Are You Dehydrated?
You may be dehydrated and not even know it. Here are some clues to tell you if you are and why you should be concerned.
When you get thirsty you are already dehydrated.
If we lose but 1% of our body’s needed water supply we become thirsty according to Reader’s Digest Health & Healing the Natural Way Eating for Good Health. It goes on to advise “Thirst is an imperfect warning system, however, because it is not triggered until dehydration is already present.” A glass of water may quench your thirst but be insufficient to supply the body with the needed replenishment. Also we need to be cautious in that constant thirst can be an indicator of diabetes mellitus, so our doctor needs to be consulted for proper diagnosis.
One thousand people died from an improper fluid balance.
In 1987 during a 10-day heat wave in Greece where temperatures raged on at over 100 F more than 1,000 people died from dehydration. Water is more important for survival than food. Besides high temperatures and strenuous exercise our body can lose the precious fluid through fever, vomiting, diarrhea and blood loss. Dehydration can cause fatigue, head aches, muscles spasms, illness and heat stroke.
While most drinks and many foods contribute to our needed fluids there are two drinks which act as diuretics making our kidneys create more urine:
-
caffeinated beverages
-
alcoholic beverages
Have your water tested.
Then to complicate matters further, according to LifeSpan-Plus written by the editors of Prevention Magazine “The water you drink each day could be adding more sodium to your diet than a handful of pretzels.” The book goes on to explain that municipal water may contain 4 to 1900 milligrams of sodium per liter and well water may even test higher. It may not necessarily taste salty so should be tested. There are filtration systems than can be used to remove the salt from the water. One should have their water supply tested and if using a water softener, use a separate pipe unattached to the softener for drinking and cooking.
Not all fluids need to be supplied through water.
Some can be supplied through juice and some through foods. Some of the many foods that contain water are:
-
watermelon at 91%
-
lettuce 95%.
-
carrots 88%
-
bananas 75%
-
chicken 60%
-
bread 35%.
Watch that salt!
The consumption of salt hinders our bodies use of fluids in a big way. For more information on places we may find salt hidden read Salts Sneaky Hiding Places . It blocks the fluids from performing its necessary tasks such as:
Liked it
Goodselfme | Feb 14, 2010 | Reply
thank you for such a complete and well rounded composition for better education.
Judy Sheldon | Feb 14, 2010 | Reply
Thanks, Roberta, for reading and commenting.
Take care & God bless.
maranatha | Feb 14, 2010 | Reply
Excellent article and well researched. Here in the desert we are particularly aware of the importance of fluid intake. My husband brought his blood pressure down almost 20 points, simply by stopping the soda and koolaid and drinking water instead.
Guy Hogan | Feb 14, 2010 | Reply
Luckily for me I’m in the habit of sipping on a half a gallon of ice water all day as I work at the computer and I love milk.
Judy Sheldon | Feb 14, 2010 | Reply
Maranatha and Guy, thanks so much for reading. It sounds like you both already know the importance of fluid intake. God bless and stay healthy!
VTech | Feb 14, 2010 | Reply
Good Post
papaleng | Feb 15, 2010 | Reply
A well-researched article. For a diabetic like me, taking in enough fluid is very helpful for my body.
Louie Jerome | Feb 15, 2010 | Reply
Excellent and well informed article as usual, Judy.
giftarist | Feb 15, 2010 | Reply
Very educative post. Really helpful.
Christine Ramsay | Feb 15, 2010 | Reply
There is a lot of new information for me here. Very well researched and presented.
Christine
Patrick Regoniel | Feb 15, 2010 | Reply
I sure learned additional information about water. Thanks Judy.
Judy Sheldon | Feb 15, 2010 | Reply
Vipul, Papaleng, Louie, Giftarist, Christine, & Patrick, thanks so much for your support.
Papaleng.I\\\’m glad you are watching your health.
clickmarbin | Feb 15, 2010 | Reply
sometimes I am =)
Judy Sheldon | Feb 15, 2010 | Reply
Clickmarbin, thanks for leaving a comment. Please don’t wait too long to replace your fluids.
athena goodlight | Feb 15, 2010 | Reply
Sometimes we often forget to replenish our lost fluids. I keep a glass of water where I work. Thanks for the reminder.
BC Doan | Feb 16, 2010 | Reply
Great information, Judy! I take a small bottle of water with me wherever I go..
Judy Sheldon | Feb 16, 2010 | Reply
Athena & Icy, I am glad you are watching your fluids. Take care & stay well. God bless.
CHAN LEE PENG | Feb 18, 2010 | Reply
Sister, I came to visit here again because I couldn’t leave a comment with an extremely slow internet connection that day. I’d like to say that this is a very good article packed with useful info.
CA Johnson | Feb 18, 2010 | Reply
This is very good, Judy. I always drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Thanks for letting us know the ways to get water and how important it is. I really enjoyed reading your article. Thank you for sharing.
Judy Sheldon | Feb 18, 2010 | Reply
Chan and CA thanks so much for your support. Both of you are very wise in taking proper care of your health.
Take care & God bless!
AlmaG | Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
excellent article especially now that we are in our summer months here in the Philippines, we always get dehydrated. Our everyday temp is 34 degrees imagine how hot it is.
Judy Sheldon | Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
Alma, thanks for the support.
Take care & God bless.
Ruby Hawk | Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
Judy, thank you for all the important information. Our heath should be foremost on our minds.
swatilohani | Mar 4, 2010 | Reply
well researched friend
swatilohani | Mar 4, 2010 | Reply
great share
Brian Daniel Stankich | Apr 7, 2010 | Reply
Hydration is a constant challenge. Thanks for highlighting this need, as I think many of us tend to underestimate its importance. Brian
Judy Sheldon | Apr 7, 2010 | Reply
Swatilohani and Brian thanks so much for your support.
Take care & God bless!
Milton H Peebles III | Jul 20, 2010 | Reply
While I was in the Army – I had trouble with becoming dehydrated. On the third time that I went to hospital I was told that my becoming dehydrated over and over was going to damage my kidneys and pancreas. Thus making it easier for me to become diabetic.
Yes, 12 yrs after the last time I had a case of dehydration, I became diabetic.
Take Care, DreamSweet and Let Your Heart Shine
~ milty
Judy Sheldon | Jul 20, 2010 | Reply
Milton, I am so sorry to hear about your health issues, but now I’m going to send you to another article for information about protecting your liver and kidneys:
http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/the-astounding-benefits-of-milk-thistle/
Good people like you need to feel their best. Take care & God bless!
Beverly | Dec 22, 2011 | Reply
Thanks for the great information, I also take adult stem cell nutrition http://jdimlm.com/miracles, our body will and does heal itself with the right nutrients. God Bless
Judy Sheldon | Dec 26, 2011 | Reply
Beverly, thank you for your support. Yes hydration is very important to our health.
Take care and God bless.