Since I have always taken personal responsibility for my health, I was surprised when I suddenly felt thirsty while grocery shopping. My lips, tongue, and even my eyes, felt dry. Fortunately, I had a bottle of artificial tears in my purse. Still, I wondered if I was losing my sense of thirst.
As we age this sense diminishes gradually. Many older people do not drink enough water, especially in hot weather, and this can lead to dehydration. Each summer, or so it sees, we hear stories about older people dying in their homes because they failed to stay hydrated. Maybe they did not stay hydrated because they did not realize they were thirsty.
You may be losing your sense of thirst and not realize it. Keeping these points in mind will help you stay hydrated.
First, dehydration can come on quickly and take you by surprise. It is a life-threatening condition if you get behind the hydration curve. How much liquid do you need to drink? Mayo Clinic answers this question in a website article, "Water: How Much Should You Drink Every Day." According to the article, "Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired." We need to think of hydration as drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day, according to Mayo. All of the fluids we drink in a day contribute to this total.
Second, dehydration may be mistaken for hunger. This, too, is an affect of aging. I get up at 5:30 am and feel hungry at 9:30 or 10. Though I never used to snack between meals, I have been munching on crackers, pretzels, and anything else I find. Of course I gained weight. Now, I am drinking plain water or unsweetened iced tea when I feel hungry.
Third, prescribed medication can cause dehydration. Some blood pressure medicine dries out your mouth. Diuretics eliminate fluid from the body. You know this if your doctor prescribed a diuretic for you. But you have to make extra effort to stay hydrated, especially in extreme heat. You also need to be aware of the symptoms of dehydration: dry mouth, tongue and eyes, producing less urine, or dark, concentrated urine, and fatigue. Do not attempt to stay hydrated by drinking iced coffee or colas, which are natural diuretics.
Fourth, you should not wait until you feel thirsty to drink water. By then, you may already be behind the hydration curve. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) makes this point in a website article, "Got Water? Keep it Available and Keep it Clean!" As the CDC notes, "The human body needs water continuously." Staying hydrated, especially if you are a senior citizen, helps you to avoid dehydration.
Monitor your sense of thirst is also important. Increase your daily intake of fluids if you think this sense is diminishing.
Copyright 2010 by Harriet Hodgson
