Signs of Dehydration

With summer coming to an end and fall almost here, people tend to be spending more time outdoors. This is especially true for those who have children and want to get them out of the house on the weekend for some fun.

Marketing campaigns and advertising have been pushing summer out of our minds and have us craving all things fall. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been lambasted with fall themed posts for the last week, and I’m still trying to make it through the rest of August. But this had me thinking– If you’ve been spending more time outside these past few weeks, you may not be thinking about protection from overheating as much as you should.

If you are going out on the water or to the park and know that you will be sweating and in the direct sun, you will want to ensure you are wearing the proper sun protection and that you are keeping yourself and your family properly hydrated.

And, if you find yourself out in the sun and think that you may be overheating, please remember these signs of dehydration before it becomes a major problem.

1. Probably the most obvious and most noticeable sign of dehydration is thirst. But, something that most people don’t know is that we start needing water in our systems before we actually feel thirsty. So be sure to keep a bottle of water on hand while you are outside and sip away!
2. Dark colored urine. We’ve all also heard this tip before. If your pee is dark yellow—you need to drink more fluids.
3. Dry mouth is also a key sign of dehydration and it is also one of the more major signs. If you are outside without a proper water source and you start experiencing any of the symptoms from this point on, you need to get out of the sun and find yourself something to drink as soon as possible.
4. Headache
5. Fatigue
6. Dry lip and or dry eyes.

Heat exhaustion is a very real thing and a heat stroke will land you in the hospital and cause severe health complications.

So, if you and your family spend a lot of time outside, don’t let this fall transition and the cooler temperatures make you forget to stay hydrated and protected from the sun.

Until tomorrow!