Dehydration

Obscuring

Any advice on how to treat dehydration? Also, should you exercise if you know you're dehydrated? If you're dehydrated earlier in the day but then drink enough water throughout and are not thirsty by the evening, could/should you exercise then?

BeachIron

In this order:

drink water

yes, after drinking water

yes

MyJourney1960

You should see a doctor if you are actually dehydrated. It's not just water, and not a question of feeling thirsty, but you need to replenish minerals, sugars etc

magerum

In this order:

drink water

yes, after drinking water

yes

This, plus add some more water

cuttingshadow

I did a planned exercise to have myself hydrated. Downloaded an app on my smartphone (water lite - free) which shows me how much water I need to drink and helps keep track of my water consumption daily Do this for a week or two till it becomes a habit.

At 200 lbs, I had to drink at least 100 Oz per day which is around 12 cups. I would split up that into every 2 hours 2 cups during my office time 9-5 and after hours during my exercise or dinner the usual that I would be drinking.

CS

Obscuring

In this order:

drink water

yes, after drinking water

yes

This, plus add some more water

Amazingly enough, this was /not/ the best solution. I did go to the doctor and it was much more serious than "drink water." Thanks though, I hadn't thought of drinking water, wow!

Everyone else: Thank you for lovely advice

Lakshmi_13

How much more serious and what tools did they use to diagnose you?

CarsonRuns

In this order:

drink water

yes, after drinking water

yes

This, plus add some more water

Amazingly enough, this was /not/ the best solution. I did go to the doctor and it was much more serious than "drink water." Thanks though, I hadn't thought of drinking water, wow!

Everyone else: Thank you for lovely advice

If it was bad enough that you had to go to the doctor, did you ask the doctor these questions? A physician will be much more qualified to answer than a bunch of us numbnuts on the intarwebs.

fasterandbetter

one way to know if you are dehydrated is looking at the color of your urine, if it is dark then you are indeed dehydrated and should not be exercising, if it is light yellow then you are probably well hydrated and it might be safe to exercise, your mucus membrane (inside of your mouth) help also monitor your level of hydration, be careful not to use plain water when hydrating yourself especially if you are planning on running outside in hot weather, significant amount of sodium (salt) is lost with sweat and to avoid hyponatremia (low level of sodium in the blood which can be very dangerous) you should not only replenish water but also electrolytes, sports drink would be best for hydration

CarsonRuns

one way to know if you are dehydrated is looking at the color of your urine, if it is dark then you are indeed dehydrated and should not be exercising, if it is light yellow then you are probably well hydrated and it might be safe to exercise, your mucus membrane (inside of your mouth) help also monitor your level of hydration, be careful not to use plain water when hydrating yourself especially if you are planning on running outside in hot weather, significant amount of sodium (salt) is lost with sweat and to avoid hyponatremia (low level of sodium in the blood which can be very dangerous) you should not only replenish water but also electrolytes, sports drink would be best for hydration

So much myth being propagated and supported by the beverage companies.

Find a copy of "Waterlogged" by Dr. Tim Noakes to get the real story on hydration and electrolyte balance.

concordancia

one way to know if you are dehydrated is looking at the color of your urine, if it is dark then you are indeed dehydrated and should not be exercising, if it is light yellow then you are probably well hydrated and it might be safe to exercise, your mucus membrane (inside of your mouth) help also monitor your level of hydration, be careful not to use plain water when hydrating yourself especially if you are planning on running outside in hot weather, significant amount of sodium (salt) is lost with sweat and to avoid hyponatremia (low level of sodium in the blood which can be very dangerous) you should not only replenish water but also electrolytes, sports drink would be best for hydration

So much myth being propagated and supported by the beverage companies.

Find a copy of "Waterlogged" by Dr. Tim Noakes to get the real story on hydration and electrolyte balance.

As a Texan, its not a myth.

Just eating salty foods isn't enough, either. With a banana, they do help, though.

To prevent dehydration in hot weather, have at least one electrolyte replacement drink a day in addition to lots of water, more if you are particularly active or a heavy sweater.

To treat it, sip Pedialyte. If you seek medical attention, you will probably be given an IV. Or told to sip Pedialyte, if it isn't too severe.

Your body also has trouble with temperature regulation when you get dehydrated. Seek AC and consider putting an ice pack on your head.

jennifershoo

Why are you dehydrated?

CarsonRuns

one way to know if you are dehydrated is looking at the color of your urine, if it is dark then you are indeed dehydrated and should not be exercising, if it is light yellow then you are probably well hydrated and it might be safe to exercise, your mucus membrane (inside of your mouth) help also monitor your level of hydration, be careful not to use plain water when hydrating yourself especially if you are planning on running outside in hot weather, significant amount of sodium (salt) is lost with sweat and to avoid hyponatremia (low level of sodium in the blood which can be very dangerous) you should not only replenish water but also electrolytes, sports drink would be best for hydration

So much myth being propagated and supported by the beverage companies.

Find a copy of "Waterlogged" by Dr. Tim Noakes to get the real story on hydration and electrolyte balance.

As a Texan, its not a myth.

Just eating salty foods isn't enough, either. With a banana, they do help, though.

To prevent dehydration in hot weather, have at least one electrolyte replacement drink a day in addition to lots of water, more if you are particularly active or a heavy sweater.

To treat it, sip Pedialyte. If you seek medical attention, you will probably be given an IV. Or told to sip Pedialyte, if it isn't too severe.

Your body also has trouble with temperature regulation when you get dehydrated. Seek AC and consider putting an ice pack on your head.

It is a myth. Experiments show that adding electrolytes to your system has zero impact on the serum balance. The body remains in a state of homeostasis. It has also been shown that it takes about 2 weeks of a diet with ZERO sodium before the body's internal stores run out and it's only then that the body is not able to maintain homeostasis. We get so much sodium in our regular diets that it is nearly impossible to deplete our internal stores. It's all in Noakes book. He reexamines every study done on hydration and the like over the last 100+ years and show where the results were erroneous, improperly interpreted or just plain influenced by big beverage money. I don't have the time to go back through the book and pull out nuggets for you. If you care, it's there for the taking.

Bottom line is, the human body is a highly capable machine that knows how to keep itself hydrated and in electrolyte balance and has been doing so without the aid of tablets, sports drinks or any of that other stuff for 1000s of years.

BeachIron

one way to know if you are dehydrated is looking at the color of your urine, if it is dark then you are indeed dehydrated and should not be exercising, if it is light yellow then you are probably well hydrated and it might be safe to exercise, your mucus membrane (inside of your mouth) help also monitor your level of hydration, be careful not to use plain water when hydrating yourself especially if you are planning on running outside in hot weather, significant amount of sodium (salt) is lost with sweat and to avoid hyponatremia (low level of sodium in the blood which can be very dangerous) you should not only replenish water but also electrolytes, sports drink would be best for hydration

So much myth being propagated and supported by the beverage companies.

Find a copy of "Waterlogged" by Dr. Tim Noakes to get the real story on hydration and electrolyte balance.

As a Texan, its not a myth.

Just eating salty foods isn't enough, either. With a banana, they do help, though.

To prevent dehydration in hot weather, have at least one electrolyte replacement drink a day in addition to lots of water , more if you are particularly active or a heavy sweater.

To treat it, sip Pedialyte. If you seek medical attention, you will probably be given an IV. Or told to sip Pedialyte, if it isn't too severe.

Your body also has trouble with temperature regulation when you get dehydrated. Seek AC and consider putting an ice pack on your head.

Drinking a sports drink a day when truly active or it's hot and dry is a good idea. Drinking one every time you're thirsty isn't. When I go on long hikes and runs I will have 1 sports drink to supplement, but honestly the fundamental part of hydration is water. If someone is paying so little attention to their hydration needs that they need a doctor's intervention, and they aren't sick or or child, then there's something wrong with their wiring. smh

concordancia

Well, then, my body is broken. Water is not sufficient when I spend a day outside in 100+ weather. Electrolyte drinks are the only thing I have found to cure that headache.

BeachIron

one way to know if you are dehydrated is looking at the color of your urine, if it is dark then you are indeed dehydrated and should not be exercising, if it is light yellow then you are probably well hydrated and it might be safe to exercise, your mucus membrane (inside of your mouth) help also monitor your level of hydration, be careful not to use plain water when hydrating yourself especially if you are planning on running outside in hot weather, significant amount of sodium (salt) is lost with sweat and to avoid hyponatremia (low level of sodium in the blood which can be very dangerous) you should not only replenish water but also electrolytes, sports drink would be best for hydration

So much myth being propagated and supported by the beverage companies.

Find a copy of "Waterlogged" by Dr. Tim Noakes to get the real story on hydration and electrolyte balance.

As a Texan, its not a myth.

Just eating salty foods isn't enough, either. With a banana, they do help, though.

To prevent dehydration in hot weather, have at least one electrolyte replacement drink a day in addition to lots of water, more if you are particularly active or a heavy sweater.

To treat it, sip Pedialyte. If you seek medical attention, you will probably be given an IV. Or told to sip Pedialyte, if it isn't too severe.

Your body also has trouble with temperature regulation when you get dehydrated. Seek AC and consider putting an ice pack on your head.

It is a myth. Experiments show that adding electrolytes to your system has zero impact on the serum balance. The body remains in a state of homeostasis. It has also been shown that it takes about 2 weeks of a diet with ZERO sodium before the body's internal stores run out and it's only then that the body is not able to maintain homeostasis. We get so much sodium in our regular diets that it is nearly impossible to deplete our internal stores. It's all in Noakes book. He reexamines every study done on hydration and the like over the last 100+ years and show where the results were erroneous, improperly interpreted or just plain influenced by big beverage money. I don't have the time to go back through the book and pull out nuggets for you. If you care, it's there for the taking.

Bottom line is, the human body is a highly capable machine that knows how to keep itself hydrated and in electrolyte balance and has been doing so without the aid of tablets, sports drinks or any of that other stuff for 1000s of years.

Look, I haven't read the book but I've heard it referred to before. Most experienced athletes I know are careful to drink mostly water and only add a sports drink once in a while. That said, does the fact that the guy claims to be smarter than anyone else who has looked at this issue for the last 100 years not give you reason for pause? That type of claim always sets off alarm bells in me.

CarsonRuns

one way to know if you are dehydrated is looking at the color of your urine, if it is dark then you are indeed dehydrated and should not be exercising, if it is light yellow then you are probably well hydrated and it might be safe to exercise, your mucus membrane (inside of your mouth) help also monitor your level of hydration, be careful not to use plain water when hydrating yourself especially if you are planning on running outside in hot weather, significant amount of sodium (salt) is lost with sweat and to avoid hyponatremia (low level of sodium in the blood which can be very dangerous) you should not only replenish water but also electrolytes, sports drink would be best for hydration

So much myth being propagated and supported by the beverage companies.

Find a copy of "Waterlogged" by Dr. Tim Noakes to get the real story on hydration and electrolyte balance.

As a Texan, its not a myth.

Just eating salty foods isn't enough, either. With a banana, they do help, though.

To prevent dehydration in hot weather, have at least one electrolyte replacement drink a day in addition to lots of water, more if you are particularly active or a heavy sweater.

To treat it, sip Pedialyte. If you seek medical attention, you will probably be given an IV. Or told to sip Pedialyte, if it isn't too severe.

Your body also has trouble with temperature regulation when you get dehydrated. Seek AC and consider putting an ice pack on your head.

It is a myth. Experiments show that adding electrolytes to your system has zero impact on the serum balance. The body remains in a state of homeostasis. It has also been shown that it takes about 2 weeks of a diet with ZERO sodium before the body's internal stores run out and it's only then that the body is not able to maintain homeostasis. We get so much sodium in our regular diets that it is nearly impossible to deplete our internal stores. It's all in Noakes book. He reexamines every study done on hydration and the like over the last 100+ years and show where the results were erroneous, improperly interpreted or just plain influenced by big beverage money. I don't have the time to go back through the book and pull out nuggets for you. If you care, it's there for the taking.

Bottom line is, the human body is a highly capable machine that knows how to keep itself hydrated and in electrolyte balance and has been doing so without the aid of tablets, sports drinks or any of that other stuff for 1000s of years.

Look, I haven't read the book but I've heard it referred to before. Most experienced athletes I know are careful to drink mostly water and only add a sports drink once in a while. That said, does the fact that the guy claims to be smarter than anyone else who has looked at this issue for the last 100 years not give you reason for pause? That type of claim always sets off alarm bells in me.

No, not at all after having read it. Also, the fact that the public opinion has been trending in the direction of his claims for the last several years adds weight (the fact that the recommendation was changed from "drink 24 ounces per hour" to "drink to thirst"). Also, when you see where the money has come from for many of the studies conducted over the last 30 years, it makes perfect sense. Again, we didn't need this stuff for the first several millennia of our existence. What has changed in the human body over the last 30 years that requires us to supplement the processes that the human body has already perfected?