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Stay Hydrated To Help Your Heart Do Its Job Well

Dehydration can negatively impact your organs and bodily functions, including your heart and cardiovascular system. When the temperatures rise, keeping the body hydrated helps the ticker more easily pump blood through the blood vessels to the muscles, and helps the muscles work efficiently. If you’re well hydrated, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard because when you are dehydrated the amount of blood circulating through your body decreases, and your heart beats faster to make up for that which increases the heart rate and blood pressure. Moreover, dehydration causes your blood to retain more sodium, thus thickening your blood and making it tougher for your blood to circulate through the body. Keeping your body hydrated eases the pumping action of the heart, thus allowing oxygen to reach your muscles, helping the muscles function well.

Older adults, people with chronic illnesses, children and athletes are most at risk for dehydration, which is quite a serious condition, and can lead to problems like swollen feet, headache, or life-threatening conditions like heart attack or heat stroke.

Signs of severe dehydration- difficulty urinating, or very dark yellow or amber-colored urine; dry and shriveled skin; irritability or confusion; dizziness or lightheadedness; rapid heartbeat and breathing; sunken eyes; unconsciousness.

Signs of mild to moderate dehydration- increased thirst; a dry or sticky mouth; decreased urine output, or dark yellow urine; headache; muscle cramps.
Contact a healthcare professional immediately if you or someone you know experiences any of these symptoms.

Amount of water you need to stay hydrated:
To stay hydrated, water is the best thing to drink because it’s inexpensive, calorie-free, and readily available. The amount of water a person needs depends on factors like climatic conditions, exercise intensity and duration, etc. You should drink more water if you are doing exercise or performing other physical activities, showing signs of dehydration, such as weakness or dizziness, and if you have certain medical conditions like diabetes or heart disease. A physician should be consulted for certain medical conditions like heart failure as it may require varying hydration strategies.
It is recommended to drink 8-ounce glasses of water a day considering about 25 percent of our daily fluid intake comes from food and the rest from drinks. Besides water, beverages such as juice, milk and herbal teas are mostly composed of water, and solid foods, particularly fruits and vegetables can also provide a significant amount of water. Cucumbers and watermelons are very good options since the former is 96 percent water while the latter is 92 percent water.

Avoid caffeinated drinks like coffee and soda, which although can contribute to your daily water intake, but the caffeine acts as a diuretic and can cause you to lose more fluids, and excess sugar can restrict the body from absorbing water. Sports drinks should be used only when you are exercising intensely since they are high in added sugars and calories.

Common triggers for dehydration:
Exercise, environment, pregnancy or breast-feeding, traveling, overall health- are factors that influence your water needs. Common triggers of dehydration include strenuous exercise, or alcohol, which is a diuretic. Water being the body’s principal component, remember to drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, which is crucial to staying healthy and maintaining the function of every system in the body, including your heart and brain.

To train in the lifesaving CPR procedure, sign up for a course at the AHA certified CPR Memphis. Call on 901-438-4200 to enroll yourself.

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