San José, Costa Rica. February, 2016.

Hydration is absolutely necessary for the body. One must hydrate better and increase the consumption of liquids during the summer season and when one exercises, since the expenditure of body liquid is much greater. This way, many health complications can be prevented.

According to Dr. Alejandro Arbeladez, general physician of the Clínica Bíblica Hospital, “the health issues that may appear depend on the degree of dehydration the person is suffering from, since there is light, moderate and severe dehydration.”

In the cases of light dehydration, the feeling of being thirsty is activated and the skin dries up. If one is not able to replace the necessary liquid, symptoms such as headaches, dry mouth feeling, reduction of urine production and muscle cramps appear.

In cases of more severe dehydration, there is weakness, sleepy feeling, sunken eyes, irritability, mental state alteration, dizziness, tachycardia, fast breathing, hypotension and shock, as well as hemodynamic alteration, which can lead to seizures and death.

“There are foods that are a rich source of liquids, such as fruits and vegetables. Many of them are made up of 80% to 90% of water, such as watermelon and melon. Other foods that contain a good quantity of liquids are fish such as salmon, sardines and tuna,” said Dr. Arbeladez.

Natural juices are also a good option, not only to keep up a good replacement of liquids, but also for their nutritional properties. Tea and rehydrating beverages are very useful after physical exercise, since they contain important electrolytes.

With regard to hydration, one should pay attention to elderly adults and children, since dehydration in their case is usually faster and has greater complications.

An adult normally should drink two liters of water per day, which may even increase depending on the climate, since in the summer, heat leads to more cases of dehydration.

However, excess is bad. Over-hydration consists in drinking more water than we eliminate. This can have consequences for the kidneys and the cardiovascular system. Some symptoms that may appear are weight gain, dizziness, headaches, confusion, breathing difficulties, cramps and seizures. As a recommendation, the ideal is an adequate consumption of liquid depending on each case and, if any of these symptoms appears, seek medical assistance.

Prevention means a longer and better life:

• Try not to spend a lot of time without drinking liquid, especially if you are in an environment with a lot of sunshine or if you are doing some kind of physical exercise.
• Watch out for the children drinking enough liquid, since while they are playing they do not remember to hydrate.
• Avoid going out when it is hottest, which is normally between noon and 4 in the afternoon.
• Drink at least 2 liters of water. If it is difficult for you to drink water because you are used to it, drink natural juices which are rich in water. Also, include juices, broths, shakes and teas.

In case there is mental alteration, dizziness, confusion, accelerated pulse or hypotension, and there is no improvement despite hydration, consult your doctor immediately.

In order to obtain further information or request an appointment in any of the medical specialties with the best doctors of Costa Rica, please contact the private hospital Clínica Bíblica at telephone number 2522-1000, at email citas@clinicabiblica.com or vía chat on the website www.clinicabiblica.com