A friend of mine went to the doctor. She was having muscle cramps and weakness. She’s an older woman who had been spending the summer in her garden and the pain was making it difficult. The doctor drew some blood and asked her to come back for more tests but they feared the worst. It was very possible she was developing symptoms of multiple sclerosis or other neurological disorder. She didn’t make it to the next appointment when the doctor called to say they had it all figured out. She was severely dehydrated. Most people don’t think about dehydration on a regular basis but everyone is at risk for dehydration. The worst part is hydration is a delicate balance. Not enough water or too much water can cause dehydration.
Our bodies are approximately 75% water. The body gets water in a few ways: food and drink, air, and through the skin. The greatest amount comes from food and drink. Now back to my friend, she’s not a foolish woman. She was drinking as she was working out in the garden – ice tea and nothing else. Though ice tea has a great deal of water, it also has caffeine. Caffeine actually contributes to dehydration. It encourages the body to expel water that’s why caffeinated drinks send us to the bathroom.
Water is a great drink but too much water can cause the body to expel water as well. The body uses a process called Osmosis which pulls from the greatest concentration to the least concentration. In a perfect system, the cells in the body have the lesser amount and use osmosis to pull water and nutrients into the cells but if the body has too much water, then the cells get too much water and eventually the water is pulled from the cells and flushed out the body (this is a very simplistic description). This is one of the reasons why people who have water retention are encouraged to drink more water.
What happens to the body when dehydration occurs? The body uses water to flush out toxins, to cool, to move nutrients and without water the body has difficulty regulating temperature and getting rid of all the things it doesn’t want to keep. A build up of toxins can produce their own horrible results. Symptoms can include muscle cramps, dry irritated throat, lightheadedness, confusion, and weakness. Sometimes dehydration can look like the flu. The skin will begin to crack and healing is slowed.
Dehydration is easily prevented. Make sure you balance the liquid in your body. Drinking water is good, especially for active children and adults. Not drinking caffeine or alcohol when you are exposed to conditions that can cause dehydration (extreme heat and activity). Consuming watery foods like soup, watermelon, or Popsicles can actually do a lot to prevent dehydration and don’t have the same osmosis effect on the body because the water is absorbed slower.
Beware of sports drinks! Most people who drink sports drinks are actually consuming the drinks more frequently than needed. Sport drinks were designed to help athletes prevent dehydration. They are filled with electrolytes (similar to drinks like pedilyte) but they are also filled with sugar. Sugar in large quantities reduces the effect of rehydration, not as severely as caffeine or alcohol but enough that there could be health problems. The other problem with sports drinks is that those drinking them are not really as active as the athletes they were created for so the consumer is getting an imbalance of electrolytes which can create problems. It is recommended that sports drinks only be consumed when highly active and diluted with water.
Don’t assume that if the weather is not hot that dehydration is not a problem. Dehydration can occur anytime and in any weather. A simple test to see if you are well hydrated is to pinch some skin on the back of your hand (this can hurt a little) and watch it fall. If it falls quickly and leaves no trace of being raised then you are hydrated. If it falls slowly or doesn’t smooth out completely, you need more fluids. For those who like their caffeine remember that for every cup of caffeine, you need 2 cups of water to equal one cup of usable water in the body. Also, it’s not all black and white – you don’t have to drink just water. Enjoy some juice or herbal tea and count that towards your daily water amount.

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