Staying hydrated
- Your body is 60% water.
- Dehydration happens when your body loses more water (for example through sweating or passing urine) than you take in.
- 1.5 litres of water is removed from your body every day as urine.
- For every alcoholic drink you consume you urinate around 100mls more of additional urine, as well as the amount you drink. So if you have ten alcoholic drinks you will have lost an extra litre of water!
- Dehydration can affect your brain function and prolonged dehydration can lead to short term memory loss and heat stroke in the warmer months.
- Dehydration can cause E. coli infections such as urine (water) infections.
- To prevent dehydration, you should drink eight glasses or cups (2 litres) of fluid daily.
- You should drink more than eight glasses (or cups) a day if it is hot or you are exercising.
- Babies, children and older adults are more at risk of becoming dehydrated.
- You are more at risk of dehydration if you have diarrhoea, vomited or have drunk too much alcohol.
- Certain watery fruits and salad items (watermelon, cucumber, citrus fruits, berries, tomatoes) as well as some foods such as yoghurts, soup, ice creams, lollies and jelly contain water.
The symptoms of dehydration
- Feeling dry or thirsty
- Dark coloured, strong smelling urine
- Feeling dizzy or tired
- Not passing much urine in the day
- Constipation
- Confusion or more confused than usual for those with dementia
- Dry mouth and lips
- Headaches
The solutions
Be aware of the extra water you lose when drinking alcohol. For every alcoholic drink you consume, have a soft or non-alcoholic drink in-between to stay hydrated and prevent a bad hangover!
Make sure you have a bottle of water on hand when you are exercising.
Drinks that are great at keeping you hydrated include: water, squash, fruit juice, smoothies, herbal tea and milk.
Drinking tea and coffee are great ways of keeping you hydrated, but best to stick to decaffeinated.
Keep hydrated in warmer weather, drink plenty!