With Excessive Heat Forecast, AMR Says Hydration is a Must

With excessive heat warnings in place for Pacific Northwest this week, American Medical Response (AMR) Multnomah County reminds residents and visitors to stay hydrated when dealing with the hot weather.

Rob McDonald, operations manager for AMR Multnomah County offers these summer safety tips for staying hydrated:

• Have fluid source readily available - Plan ahead and make sure you drink enough water throughout the day and night to replenish fluids lost during activities.
• Water will do the trick - For most people water will be sufficient enough to keep you properly hydrated. If you are working really hard, you might need to replace calories that are lost due to perspiration. A soda or sports drink can help with fluid and calorie replacement.
• Be careful when drinking alcohol - If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. A good strategy is to alternate alcoholic beverages with water.
• Listen to your body - When the temperatures and activity levels increase it's even more important to listen to your body and take breaks if you start to feel light-headed, feel overheated or if you develop a headache. These are warning signs that something is not right. Don't ignore them!
• Don't take in too much fluid - It might sound a little strange but be careful of drinking too much fluid. This can lead to the opposite of dehydration - overhydration, or hyponatremia. The rule of thumb is to not drink if you are not thirsty, if you feel water sloshing around in your stomach or you don't feel well and have been taking in fluids.

How to avoid dehydration
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, to avoid dehydration, active people should drink at least 16- 20 ounces of fluid one to two hours before an outdoor activity. After that, you should consume 6 to 12 ounces of fluid every 10 to 15 minutes you are outside. When you are finished with the activity, you should drink more.