How to Stay Hydrated During the Summer Heat

Summer is all about late-night barbecues, swimming pools, beaches, and heat. While you may love basking in the sun, you need to make sure you stay hydrated. Follow these proper hydration tips, whether you’re enjoying a hike at a local park or watching fireworks with your friends.

Be Aware of Heat Exhaustion Symptoms

First things first — do you know the symptoms of heat exhaustion? These are your body’s way of telling you to up your water consumption. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you might experience the following warning signs:

Cold and clammy skin
Dizziness
Fainting
Fast and weak pulse
Headache
Heavy sweating
Muscle weakness
Nausea and vomiting
Tiredness

If you feel any of the above signs after spending time in the sun, get in the shade and start sipping on water.

Drink Plenty of Fluids

The importance of drinking water in summer can’t be understated. In fact, according to the U.S. National Academies for Sciences, men need around 3.7 liters of water every day, while women need about 2.7 liters of water every day. That equates to 15.5 and 11.5 glasses, respectively!

If you’re finding it hard to down that much, try chilling your water or adding some flavoring. Fruit-infused water is an excellent choice for a flavorful drink without too much sweetener.

Watch Caffeinated and Alcoholic Beverage Intake

Unfortunately, drinking more fluids doesn’t mean chugging coffee or margaritas. While the Mayo Clinic says that caffeine technically doesn’t dehydrate you, it can cause symptoms like headaches and insomnia that are worsened by the heat.

Research from the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health also shows that drinking alcohol in excessive amounts in the heat can increase your chances of developing a heat-related illness.

The takeaway from all this? You can drink caffeinated beverages and alcohol in small to moderate amounts, but sticking to water is the best way to stay hydrated.

Eat Foods With High Water Content

Did you know that you can also get some of your fluid intake from what you eat? In fact, around 20% of your daily water comes from food.
There are plenty of foods with high water content. Here are just a few of the fruits and veggies you can add to your diet for a boost of hydration:

Cucumbers - 95% water
Celery - 95% water
Iceberg lettuce - 95% water
Zucchini - 95% water
Cauliflower - 92% water
Watermelon - 91% water
Strawberries - 91% water

Enjoy Fruit Smoothies

If you want to learn how to keep your body hydrated in summer without munching on fruit all day, we have another solution. Try packing a bunch of fruit into a fruit smoothie!

This yummy alternative can sneak a ton of water into your diet. Here are some great recipe ideas that take advantage of fresh summer produce:

Watermelon strawberry basil smoothie
Swiss chard, mango, and strawberry smoothie
Raspberry papaya smoothie
Blueberry ginger peach smoothie
Mango coconut mint smoothie

Make Sure You Have Great-tasting Water at Home

Staying hydrated in the heat is especially difficult if you don’t like the taste of your water. Luckily, Pentair can deliver great-tasting water to every tap in your home with a whole-house water filtration system. These systems reduce contaminants, minerals, silt, and debris for water that tastes and smells better.

We also offer water softeners if you live in an area with hard water. These can reduce levels of calcium and magnesium in your water to help lessen any foul taste and odor.

Browse all of our water softening and filtration products today to see what system meets your needs. Because you deserve summer — and year-round — water you can trust.

How to Stay Hydrated During the Summer Heat