Staying Hydrated
 

I have found it difficult to stay hydrated while living in Florida. With playing golf in the high heat, using our hot tub, outdoor activities, etc. Frequently I wake up with a headache and dry mouth and realize that I haven't had any Gatorade or hydrating drink in a couple of days and rush to pour some down. What ways do you use to stay hydrated? What drinks do you keep on hand to make sure you are hydrated? My husband woke up with terrible leg cramps the other day he could hardly walk. We were ready to take him to the emergency room and for some reason he said he hadn't been drinking anything for a couple of days. Sure enough he downed a couple of bottles of Gatorade and he was fine in a few hours.

Not trying to be sarcastic, but start by establishing a habit of drinking lots of water. Regularly. Don't wait to be thirsty. Then supplement that with Gatorade and such when you are active and need that something extra.

I think you asked and answered your own question.

Waiting for symptoms is TOO LATE!

Hydrate before activities. Water 30 minutes before golf, pickleball, dancing, even hot-tubbing would get you into the activity and continue to drink water throughout. I go through 3-4 quarts of water in 9 holes.

Also you didn't say if you take part in the biggest village past time DRINKING ALCOHOL. I know I've woken up with headaches and dry month from that. And it will dehydrate you.

I don't drink alcohol at all so that isn't the issue. I think possibly carrying water or other drinks with me all of the time and actually drinking it would help. I was wondering also what other types of drinks are on the market and are good besides Gatorade and water that you would recommend?

Gatorade
 

That brings up something I've wondered about for a longtime. Are sports drinks like Gatorade any better for you than plain water?

Emergen-c from Walgreens.Is a very good hydrater (Pink Lemonade).

Is that sold in the refrigerated section or pharmacy? or ?

I agree!!!! When I play golf I bring 6 waters with me, with 4 on ice. As soon as I take one out of cooler, I replace it with a warm one to get cold

That's pretty much it. It's not rocket science. Drink water all the time. All day, every day. And stay away from Gator Ade and all those sugar laden drinks. Also avoid all sodas with caffeine. Caffeine is a dehydrating agent. A humidifier in the bedroom at night might also help.

Exactly my routine Doc and it works. I always have water with me and I drink it. Never Gator Aide or any of the hydrating drinks.

Just water! Sports drinks have too much sugar. If I want flavor I might add a little to the water but only about 4 oz to a quart of water.

I've dehydrated three times so that I had to go to the ER. I spoke with my doc about this issue and explained I was drinking plenty of water. He suggested that I add about a quarter of the glass with a sports drink because water was not giving me the electroylites I needed. i have not had a problem since that conversation two years ago .

I do a lot of outdoor activities such as extensive gardening, bicycling, kayaking, etc.. I drink a full glass of water before I exercise and then drink more water while exercising. I tend to drink room temperature water and just upend a bottle of water and drink it all in 30 seconds or so. You need to drink a tremendous amount of water to compensate for sweating, etc. I drink around six 16.9 ounce bottles of water in four hours of gardening and two 24 ounce bottles for a two hour bike ride. Open your mouth and pour the water down your throat. Don't bother sipping the water, you need to get it in fast and in large quantities. Just my two cents.