Dehydration: Signs, Symptoms, and Remedies

As the famous saying goes, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.”

There is truth behind this poetry.

Drinking enough water each day is essential for a variety of reasons, such as:

• Regulate body temperature
• Lubricate joints
• Prevent infections
• Deliver nutrients to cells
• Maintain organ function

Staying well-hydrated also improves a person’s quality of sleep, cognition, and mood. According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, experts recommend drinking roughly 11 cups of water per day for the average woman and 16 cups of water per day for men.

However, not all of those cups have to come from plain water. Some can come from water flavored with fruit or vegetables, as well as coffee or tea.

It still is easier said than done. Experts recommend people avoid any beverages that are sweetened with sugar when trying to stay hydrated, a difficult task for many as many people’s taste buds are conditioned to prefer sweetness.

At the same time, certain populations are more prone to dehydration than others, including children, older adults, and people with medical conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease.

Dehydration: Know What to Look For

The signs and symptoms of dehydration include:

• increased thirst
• dry mouth
• infrequent urination
• dry skin
• tiredness
• dizziness
• headache

If you’re worried about your or someone else’s hydration status, here are the 5 best ways to rehydrate quickly.

1. Water

Drinking water is most often the best and cheapest way to stay hydrated and rehydrate.

It’s worth noting that a variety of factors, including genetics, cause some people lose more sodium via their sweat than others. Signs of this include frequent muscle cramps with exercise or if a person’s sweat stings their eyes.

If either of these apply to you, make sure to replace not just the fluid you lose through sweat but also the sodium, particularly after intense or long bouts of exercise in hot environments.

In most cases, aside from extreme exercise or prolonged workouts, the sodium people lose through sweat can be replaced through a balanced diet.

2. Coffee and tea

Coffee and tea contain the stimulant caffeine, which can be transiently dehydrating in excess amounts, as it acts like a diuretic.

However, drinking coffee and tea in moderate amounts can be as hydrating as drinking water and serve as an energizing alternative.

3. Low-fat milk or non-dairy alternatives

In addition to supplying a host of nutrients, milk has excellent hydrating properties. Milk naturally contains high concentrations of electrolytes, which help balance the amount of water in your body.

Research has shown that skim and low-fat milk rehydrate you as efficiently as popular sports drinks after intense exercise, all while providing protein and other important nutrients.

It is important to be mindful that consuming milk after exercise may cause stomach discomfort like bloating. In this case, non-dairy alternatives may be suitable. Soy milk is a mixture of water and soybeans that forms a milk-like drink. It is naturally high in water and a good choice for hydration. Many commercial brands of soy milk contain added calcium, vitamin D, and several B vitamins.

4. Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables make for an ideal snack for hydration as their water composition can range from 80% all the way up to 95%. On the contrary, processed foods such as cookies, crackers, and chips contain a minute amount of water.

Fruits and vegetables with the highest water content include:

• berries
• melons
• oranges
• grapes
• carrots
• lettuce
• cabbage
• spinach

5. Intravenous hydration solutions

For the average person, drinking between 11 and 16 cups of water every single day is quite a challenging feat to accomplish. Our lifestyles, work environments, and normal daily demands can easily and understandably get in the way. Intravenous vitamin therapy is an effective way to ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs to maintain good physical and mental health and allows for the best bioavailability to provide the maximum benefit.

At Nova Vita Wellness Centers, we offer a couple of options geared toward hydration.

• Recover Drip: The specially formulated Recovery IV Vitamin Therapy is designed to speed up recovery from intense training or competition sports. By specifically targeting the nutrients and vitamins lost through vigorous activity, the Recovery drip replenishes and revitalizes the body. Expect to feel an instant difference in soreness and fatigue and get a boost in the recovery process as your body completely rehydrates.
• Hydrate Drip: As the name indicates, the Hydrate drip gives instant relief of dehydration symptoms and immediately revives the body with an infusion of water, electrolytes, and essential nutrients. It works to restore your fluid balance, replenish important vitamins, and reduce the body’s acidity by aiding in the natural removal of common toxins.
• Hangover Drip: Whether due to late night with friends, a special celebration, entertaining guests, or violating the time-honored rule of liquor before beer, our specially infused Hangover IV is designed to cure the effects of last night and get you back on your feet. The Hangover drip speeds up hangover recovery by combining a high dose of vitamins, antioxidants, and micronutrients. This offers instant relief from headaches, nausea, dehydration, dizziness, and all the other symptoms that come with hangovers.

To learn more about any of these hydration solutions and other IV therapies offered at Nova Vita Wellness Centers, book an appointment online or give us a call at 512-387-5920, 512-200-7311. We also have a valuable resource about how to stay safe in the heat with signs and symptoms of heat-related illness.