Are You Dehydrated?

1st Obvious Signs: You’re thirsty, your tongue, mouth and lips are dry. You have a headache, or are lightheaded, dizzy, even weak and lethargic. Your urine is dark.

The adverse effects and symptoms only gets worse from here...

Focusing on tasks become difficult. Concentration and alertness wain, mood is effected due to fatigue and confusion. That fatigue and confusion impairs physical performance - further reducing motivation and endurance. To add to all this, your body temperature increases. 

Health consequences to dehydration are of particular concern for the elderly and very young. 

When it comes to metabolic processing, balancing electrolytes, regulating temperature, and the ability to lubricate internal organs and joints - making sure we are well hydrated is a big deal!

There is much to factor in: environmental conditions, your level of physical activity, dietary intake, age. Think input verses output. 

🍷🍸🍹Alcohol and Caffeine Increase Water Loss 🍺🍻

Read more here ⇛ Causes of Dehydration and Dehydration Symptoms

Fever

A temperature over 100.4 degrees is a fever. 

Over 104 degrees... and it’s time to see a doctor. 

There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to having a fever. As far as illness, fever can be the bodys attempt to fight infection. I’ve explained to my kids, the body is trying to cook - a.k.a. kill - the coodies. If they were relatively comfortable, we would allow the fever to run its course. If they were uncomfortable, a dose of ibuprofen or acetaminophen helped to ease their symptoms.

There are other fever factors to consider when it comes to fevers: the time of day, age, energy levels, recent exercise, drugs, etc. (Read more -> Does a fever always mean you have an infection?)

Heatstroke is an honorable mention, red flag heat-related condition. Seizures and/or brain damage are more common when it come to this type of temperature elevation. In an attempt to regulate, the body sheds heat to cool off. You can help keep cool, by wearing light colored, thin fabric, breathable clothing. 

Eye am watching out for you...

Summer is in full swing.  I can smell the sunscreen in the air.  Especially wafting around my own body.  Every morning my ritual is to slather, slather, slather... my goal, to ward off as many wrinkles and potentially scary skin issues I can.

My children smell of sunscreen too... :)  Even my son!  Of course, he had to suffer a painful sunburn firsthand - regardless of the fact that I had given him strict applications instructions and a bottle of 30 spf... for days he winced and steered clear of any misguided physical contact or possible absentminded hugs.  Now he welcomes the application of that ‘smelly stuff.’

Skin protection is widely covered during summer months.  However, an area that gets sorely ‘overlooked’ when it comes to sun protection... the eyes.  

Not only does our skin burn, but the delicate workings of our eyes are at risk of burning too!  

Cataracts, macular degeneration and reduced night vision are just a few of the disorders linked to over exposure of the sun.  Our eyes can be damaged by the suns powerful rays. 

“Children are more susceptible to ultraviolet damage than adults because they tend to spend more time outside than adults and often are not as careful to protect their eyes.” (read more here - "Protect your eyes from summer sun")

Don’t forget to wear your sunglasses and that big floppy brimmed hat! ...okay not too floppy, but make sure it is at least a decent sized visor. 


More information can be found at Prevent Blindness America.