How to stay hydrated this summer

OPTUM

By Carson Blomquist

LW contributor

It’s been a mild start to summer, but we still need to take important precautions to avoid dehydration.

What is dehydration? It means your body doesn’t have enough water. This may not sound so bad, but water is critical to your organs. If you are dehydrated, your body won’t be able to function as well. And if you don’t get water soon, your body could suffer long-term damage.

It’s easy to get dehydrated. Your body uses water on leisurely strolls around your mutual. On a very hot day, your body uses a lot of water for the same stroll. Your body even uses a lot of water when you’re not moving, like when you are enjoying a concert at the amphitheater on a hot night.

You can help avoid dehydration by bringing snacks with you when you head outside:

• Fruits and veggies: Some of your favorites are chock-full of minerals, vitamins, and water: cucumbers, carrots, grapes, and watermelon (of course!).

• Drinks: Water is a great choice, but it’s not the only one. Lowsugar sports drinks are also a tasty option. Avoid alcohol and coffee, since those can dehydrate you. What to watch for:

If you catch dehydration early on, you can treat it yourself. Stay cool, rest, and enjoy some of the fruits, veggies, and drinks listed above. These are common symptoms of mild dehydration:

• Dark yellow urine

• Dry lips, mouth, and tongue

• Lower energy than usual Also keep an eye out for these symptoms:

• Confusion,fainting,orsleepiness

• Rapidheartbeatandbreathing

• Notears,sweat,orurine These are symptoms of more serious dehydration. If you’re experiencing any of these, give your doctor a call to find out what you should do to manage it.