When it comes to feeling in top shape, hydration is more often than not the unsung hero, especially as we advance in age. Sometimes the smallest changes, such as staying properly hydrated, can have the most significant impact on energy, focus, and overall well-being. So here’s something about hydration: it’s not always about drinking more water.
The key is also to find the right balance of fluid and nutrients to efficiently support your body’s ever-changing needs. It’s worth exploring all the reasons why hydration is so essential as we advance in age, as well as discussing some of the most common mistakes to watch out for and all the effective ways in which we might be able to stay ahead of the curve. Here are some of the biggest mistakes:
You rely only on thirst to signal dehydration
It’s harmful because the more we advance in age, our thirst mechanisms become less sensitive. This means that older adults might not feel as thirsty until they are already too dehydrated. Ultimately, it can result in various complications such as dizziness, fatigue, or even falls.
What you can do about it is to adopt a specific hydration routine. Moreover, there are also plenty of IV hydration therapy options worth considering, especially if you struggle with severe dehydration or need a quick boost.
At Prime IV, we oftentimes see patients who seem to benefit from infusions of electrolytes, magnesium, and many other nutrients to support long-term hydration.
Drinking too much water without electrolytes
Do you know what’s wrong with water without electrolytes? The answer is more intuitive than you’d initially think. Overhydration has the ability to dilute electrolytes, which causes various symptoms such as muscle cramps, nausea, confusion, and in some severe cases, seizures and even death.
An easy and effective fix would be to incorporate electrolyte-rich drinks such as coconut water and low-sugar hydration mixes. You can also balance water intake with sodium, potassium, and magnesium. As beverages such as coconut water are awesome for this, IV therapy also offers quite an advanced solution for those who are in dire need of rapid electrolyte replenishment after prolonged dehydration.
Over-reliance on caffeinated beverages
Whether you know this or not, caffeine is a diuretic, which can easily exacerbate dehydration. Our honest recommendation would be to limit caffeine to 1-2 cups per day and drink an equal amount of water right after. If hydration feels like a bit of a struggle, treatments such as B-complex vitamin IV could easily counteract caffeine-related fatigue and boost your energy.
Ignoring morning hydration
Overnight, our body gets dehydrated, which leads to morning grogginess and sluggishness. The easiest fix to this issue is to start the day with a glass of water before coffee or even breakfast.
Failing to adjust for activity levels
Staying as active as you can and your schedule allows for will automatically increase fluid loss through sweat. What many adults fail to acknowledge is that physical effort requires drinking extra water. We recommend adding 8 to 16 ounces of water for every 30 minutes of exercise. Periodic IV therapy sessions can also ensure the needed hydration and nutrient balance, especially after intensive physical activity.
Avoiding water at night to prevent bathroom trips
This can easily lead to dehydration during the night, which causes restless sleep and morning headaches. You can stay hydrated throughout the day and take all the necessary steps in the evening instead of the usual 1 l before sleep.
Drinking only plain water
In all honesty, only recently I’ve realized that drinking only plain water might not offer us all the needed minerals, as far as proper electrolyte balance goes. The easiest and most effective fix is to alternate between plain water and beverages with natural electrolytes such as herbal teas or infusions with fruits and herbs.
Overlooking signs of dehydration
Some symptoms such as dry skin, dark urine, and muscle cramps often go unnoticed. What you might want to try is to check your urine color as a hydration indicator (the ideal one is pale yellow) and moisturize your skin externally.
Ignoring hydration during travel
Long flights and road trips will hydrate our bodies, especially long and tiring ones. Airplanes are generally kept at a very low humidity level, which causes increased fluid loss, leading to jet lag and fatigue. However, a more serious issue is the thickening of the blood, which also increases the risk of blood clots.
The easiest fix to such an issue is to carry a refillable water bottle and hydrate on a regular basis, especially during long flights. Moreover, plenty of patients who travel frequently use IV hydration therapy. They find it quite helpful, especially when it comes to combating the dehydrating effects of air travel. It allows them to feel refreshed upon arrival.
What about sports drinks?
As a general rule, sports drinks contain water, electrolytes, and plenty of other ingredients. Some of them might be just as effective as water, especially when it comes to helping you rehydrate or stay hydrated in hot weather or during intense exercise.
If you love the taste of it, you might be automatically inclined to drink more. Well, it’s worth noting that some sports drinks are quite high in calories, added sugars, and artificial sweeteners. Naturally, the ones I mentioned won’t really benefit your overall health, so the best thing you can do is check the ingredients list before you choose what sports drink to buy.
Skim and low-fat milk
Besides supplying a diverse host of nutrients, milk has amazing hydrating properties. Milk naturally contains higher concentrations of electrolytes, restoring balance to the amount of water we need in our body.
Research has proven that skim and low-fat milk rehydrate you just as much as popular sports drinks after quite intense exercise. At the same time, they provide protein and other important nutrients.
The high-quality protein in milk makes it the ideal post-exercise beverage, especially when it comes to kick-starting muscle repair and the overall rebuilding process. What we would advise you is to bear in mind that consuming milk after exercising could cause you plenty of stomach discomfort such as bloating.
Besides, it’s not that suitable for people with an intolerance to lactose or other types of milk proteins. This goes even more for full-fat milk, especially if you have diarrhea or nausea. It might only worsen your symptoms.
Fruits and vegetables
Well, these natural wonders comprise around 80 to 99% water, which makes them the ideal hydrating snack. In comparison, highly processed foods such as cookies, crackers, cereals, and chips only contain 9% water.
Fruits and vegetables with the highest water content include berries, melons, oranges, grapes, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, and spinach. You might be interested in stocking up on a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, keeping some cubed watermelon in your fridge for convenient access.
Frozen fruits and vegetables have the same nutritional values as their fresh counterparts. Funnily enough, in certain cases, they’re even more nutritious. It can take a couple of days or even weeks before fresh fruits and vegetables make it to your plate.
During this time, oxidation might cause nutrient loss. On the other hand, frozen fruits and veggies are frozen right after harvesting, which retains most of their nutrients.
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