How are you keeping hydrated during this hot weaather?

You drink more in hot weather because you are losing more water from your body through perspiration, so you should not need to wee more often.

One of the sure signs of dehydration is going for long periods of time without weeing.

It is not true that we need to drink 2 litres of water a day. The NHS guide recommends that people should aim to drink 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower-fat, milk and sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count. www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/water-drinks-nutrition/

You are right RosiesMaw2 about toilet access. I do plan my journeys around toilets. I get very annoyed about the lack of facilities when 100% of the population needs access to a loo several times of day. Along with colleagues I've spoken at various meetings in a number of places including Parliament and the Senedd about health issues related to toilets and also voiced the fact that many people don't go out because of the lack of toilets.! Oh dear, don't get me going.............

I agree about maybe worrying about needing the loo more often is a factor.

When I think back to being younger, it never entered my head about where a loo was.

Thinking about when I started work at 16 in a bank, I think I went for a wee before eating my lunch, and that was the only time I went to the loo in a work day.

Now I go several times in a day. Perhaps I didn’t drink much back then either.

I was told that elderly and babies are more susceptible to heat stroke due to their bodies having a more difficult time regulating temperature when compared to teens and adults. Not sure if it's true but I read that somewhere, sometime.

My dad told me that when he was growing up, they would drink hot tea in hot weather to cause their bodies to perspire and thus cool off faster. In Western countries, people seem to drink icy cold drinks on hot days. He was in an Eastern country.

Also, when I worked outdoors in the extreme heat, I would be scantly dressed due to the heat and the populations from the far south would be dressed in full sleeves and long trousers to keep cooler.

karmalady

It is very necessary to stay hydrated, to allow the body drainage mechanisms to keep working, in order to maintain gut health, which is responsible for 70% of the immune system, general health and well-being. Besides gut health, blood needs to be thin enough to move easily, mucus membranes throughout the body need to be slippery and protective. Lung membranes need to be damp. The lymphatic system needs to be mobile and fluid

Don`t rest on laurels, thinking that the thirst mechanism will warn us. This thirst mechanism dies down as we age and dry up, look at plants to see what happens. It is natural and we need to be pro-active

2+ litres is optimum daily all year round. I manage this by using a 2 litre glass jug on the countertop. I filter all my water, so it always tastes nice, just as plain water

Back to basics, constipation even to a slight degree, will tell you if you have not had enough to drink, assuming fibre intake is optimum. If it comes out as rounded lumps this is definite constipation, even if there is no straining, even if you `go` every day

Definitely agree with this. Also, I find staying hydrated helps my sinuses and headaches.

MaizieD

Baggs

I use the same method human beings throughout the ages have used: I drink what's available when I'm thirsty.

When water was generally not safe people drank ale (or similar) or they drank water and got horrible diseases like cholera. The introduction of tea and having to boil water to make it was astronomically helpful in getting enough water into people without it needing alcohol to 'sanitise' it.

The water in food counts too. I'm doing some cauliflower for part of our evening meal today. And the juice in fruits is well known to ease thirst. I ate loads of water melon when I worked in Thailand for that very reason. Never had any that tasted so good here.

Congratulations, Baggs for probably the most sensible post yet on this thread.

The fixation on water is absurd. The body needs about 2 litres of liquid per day. It doesn't have to be plain water, it can come from any source that has liquid in it.

I second that and is exactly how I live. I imbibe fluid in all sorts of ways.

Beer.

Didn’t experience any hot weather here.
Visit relatives in Northern Turkey and always pack warm clothes. The weather tends to be very cold unless down in Antalya region which has fabulous warm weather even in October.

I drink around 6 cups of tea per day,( decaf in the evening), and sugar-free orange squash in between. Our tap water doesn’t taste very nice.

Extra tonic in my G&T!!!!!!

Athrawes

I drink a few glasses a day whatever the weather! And like others I also drink tea and occasional coffee. It's common sense really and I find it strange in my old age that so many other people - of all ages - don't drink sensibly and have to be chivvied

I wonder if the reason old people (present company excepted of course) risk dehydration by not drinking enough is not because they are afraid of getting to the loo on time? Especially out and about where public toilets are woefully absent or pretty disgusting. Seriously.
I know that I hold back on that second cup of coffee if I have a long drive or train journey ahead of me and the GC are used to my invariable dash to the loo when I arrive after my usual 1 1/2 hours drive to theirs!

MissInterpreted

*HelterSkelter1*, I swear by ayran! I discovered it on our first ever holiday to Turkey more than 20 years ago, when I was feeling a bit off because of the heat. The lovely Turkish family who owned the hotel we were staying at brought me some ayran and said it was the best thing to drink in the heat, and I've been hooked on it ever since! I usually make my own, but happened to spot a carton of ready-made ayran in Asda this morning, so bought some of that.

Another vote for ayran. It’s also good to drink when having something that’s a bit too spicy.

Baggs you are spot on.

Baggs

I use the same method human beings throughout the ages have used: I drink what's available when I'm thirsty.

When water was generally not safe people drank ale (or similar) or they drank water and got horrible diseases like cholera. The introduction of tea and having to boil water to make it was astronomically helpful in getting enough water into people without it needing alcohol to 'sanitise' it.

The water in food counts too. I'm doing some cauliflower for part of our evening meal today. And the juice in fruits is well known to ease thirst. I ate loads of water melon when I worked in Thailand for that very reason. Never had any that tasted so good here.

Congratulations, Baggs for probably the most sensible post yet on this thread.

The fixation on water is absurd. The body needs about 2 litres of liquid per day. It doesn't have to be plain water, it can come from any source that has liquid in it.

I drink a few glasses a day whatever the weather! And like others I also drink tea and occasional coffee. It's common sense really and I find it strange in my old age that so many other people - of all ages - don't drink sensibly and have to be chivvied

Chocolatelovinggran

Gin and tonic: if it worked for the Raj...

Here here!😁 My go to (apart from G&T!) very weak Roses juice, but I do keep a sip bottle of water to hand to drink throughout the day, along with coffee and green tea.

harrigran

This is only the third day of decent temperatures, I don't think I will get dehydrated yet.
I quite enjoy a zero alcohol beer.

Dehydration starts on day 1. The moment the sun heats up and your body starts gently perspiring to cool it down, you may not even notice i. that is where dehydration starts.

I spent a lot of my childhood in SE Asia. You keep yourself systematically well hydrated.

sf101

One day of hot weather......don't panic......if thirsty have a drink simples!!!

you should not wait till you're thirsty! drink frequently to keep hydrated!

I need more hydration all year round doing my voluntary work than I do for a couple of hot summer days sitting about.

I drink before I’m thirsty whenever possible, water bottle to hand at work.

This is only the third day of decent temperatures, I don't think I will get dehydrated yet.
I quite enjoy a zero alcohol beer.

One day of hot weather......don't panic......if thirsty have a drink simples!!!

It is very necessary to stay hydrated, to allow the body drainage mechanisms to keep working, in order to maintain gut health, which is responsible for 70% of the immune system, general health and well-being. Besides gut health, blood needs to be thin enough to move easily, mucus membranes throughout the body need to be slippery and protective. Lung membranes need to be damp. The lymphatic system needs to be mobile and fluid

Don`t rest on laurels, thinking that the thirst mechanism will warn us. This thirst mechanism dies down as we age and dry up, look at plants to see what happens. It is natural and we need to be pro-active

2+ litres is optimum daily all year round. I manage this by using a 2 litre glass jug on the countertop. I filter all my water, so it always tastes nice, just as plain water

Back to basics, constipation even to a slight degree, will tell you if you have not had enough to drink, assuming fibre intake is optimum. If it comes out as rounded lumps this is definite constipation, even if there is no straining, even if you `go` every day

flappergirl

It's been about 24c in Bristol today and slightly cooler where I am on fringes. Is that really excessive for July? Besides, it all comes to an end next week so everyone should be happy.

Much hotter where I am, even by last night it was stiflingly hot,
The hottest day of the year say BBC news.

Ice lollies, mmmmn, delicious too.

It's been about 24c in Bristol today and slightly cooler where I am on fringes. Is that really excessive for July? Besides, it all comes to an end next week so everyone should be happy.