent dehydration.

The easiest way to gauge your hydration level is by simply checking the color of your urine.  Clear to light yellow indicates a healthy level of hydration.  Bright to dark yellow means the body is low on fluids; the darker the pigment of the urine, the lower the fluid level in the body.  Some of the symptoms you may experience are dizziness, irritability, reduced athletic ability, cramps and headaches.  One easy way to check your level is if you are thirsty, it is too late, you are dehydrated.

Seventy three percent of the body is made up of water and it is one of the first elements that when low has a direct result on body functioning.  The heart must beat harder when dehydration reaches 1%, maximum aerobic performance declines when dehydration reaches 3% and muscle strength decreases at 5%.  Such small changes in the perfect balance of water in the system have side effects.  As the amount of dehydration increases, so do the detrimental effects to the body.  Some very serious side effects of dehydration (from less to most extreme) are heat cramps (painful uncontrollable cramps), heat exhaustion (inability to continue in your current activity), heat syncope (passing out from the heat), heat stroke (regulatory system of the body shuts down due to heat), and hyponatremia (occurs when fluid replacement does not balance the sodium lost during extreme cases of fluid loss as well as too quickly attempting to replace fluids, may be fatal).

So how much water is enough?  During the course of an average day, without exercise or extreme heat, you can get by on 8 to 10 glasses of water (8 ounces each).  If you are going to be participating in a physical activity or spending time out the heat and humidity, you need to increase that.  A good rule of thumb is to drink 2 to 3 glasses of fluids about 2 hours prior to the activity and then another glass every 15 minutes during the activity or time spent outdoors.  If you will be exercising for an hour or less, water is sufficient but for rigorous or outdoor activities lasting over an hour you may want to consider a sports drink containing carbohydrates with up to an 8% concentration.  Make sure to keep in mind that both caffeine and alcohol have a diuretic effect on the body and so for every glass of coffee or for every cocktail, you need to replace what you have lost.

You can also assist in preventing dehydration with the foods you eat.  Peaches, nectarines, plums and pears are excellent choices as are lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers to name just a few.    The best prevention is knowledge and now you have it.  Summer is here so be safe and HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE.

By Christina Leon, Staff Writer