JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Whether it is playing sports on a really hot day or someone working outside in scorching temps, dehydration and even heat stroke can creep up on people quickly.
Warning signs can be overwhelming feelings of thirst and cramping. Symptoms can intensify into things like dizziness, disorientation, delirium, fainting, vomiting, and maybe even comatose.
Dr. Hans-David Hartwig sees a lot of these cases in hospitals.
“The average day in Florida above 80°, you are burning through about 1 liter of fluids an hour,“ Hartwig said. ”You need to be replenishing that above that point, which most people don’t. That is about a quart."
It does not take long for heat illness to reach a danger zone that could even lead to death.
“That is when you are basically cooking your brain and your body temperature regulations system has failed,” Hartwig said. “You are in an uncontrolled heat spiral. Unless you get active cooling quickly within 30 minutes, you are suffering permanent brain damage.”
Hartwig, the pediatric emergency medicine director at HCA Florida Memorial Hospital, said the experience he had treating a student-athlete during residency in South Carolina sticks with him.
“He came in, he was really trying to make the football team and try and really hard and would not take breaks and did not come off the field,” Hartwig said of the teen. “He was doing the sprints at the end of practice and they did not have any active cooling measures on the field. He came in with the temperature of 107° and he never left the hospital."
For those student-athletes out there, prehydration should start the night before that big game or two-a-day practice. Sports drinks can be okay but water should be a go-to, and should be consumed consistently throughout that activity.
A good indicator that you are on the right track is if your urine is clear or at least light colored.
“You should feel like you have to go right before you go and do any activity,” Hartwig said. “If you have a soccer game or a football game, you should be using the bathroom right before you go or track practice or what not.”
In those cases, or for people who work outside, they should consider drinking 24 to 32 ounces of water an hour if outside longer than an hour.
Sports drinks can be mixed in to replenish those electrolytes.
For those not in those circumstances, drinking 4 to 8 ounces of water an hour is a good benchmark.
No one should exceed 1.5 liters of liquid an hour because that can lead to overhydration, which dilutes your blood’s sodium levels
“The more you’re able to keep your cells themselves hydrated, the better off your cells will be able to adapt to the environment that they are in and handle the stress,” Hartwig said.
For those adults who might have to work outside or are exercising, there are some recommended guidelines they should consider.
“Regulate your activities to the morning or evening hours, Hartwig said. ”Make sure you are staying well hydrated with that liter per hour mark as a bare minimum as an adult, using sports drinks during that time to help replenish your electrolytes."
If someone cannot dictate their schedules, take frequent breaks and most importantly, listen to your body.
Other suggestions on those really hot days include wearing sunscreen, and light-colored clothing, and checking in on elderly or vulnerable neighbors at least twice a day.