As most of you know, we all need water to survive. But what do we need when we’re sick or how do we know when we’re DEHYDRATED and how do we HYDRATE ourselves when we’re sick?
And for my trucking peeps. this is very important for you!
Water: Why We Need It
“Hydration is important because the body is comprised mostly of water, and the proper balance between water and electrolytes in our bodies really determines how most of our systems function, including nerves and muscles,” says Larry Kenney, PhD, a professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn State.
Does the cup of Joe every morning help, or as many believe, hinder? Contrary to the myth, yes, coffee counts when you’re tallying fluid intake.”There is no truth to the idea that coffee makes you dehydrated. That is a pervasive myth,” Though you need to watch the caffeine in take, as it may have an effect on dehydration. So drinking 10 cups of coffee a day isn’t great for you, but most people already know that! LOL
“You don’t have to drink water per se to get water, you can eat watery foods and that will count,” “Soup counts, yogurt and watermelon count. An orange is 90% water, salads are a lot of water; so all in all, people get plenty of water through foods and beverages other than water.” Although as in everything you need to know what’s in these to know if they are right for you. Take Yogurt, It’s low calorie but when you look at the Sugar then it’s not so good especially if you’re a DIABETIC! Most Yogurt has between 18 to 31 grams of SUGAR in them. To learn more about Sugar: http://yournutritionspot.com/the-sugar-series/
In physiology, body water is the water content of an animal body that is contained in the tissues, the blood, the bones and elsewhere. This water makes up a significant fraction of the human body, both by weight and by volume.
By weight, the average human adult male is approximately 60% water. However, there can be considerable variation in body water percentage based on a number of factors like age, health, weight, and sex. In a large study of adults of all ages and both sexes, the adult human body averaged ~65% water. However, this varied substantially by age, sex, and adiposity (amount of fat in body composition). The figure for water fraction by weight in this sample was found to be 48 ±6% for females and 58 ±8% water for males.
The body water constitutes as much as 73% of the body weight of a newborn infant, whereas some obese people are as little as 45% water by weight. These figures are statistical averages, and so like all biostatistics, the estimation of body water will vary with factors such as type of population, age of people sampled, number of people sampled, and methodology. So there is not, and cannot be, a figure that is exactly the same for all people, for this or any other physiological measure.
Dehydration (hypohydration) is a condition, wherein the loss of fluids (water) exceeds fluid intake. Even a minor change in the fluid concentrations can result in dehydration. It is, therefore, important to top-up on H2O as you lose it, else you will become chronically dehydrated (which can cause death).
Some of the common causes of dehydration are fever and immense sweating; intense workout, primarily in summers; and diarrhea. Anyone may suffer from dehydration, but older people and young children are most susceptible to this condition.Dehydration is likely to cause a number of signs and symptoms that range from moderate to severe.
In Sickness:
Extra Yellow Pee
Sounds gross, right? But this is true. Unfortunately, thirst is not just the only parameter to know if the body is crying out for water, primarily in children. There is a better indicator i.e. the color of urine.
When you are properly hydrated, your body discharges clear urine with a tinge of yellow. However, concentrated, dark urine (chardonnay or orange) is a telling sign of dehydration. With the body losing 3% water, urine becomes prominently yellow. With the body losing 5% water, urine passed out is chardonnay-colored. However, with the body losing over 5% (severe dehydration), urine discharged is orange in color.
Headache
With the body losing water, essential salts, such as potassium and sodium also get lost, which ultimately alters the chemical makeup of the blood. As the brain is super-sensitive, it triggers a reaction in the form of a headache. The loss of water in the brain tissues cause the brain to shrink and move away from the skull. The severity of headaches depends on the amount of water you lose. Loss of too much water from the body means a severe headache as the blood volume drops proportionally. The bottom line is, not enough water content is proportional to headache central.
Bad breath
Your breath may be telling you that your body is running extremely low on water content. Saliva has antibacterial properties in it, but lack of hydration can deter your body from producing enough of it. With your body not making enough saliva in the mouth, bacteria overgrowth is most likely to happen and as a side effect, bad breath becomes apparent. So, as and when your tongue becomes a bit swollen and the mouth dries out, drink water. In 9 out of 10 cases, the cause for bad breath is dehydration.
Fatigue Sets In
Researchers have proved that when athletes become exhausted, the cause primarily is dehydration, and not muscle fatigue. This is common for even us. Without the right amount of water, your body can experience muscle soreness, thereby making you feel less motivated for any activity. A 10% performance level drop is quite normal in people suffering from dehydration. Therefore, one must stay hydrated throughout the day to maximize performance. Doctors recommend ample rest along with ample of fluid intake in order to replenish lost water content.
No More Tears
If you are crying and tears are not coming out then it is a clear indicator of the fact that you are dehydrated. Children who are not properly hydrated also cry without producing any tears. Lack of wet diapers can also be a sign of your child suffering from dehydration. It is just not normal for a toddler to have a dry diaper for more than 3 hours.
Individuals can also notice dry mucous membrane, i.e. the tongue and mouth will become exceptionally dry. The eyes won’t just lose tears, but will appear a bit sunken as well.
Loss Of Elasticity
If you are well-hydrated your skin will snap back to normal when pinched inside. The ones who are dehydrated usually have a compromised turgor (the skin remains elevated and returns back to normal slowly). So, one must remain hydrated to prevent sagging of skin. Typically, all doctors carry out a turgor test to confirm if a patient is hydrated or not. Lost elasticity is a clear indicator of the fact that the person is dehydrated.
Body Overheats
Fluids play a vital role in keeping the body temperatures regulated; this prevents dehydration. Without lack of fluids, dehydration can occur and in extreme cases, one can suffer a heat stroke. With this condition, thirst can process mixed signals that the body needs water. Fluid top up can be mistaken as hunger. One must drink enough water if you think that you need to eat as in reality your body might be needing water.
Typically, the body overheats after physical exertion and profuse sweating occurs. This can cause dehydration; therefore, it is important for a person to remain hydrated.
Muscle Cramps And Spasm
It is crucial for men and women to remain hydrated as they indulge in hardcore activity of muscles. Imbalance of electrolytes in the body affects the muscle function. Sodium and potassium are the electrolytes which our muscles contract and dehydration can cause an imbalance in these ions, thereby resulting in muscle spasm. In some cases, muscle spasms can even result in muscle cramps (with the muscles contracting for a longer period of time). Typically, muscle cramping caused due to dehydration occurs in the calf or sides, which can be extremely painful. However, the symptom can be eased by drinking plenty of water and remaining hydrated.
Constipation
Water is vital for healthy bowel movement as it encourages digestion. It moves the food you eat forward and processes the waste out through strong bowel movement. Apart from this, water makes the intestinal walls soft and malleable. That is the prime reason that when we do not drink enough water, the colon loses it flexibility and the stool we pass out becomes hard and painful.
Dehydration indeed is the very reason responsible for chronic constipation. With your body not getting enough water, the colon absorbs water from the food waste, which is the reason for dry stool.
Lightheadedness or Dizziness
With the blood pressure dropping due to dehydration, light-headedness and dizziness are sure to follow. This sort of condition is called orthostatic hypotension by medical experts. Not a lot of people would consider lack of water intake as something dangerous. But, in case the body is not topped up with enough water, it can cause a lot of confusion. Kids and toddlers experiencing dehydration tend to be fussy and irritable in nature. In extreme cases, dehydration can even result in loss of consciousness.
Feeling under the weather (Flu like Symptoms)
There’s a reason why people say you should drink lots of fluids when you’re feeling under the weather. You need to make up for fluids you lose to symptoms like fever or vomiting, and also to ease congestion.
But it’s not just about how many glasses of water you gulp down. Try these strategies to help quench your body’s thirst and relieve icky cold and flu symptoms.
Fix Dry Air With a Humidifier
A cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer will add moisture to the air, which can help a stopped-up nose. Just be sure to keep it clean to avoid spreading bacteria or mold. This is very important!DO NOT NEGLECT!
Get Icy Relief
Is your throat scratchy or sore? Try sucking on ice chips or even Popsicles, which offer numbing relief along with extra hydration. You can even make good healthy popsicle
Sip a Hot Drink
Although steamy drinks like hot tea may not cause any real improvement in congestion, research shows they can make you feel better.
One study found that after drinking a hot beverage, people felt immediate and lasting relief from symptoms including runny nose, cough, sneezing, and sore throat.
For even greater benefits, try stirring in a spoonful of honey, which can ease a cough and help you sleep better. Never give honey to children under 1 year old because it can cause an infection called infant botulism.
Skip the caffeine, since it might cause you to become more dehydrated.
Flush Your Sinuses With a Neti Pot
These small, teapot-like containers rinse your nasal passages. That keeps them moist and relieves congestion.
Fill the neti pot with distilled or sterile water, tilt your head sideways, and pour the water into one nostril so that it drains out the other side.
Soak Up Some Steam
Inhaling the steam from a hot shower, or breathing in air from a bowl of freshly boiled water, can loosen mucus and help ease sinus pain and pressure. You may also get some of the same effects from pressing a warm, wet compress against your face. I even take a little Vicks Vapor Rub and put it in HOT WATER and put a towel over my head so I can breathe in the vapor. That really cleans you out and you’ll have a productive cough that will help get out what’s taking you down!
Go Gargle
Gargling with salt water a few times a day can help soothe a sore throat, at least temporarily.
Curl Up With a Bowl of Chicken Soup
It’s more than a bowl of comfort. Research shows that Grandma’s favorite cold remedy may help ease your cold symptoms. It’s not a cure, but it’s a tasty way to feel better. I even go the extra step and easy and full of protein.
80 calories and 16 grams of protein.
In Health:
DEHYDRATION REMEDIES
In the early stages, you may be able to correct mild to moderate dehydration with home treatment measures. It is important to take action to prevent dehydration.
Adults and children age 12 and older
If you become mildly to moderately dehydrated while working outside or exercising:
- Stop your activity and rest.
- Get out of direct sunlight and lie down in a cool spot, such as in the shade or an air-conditioned area.
- Prop up your feet.
- Take off any extra clothes.
- Drink a rehydration drink, water, juice, or sports drink to replace fluids and minerals. Drink 2 qt (2 L) of cool liquids over the next 2 to 4 hours. You should drink at least 10 glasses of liquid a day to replace lost fluids. You can make an inexpensive rehydration drink at home. But do not give this homemade drink to children younger than 12. Measure all ingredients precisely. Small variations can make the drink less effective or even harmful. Mix the following:
- 1 quart water
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 6 teaspoons sugar
Although the sugar isn’t great for you and it’s literally what the average adult needs for the day. If you’re a Diabetic like me I wouldn’t suggest this. What I do is a product called HYDRATE
It features 1 gram of sugar and 15 calories and 460mg of Bioavailable Electrolytes.
Hydrate provides:
Sodium Citrate
Sea Salt
Potassium Gluconate
Potassium Phosphate
Magnesium Ascorbate
Calcium Lactate
Magnesium Oxide
Why I use it is because it’s low calorie and sugar so it doesn’t effect my Diabetes and it works great. I can drink it anytime I sweat to replace what Electrolytes I’m loosing plus Bioavailable means it gets right to your system ASAP!
I also use CR7 DRIVE:
This is new product was field tested by Cristiano Ronaldo and has a ACIA BERRY flavor. No artificial flavors or sweeteners. And it’s for the more active person! Although anyone can use it. It’s good just to flavor your water.
Per serving it has:
50 Calories
135mg of Sodium
125mg of Potassium
13g Carbs
9g Sugar
Thiamin (Vitamin B1)
Vitamin B12
Magnesium
320mg Vital Bioavailable Electrolytes
And then for when you really do a hard core workout. Like Athletes with High Caloric Needs there’s PROLONG!
It delivers Carbohydrate for energy and speeds recovery time. High Caloric/Carbs, Subtle Taste, Electrolytes, Whey Protein, Antioxidant Protection.
Ideal usage:
Triathlete Completing Brick Workout
Cyclist on a 4 hour bike ride
Swimmer completing a morning workout
Professional with a physically demanding job
Per serving it has:
250 Calories
58g Carbs
16g Sugar
300mg Vitamin C
1.1mg Thiamin
0.34mg Riboflavin
5mg Niacin
1mg Vitamin B6
3mg Vitamin B12
60mcg Biotin
5mg Pantothenic Acid
80mg Calcium
60mg Phosphorus
45mg Magnesium
500mg Sodium
250mg Potassium
It has 12 to 1 Carb to Protein Ratio
Over 850mg of Bioavailable Electrolytes
Vitamins (B1,B2,B3,B6 and B12
And Antioxidant Support
So it’s for the big dogs in Exercise! And professional Athletes or those training like one!
There are a lot of ways that you can stay HYDRATED! You have a lot of different choices, the only thing you need to ask yourself is how healthy do you want to be about it. There are a ton of products that are on the market and most people do not even look into how healthy any of them are. What you really need to ask yourself is what best suits you? Are you really looking to be healthy or are you just wanting to skim by and you’ll deal with other issues as they come up? Now you know the TRUTH and can make an informed decision for yourself. As always you can track yourself for free and here’s the link: https://www.ichange.com/coach/JuniorPSampson
If you need to get in touch with us for any reason please visit www.yournutritionspot.com we’d be glad to hear from you!