What are some signs of dehydration, and what can I do to prevent it?

— Gretchen Gilowski

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Symptoms of dehydration are a dry mouth and thirst. In mild dehydration a person may have slightly less stamina and quickness of thinking. If someone is down more than 2 liters of fluid they may become light headed and dizzy and possibly faint. A person can develop balance problems at that stage.

With significant dehydration a persons body temperature may rise and they might become confused. In regard to how much we should drink, a good rule of thumb is 6 -8 glasses of fluid per day or enough to have clear urine. We need to replace our losses when working out or doing outdoor activities and this might be quite a bit more than 6-8 glasses of fluid. Remember that coffee may make a person urinate more and is not a good fluid to drink.

Salt (Sodium) and other electrolytes come into play when you have lost more than 2 liters of fluid through sweating. It is then appropriate to replace these losses with a fluid containing sodium and some potassium.

You could add a packet of electrolyte solution (Gatorade and other sports drinsk) to every other liter after you have had 2 liters of regular water. In general people need electrolyte-containing drinks in events and activities that last longer than 1 = hours or activities done in significant heat. We have a need for sodium everyday. You can get the sodium you need in nut mixes and in most freeze dried food.

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