How Do We Become Dehydrated?

The average person loses about 3- 4 litres of fluid a day in sweat, urine, exhaled air and bowel movement. What you lose must be replaced by the water, or other fluid you drink and the food you eat.

You will lose approximately 1-2 liters of water, everyday, just from breathing!

Exercising, sweating, air temperature, illness or being at altitude can all significantly increase the amount of water you lose on a daily basis. The commonest cause of increased water loss is via exercise and sweating. The people most vulnerable to dehydration are infants, elderly adults, and athletes.

How Do You Know Whether You Are Hydrated?

Feeling thirsty is too late! Thirst means you are already dehydrated. A dry mouth should is the last, and most obvious sign of dehydration. Thirst only starts when your brain realises that you are well below normal dehydration.

Keep a regular eye on your urine colour:

• A hydrated body produces clear, colorless urine.
• A somewhat dehydrated body produces yellow urine.
• A severely dehydrated body produces orange or dark-colored urine.

PLEASE Check the urine colour chart below to assess your regular colour.

Common effects of even mild dehydration may include symptoms such as dry skin, fatigue, headache, an increased feeling of stress and blood pressure change, to name just a few.

Sipping water throughout the day, and checking your urine colour regularly, will indicate whether you are consistently drinking enough.

Simple tips For healthy Hydration:

Start your day with a big glass of water first thing in the morning – even before your beloved coffee. This water in the morning really gets the blood flowing, and as we have sweated throughout the night (i know this is an unpleasant thought!) this is the time of day we tend to be most likely to be dehydrated.

• Check your urine colour first thing in the morning.  This is a great guide for you, and will suggest if you need more water at the start of the day, and whether you are hydrated.
• Drink a glass of water when you get up and another when you go to bed.
• Take regular water break breaks.  This is easy if you have a water bottle with you at work.
• Avoid relying on tea, coffee or fizzy drinks to provide your fluid needs. These may actually dehydrate you further!
• Drink water before and after food; ideally drink a glass of water half an hour before you eat your meal and half an hour after the meal.  As a bonus drinking before your meal may also help suppress your appetite, as thirst is often mistaken as hunger.

Use these hydration tips to keep yourself feeling happy, healthy and well.  If you have any questions about dehydration, or come and ask one of the clinical team at Reflex Spinal Health and we would be delighted to help.