Hydration Tips For Seniors From a Greenville Retirement Community

Know The Benefits of Hydration And Signs of Dehydration

Summer is here, and we are so excited about all of the fun activities that we can enjoy in the pleasant South Carolina weather! Those of us in South Carolina understand that being outdoors is a huge part of our lives, but it’s also important to understand that hydration is a vital part of staying healthy. As an active senior, making sure you stay hydrated is more important than ever, especially since seniors may experience a decreased sense of thirst or may take medications that influence hydration. It’s important to understand the benefits of hydration and signs of dehydration to stay healthy and fully enjoy the summer months. Try these hydration tips from the expert team at Maple Brook Retirement Community in Greenville, South Carolina to keep your body in tip-top shape this summer season.

Benefits of Hydration

There are too many benefits of hydration to count, but it ultimately supports a healthy lifestyle. Proper hydration allows our bodies to function at their peak and it keeps our intricate systems and electrolytes balanced. Staying hydrated also helps our bodies to:

• Control and maintain temperature
• Reduce the risk of urinary tract infections
• Keep our blood volume up
• Deliver nutrients to our cells and organs
• Keep our eyes, nose, skin and mouth moist

Signs of Dehydration

Dehydration is the state of having insufficient amounts of water in the body and can lead to many negative issues. It is necessary that you listen to your body, or look out for less obvious signs, so you can avoid dehydration. Here are some signs and symptoms of dehydration that you should be aware of in the order they occur:

• The first sign of dehydration is usually thirst
• The second is dry mouth, dry throat, flushed skin, and headaches
• One might experience an increase in body temperature and heart rate
• One might experience dizziness, confusion, weakness and labored breathing
• If dehydration continues, one can show signs such as delirium, swollen tongue and muscle spasms
• When the water loss drops to 11% or more, one can start to experience decreased circulation and kidney failure
  As you can see, maintaining your hydration levels is important. Luckily, dehydration is an easy situation to avoid, especially if you implement these tips:

Hydration Tip 1: Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink water

If you read the symptoms above, you can see that thirst is actually the first sign of dehydration. If you are feeling thirsty, you are already getting dehydrated. So, to avoid dehydration completely, try to drink water before you actually feel thirsty by drinking it regularly throughout the day. Refill a water bottle and keep it with you so you are reminded to sip often.

Hydration Tip 2: Find creative ways to drink more water

Some of us simply do not like to drink water, but we have to do so in order to ensure that our bodies can function normally. Try finding creative ways to drink more water by setting an alarm to drink water every hour or infusing your water with fruits or herbal flavors to make it more exciting (we love cucumber, lemon, lime, strawberries, or mint!). Studies have also shown that using a straw actually makes us drink more, so you can try that as well!

Hydration Tip 3: Eat fruits and vegetables that are water-rich

Luckily for us, water is also found in a lot of the foods that we eat–especially fruits and vegetables. Increasing your consumption of water-filled fruits and vegetables will increase your overall hydration levels even though you are not directly drinking water itself. Examples of these include watermelon, tomatoes, apples, cucumbers, kiwi, and many more. Not only do they help with hydration, but the nutrients and vitamins they store provide many other benefits.

Which of these hydration tips is your favorite? Maintaining your hydration levels is very important, so remember that even if you do not feel thirsty, you should still be consuming water regularly every day!

To learn more about residency or to schedule a tour of Maple Brook Terrace, contact our friendly team today.