During a hot Texas summer, managing heat can be a daily reality, especially if you’re spending any time outdoors. Staying properly hydrated isn’t just about quenching your thirst, but it’s vital to keep your organs functioning properly and your brain sharp. It’s best to understand what’s happening in your body when the temperatures rise and how to stay ahead of dehydration.

Sweating helps us stay cool, and as sweat evaporates off skin, it pulls heat away with it. However, that process means it’s also pulling away water, sodium, and other electrolytes. You can lose a surprising amount of hydration just walking to your car or working in your yard on a hot day. If you wait until you feel extremely thirsty to start drinking water, your body may be already falling behind on hydration. The less hydrated you are, the harder it is for your body to cool itself, and you put yourself at risk of heat-related illness.

How much water should I drink to stay hydrated?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifically recommend drinking water before you feel thirsty, especially if you're going to be outside for any length of time. By losing as little as 2 percent of your total body weight in fluids, you may begin to see these dehydration symptoms:

• Fatigue
• Slow cognition causing short term memory loss or confusion
• Mood changes
  

How much water you should drink daily depends on many factors, but on average, experts offer these recommendations:

• Women - 9 cups of fluids a day
• Men - 13 cups of fluids a day
  

The more you sweat, the higher that baseline floor must increase to match the fluid you’re losing. When working or exercising outside in the heat, it’s a good idea to pace your fluid intake.

• Drink 1 cup of water every 15 to 20 minutes.
• Drinking in a continuous, paced method ensures a steady flow of fluid into your body.
• Do not drink more than 48 ounces, or 1.5 quarts, per hour.
• Drinking too much fluid can cause trouble, because the concentration of salt in the blood becomes too low.
• Most people need several hours consuming fluids to replace what they’ve lost through sweat.
  
  

When should I reach for an electrolyte drink to stay hydrated?

Most of the time, drinking water will maintain hydration if you eat regular healthy meals to replace salt lost in sweat. If you’re working outdoors for longer than 60 to 90 minutes, you may want to consider integrating an electrolyte drink containing sodium to maintain a healthy balance, in addition to water. Clinicians advise you to avoid drinking too many electrolyte drinks containing sugar. Also, avoid alcohol and other drinks high in caffeine or sugar that can work against you in the heat. It's worth limiting them when you’re trying to stay hydrated on a hot day.

When blood sodium concentrations drop too low, and fluid rushes out of the bloodstream and into your body’s cells, causing them to swell. In mild cases, this causes headaches, fatigue, or confusion, but this dehydration can also trigger more serious emergencies, such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Reaching for an electrolyte drink containing sodium early on may help prevent heat illnesses and regain that balance.

Do my medications affect my hydration level?

Certain medicines can alter how your body handles heat. Some blood pressure medications, diuretics, and even over-the-counter allergy antihistamines for allergies can limit your body's ability to sweat or can accelerate fluid loss. If you take regular medications or have underlying health conditions, your optimal hydration needs might need to be adjusted.

Schedule an appointment at harborhealth.com with a Harbor Health care team to discuss a personalized summer health strategy tailored specifically to you. We have clinics across Texas in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and El Paso.