The risk of dehydration is particularly great in babies, children and the elderly. Because of this danger it’s very important to treat them immediately. Any case of dehydration has the potential to become a life-threatening situation.

Some of the more visible signs of dehydration include thirst, dark colored urine, lethargy or unexplained tiredness, dizziness, lack of tears when crying (mostly in children), headache, or blood in stool (mostly in children). You can also experience dehydration if you’re not drinking enough while doing strenuous activities.

When people become dehydrated as a result of illness or prolonged periods outdoors in the heat, it’s possible to use home remedies for treatment. However, these remedies should not replace immediate medical help when necessary.

Some options available to you are:

Lime juice: Add 1 teaspoon of lime juice, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar to approximately 1 pint of water. Sip this all throughout the day.

Electrolyte replacement drink: Add 1 tablespoon of salt, 2-3 tablespoons of sugar or honey and ½ package of kool-aid or other unsweetened flavor powder or syrup to 1 liter of water and mix well. NOTE: Do not use artificial sweeteners to replace the sugar or honey.

Flat soda: Any of the light colored soft drinks, such as ginger ale and Sprite can be opened to let all the fizz out. If you need to flatten the soda in a hurry, stir quickly with a spoon until no fizz is left.

Water based soups: Bouillons or stocks such as chicken or beef. For more substance, try adding some crushed soda crackers.

Flavored gelatins: Gelatins work well for rehydration, as their primary ingredient is water. The variety of flavors available enables you to provide a bit of variety.

Breast milk and formula: If you are breastfeeding your child, continue to do so even if baby is vomiting. If you are bottle feeding you child, start out with two days of electrolyte replacement followed by a day of half-strength formula. Return to full strength formula after one complete day.

BRAT diet: A diet of bananas, rice, apples and toast can be started when vomiting has ceased for at least four hours. Other simple starch items such as potatoes or noodles can also be used. Use this diet for adults and children who are already weaned.

Another way to help beat dehydration is by staying cool. Hot weather is especially dangerous for the elderly and infants. Start by removing excess clothing and switching to loose and light clothing instead.

Air conditioned environments are fantastic options for keeping body temperatures in the normal range, breaking any cycles of heat exposure. However, if air conditioning is not an option you can choose to use fans indoors. If you must be outside, choose a shaded area to lessen the heat.

Spray bottles or sprits bottles filled with lukewarm water can be used to refresh exposed areas of skin. The exposed skin surfaces will benefit from the cooling resulting from evaporation. It’s important, however, to steer clear of excessive cold. Ice packs or ice water applied to the skin can result in the skin’s blood vessels contracting. This will result in a decrease instead of increase in heat loss. Not to mention the shivering exposure to extreme cold causes - this in turn increases body temperature all over again.

From infants to the elderly, dehydration is a serious condition. By following these recommendations you will find yourself able to deal with the effects of dehydration should they strike you or others around you.

With up to 75% of our body weight consisting of water, it can sometimes be difficult to fathom the idea of dehydration. Most often when people hear about dehydration, their focus turns to Third World countries without running water. The fact of the matter is, it’s just as serious here in North America, and many people don’t realize how easily it occurs.

Dehydration is what happens when the amount of water leaving the body is larger than what we are physically putting in. The routine ways in which we can lose the important water in our system are when we sweat or eliminate, or as humidified air escaping our body.

One of the most significant reasons for dehydration is sweating, which is how the body cools itself down. Some situations when this cooling down process occurs could be during hot weather, in areas with excess heating, or sweating due to physical activity. Since sweat is released when we partake in physical activity, keeping yourself healthy and fit requires that you drink enough water both before and after exercise, and possibly during as well.

With a bit of variance with weather conditions, a quick or brisk walk of about thirty minutes around the block or through the park can result in your body generating up to sixteen ounces of sweat. This is the equivalent of about one pound. If you’re not hydrating your system enough, some signs indicating possible dehydration are:

* Excessive thirst or feeling you can’t drink enough
* Decreased output of bodily fluids in an attempt to conserve water. In this case urine will be more yellow in color due to its concentration
* Continual dry mouth resulting from decreased salivation
* Dry eyes as the body attempts to prohibit the creation of tears
* Significant decrease in sweat levels
* Muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting
* Light-headedness, confusion and weakening

Consult a physician when a dehydrated adult presents the following signs in addition to those mentioned above:

* Increased and/or continual vomiting for a period of 24 hours
* High fever over 101°F which isn’t relieved with acetaminophen or ibuprophen
* Diarrhea lasting longer than 2 days

Transportation to a hospital emergency room is recommended if any of the following occur:

* Fever over 103°F
* Lethargy, headache or seizure
* Chest and/or stomach pain
* Inability to urinate over a period of twelve hours
* Difficulty breathing
* Fainting or unconsciousness

When dealing with possible dehydration in children, in addition to the symptoms outlined above you want to watch for:

* Sunken eyes
* Sunken fontanel (soft spot) on babies
* Irritability
* Sticky or dry mouth or tongue

A visit to the doctor is recommended if any of the following occur:
* Blood in stool
* Pain in the abdomen
* Vomiting for more than 24 hours, or if vomit is green in color consistently
* Less urination than usual

Transportation of the child to a hospital emergency room is recommended if any of the following occur:
* Your child becomes lethargic
* You can’t reach your family physician

The simple practice of drinking enough water both during physical activity and throughout a normal day is enough to prevent dehydration in both adults and children. To ensure everyone receives the appropriate amounts, you may want to consider charts for at home, as well as personal water bottles for each member of your family when outside enjoying some physical activity.