When the temperatures rise, it’s important to drink enough whether you are playing sports, traveling or just sitting in the sun. Staying hydrated is important for your heart health. A hydrated body helps the heart pump blood through the blood vessels to the muscles more easily and it helps the muscles to work efficiently.
Dehydration can be a serious condition and can lead to other problems such as swollen feet, a headache or life-threatening illnesses such as heat stroke.
How do you know how much water you need?
The amount of water a person needs can depend on multiple factors like climatic conditions, clothing and exercise intensity and duration.
But thirst isn’t the best indicator that you need to drink. If you are thirsty you are already dehydrated.
One way to figure out how much fluid you need is weighing yourself before and after exercise, it shows how much you’ve lost through perspiration. Not sweating during vigorous activity can also be a sign of dehydration.
Hydration isn’t just important during physical activity, sitting in the sun on a humid day can also cause your body to need more fluids. People who are older than 50 or overweight also need to take extra precautions.
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