Dehydration is one of the most likely reasons you’re feeling less than your best. It can cause headaches, fatigue, muscle cramps and more discomfort, and if you don’t solve the problem it can even render you confused and then unconscious. Even despite these serious consequences, it’s all too easy to slip into a pervading state of low grade dehydration, where a single hot day can tip you over the edge!
Today we’re looking at some of the main reasons why dehydration kicks in, and how you can fight back!
Work
Your body is losing water all the time – it’s not just when you sweat, or when you go to the toilet. Every breath you breathe out contains water vapour, and you can lose a lot of your reserves in a simple working day. Many jobs also restrict your ability to rehydrate when you need to: some require focus that leads to workers ignoring their body’s own natural warnings, others – like shop floor workers – simply aren’t able to get a drink until their shift ends.
Many people set reminders to make sure they remember to drink, and invest in water bottles to provide flavour, ensure it’s chilled and otherwise make hydrating a more pleasant experience.
Pregnancy
One of the truisms often repeated to pregnant women is that they’re ‘eating for two’ but you shouldn’t forget that you’re also ‘drinking for two’. The life slowly growing in your womb requires a lot from you, and that includes your body’s water reserves and the nutrients you keep dissolved in it! Being pregnant means it’s easier to become dehydrated, and you’ll need more to solve the problem than a glass of water.
You need to replenish the electrolytes your body needs, as well as the water it keeps them dissolved in. Fortunately, rehydration products like sachets and tablets contain exactly the right mix of these natural chemicals, and nothing else apart from some flavourings – which means if you’re wondering if they’re safe for pregnant women, the answer is yes.
Exercise
When you’re working out, you push your body much harder than usual. This causes you to sweat, to breathe harder – to lose more water! If you don’t make sure you hydrate before a workout, and rehydrate afterwards (or during if you’re training for long periods or on an especially warm day) you’re putting yourself at risk of the most severe effects of dehydration.
An isotonic sports drink, or rehydration pills kept in your gym bag can help to restore you to peak performance faster than water, so make sure you’re rehydrating in the best possible way.
If you’re with a product like ORS hydration tablets, hangover, workout, heatwave or pregnancy – whatever the problem, dehydration won’t slow you down.
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