As we experience summer with record temperatures, hydration is more important than ever. If we don’t drink enough liquid to produce enough sweat on a hot day, we may be more vulnerable to heat stroke. Dehydration can be caused by high temperatures, but it can also worsen other heat-related conditions such as heat cramps.

Therefore, fluid intake is vital, but hydration is not limited to simply drinking water. “Beyond eight glasses a day, there is no evidence,” says Dr. Dan Negoianu, a nephrologist at the University of Pennsylvania. For example, “Just because your urine is dark doesn’t mean you’re dehydrated.” To stay hydrated, you just need to drink enough fluids to quench your thirst, Negoianu says, and that amount varies for everyone.

Experts say it’s not just plain water that keeps you hydrated: it includes our favorite foods and drinks. We will briefly mention a few proposals.

Fruits and drinks

“We think we should be drinking plenty of water all the time because that’s what we hear all the time,” says Tamara Hugh Butler, a sports medicine scientist at Wayne State University who specializes in fluid balance. But any food or drink that contains liquid promotes hydration: “Our body doesn’t care where hydration comes from, it just needs liquid.”

Fresh fruits and vegetables are ideal sources because not only do they have a high water content, but they also contain fiber, which provides other nutritional and health benefits. Watermelons and melons are especially favorable. Strawberries, oranges, grapes, cucumbers and celery also have a high water content.

All types of drinks can be moisturizing. Juices, milk, tea and coffee contain liquids that our bodies can use. Drinks high in sugar may not be the best nutritional choice, but studies show they are just as effective as water in rehydrating our bodies. In hot weather, frozen desserts like granitas and sorbets are convenient to drink.

“We can meet and exceed our daily fluid needs by consuming high-moisture beverages and foods without drinking a single glass of water,” Hugh Butler says in an email.

Dehydration can be caused by high temperatures and worsen heat-related conditions such as heat cramps.

Caffeinated drinks can also hydrate. Although caffeine is often considered a diuretic or dehydrating agent, studies show that drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages has about the same moisturizing or dehydrating effect as drinking plain water.

If we consume significant amounts of caffeine after a long period of caffeine abstinence, we may experience a mild episode of dehydration, says Kelly Hindman, a researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham who studies kidney function and fluid retention.

Don’t be afraid of salty

You’ve probably heard that salty foods dehydrate the body, but that’s not entirely true, Hindman says. Our body is constantly trying to maintain a balance between salt and water, which it does with the help of a number of hormones. One of the best known is antidiuretic hormone or ADH.

When we eat a lot of salty foods at a time, our brain releases ADH, which in turn causes our kidneys to retain water, preventing us from excreting excess fluid in our urine. At the same time, the brain releases another hormone, vasopressin, which is associated with the feeling of thirst. All of these hormones together signal our need for more fluids. If you are looking for salty foods that are hydrating, olives and pickles are acceptable choices, although people rarely consume large amounts of them. Soups, especially broths, can also help with water intake.

But what really dehydrates is alcohol. “Alcohol suppresses ADH,” Hindman says. So, when we consume it, “we don’t produce that hormone that causes our kidneys to reabsorb water,” so any fluid we consume comes right out of us.

Children and the elderly

“Most of us who say we’re dehydrated probably aren’t,” Hindman says. There may be some people who are slightly dehydrated. If you’re complaining about a small bladder, or if you’re just urinating more often than you’d like, you may not need to drink as much fluid because it just passes through your body. Those who need to be more diligent about dehydration are children, the elderly, and people with underlying health conditions, Hindman said.

The rest of us should just drink something or eat liquid-rich foods when we’re thirsty, says Hugh Butler, and trust our instincts. “I think the ‘drink when you’re thirsty’ rule is hard to refute,” Negoianu says, unless there’s a medical indication or extremely harsh conditions that could cause abnormal water loss.

three day heat

The country is in the grip of abnormal heat, in some places the thermometers reach 39-40 degrees Celsius. A warm curtain is developing today from the west, where there will be a lot of heat, especially in Etoloakarnania, where it will reach 40 degrees Celsius. According to the National Meteorological Service, in continental regions it will rise to 38-39°C.

In Attica, the hottest days are expected today, Friday and Saturday, when the thermometers rise to 39°C, and in some places, possibly even higher. The maximum temperature is predicted at the continental level from 39 to 40°С and locally in Thessaly and in the east of the mainland 41°С. The islands will be up to 36-37 degrees Celsius.

On Saturday, the temperature in the west and north of the country will drop by 2-3 degrees, but in the eastern continents its maximum value will rise again to 39-40°C. From Saturday afternoon, a change in weather is expected from the northwest, with strong storms and strong winds likely in places.

On Sunday (21/08/2022), temperatures will drop significantly across the country and return to near-seasonal values, with peaks between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius in most areas. In the north of Greece, the weather will be unstable. Overall, the forthcoming heat wave is seasonally expected and of short duration, which does not mean that caution is not required, especially for the most vulnerable in terms of health.