How are you keeping hydrated during this hot weaather?

karmalady

It is very necessary to stay hydrated, to allow the body drainage mechanisms to keep working, in order to maintain gut health, which is responsible for 70% of the immune system, general health and well-being. Besides gut health, blood needs to be thin enough to move easily, mucus membranes throughout the body need to be slippery and protective. Lung membranes need to be damp. The lymphatic system needs to be mobile and fluid

Don`t rest on laurels, thinking that the thirst mechanism will warn us. This thirst mechanism dies down as we age and dry up, look at plants to see what happens. It is natural and we need to be pro-active

2+ litres is optimum daily all year round. I manage this by using a 2 litre glass jug on the countertop. I filter all my water, so it always tastes nice, just as plain water

Back to basics, constipation even to a slight degree, will tell you if you have not had enough to drink, assuming fibre intake is optimum. If it comes out as rounded lumps this is definite constipation, even if there is no straining, even if you `go` every day

Definitely agree with this. Also, I find staying hydrated helps my sinuses and headaches.

I was told that elderly and babies are more susceptible to heat stroke due to their bodies having a more difficult time regulating temperature when compared to teens and adults. Not sure if it's true but I read that somewhere, sometime.

My dad told me that when he was growing up, they would drink hot tea in hot weather to cause their bodies to perspire and thus cool off faster. In Western countries, people seem to drink icy cold drinks on hot days. He was in an Eastern country.

Also, when I worked outdoors in the extreme heat, I would be scantly dressed due to the heat and the populations from the far south would be dressed in full sleeves and long trousers to keep cooler.

I agree about maybe worrying about needing the loo more often is a factor.

When I think back to being younger, it never entered my head about where a loo was.

Thinking about when I started work at 16 in a bank, I think I went for a wee before eating my lunch, and that was the only time I went to the loo in a work day.

Now I go several times in a day. Perhaps I didn’t drink much back then either.

You are right RosiesMaw2 about toilet access. I do plan my journeys around toilets. I get very annoyed about the lack of facilities when 100% of the population needs access to a loo several times of day. Along with colleagues I've spoken at various meetings in a number of places including Parliament and the Senedd about health issues related to toilets and also voiced the fact that many people don't go out because of the lack of toilets.! Oh dear, don't get me going.............

You drink more in hot weather because you are losing more water from your body through perspiration, so you should not need to wee more often.

One of the sure signs of dehydration is going for long periods of time without weeing.

It is not true that we need to drink 2 litres of water a day. The NHS guide recommends that people should aim to drink 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower-fat, milk and sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count. www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/water-drinks-nutrition/