101 Critical Days of Summer: Frequent hydration key to summer safety

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Bryan Portillo
  • 51st Operations Support Squadron
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  The importance of hydration can not be stressed enough, especially while being stationed at Osan Air Base. 

Whether you're walking, riding a bike to work, or even work, you must remember to hydrate about every half hour. 

The summers in Korea get hot and humid, which is perfect weather for dehydration. 

Whenever you are involved in activity that makes you break a sweat, your body is actually getting rid of its water. That is when hydrating becomes key. 

If you sweat too much and lose a lot of water without replacing it, you put yourself at risk of becoming dehydrated. 

One of the many good things about your body is that it gives you signs when it needs water or any other form of hydration. 

When your output of urine is more infrequent than it is frequent, it is time for you to hydrate. At times, thirst can often be mistaken for hunger. 

Other signs are:
 - dark yellow colored urine
 - light headedness
 - muscle cramps
 - sweating stops
 - muscle weakness
 
The muscles that often get cramps are the ones that are being stressed, or used in a hot environment. 

When the body becomes dehydrated, blood flow slows down because the heart isn't pumping your blood fast enough. 

A very severe case of dehydration is a heat stroke, or heat exhaustion. The latter is, a result of the body not being able to cool itself off by sweating, and the core temperature rising. 

With all that being said, the most important thing about hydration is knowing the symptoms of dehydration. 

You should intake a sufficient amount of fluids if you are conducting activities that result in sweat and/or are involved in a hot environment. If you are able to, try to schedule activities in the early morning or evening, but remember, water is also lost during the most basic of things such as breathing and urinating. 

If you have no control over being in the heat, such as work, be sure to have an adequate amount fluids on hand. 

Being well hydrated is a key element to living a healthy lifestyle.   

Studies done in the past have shown that about five glasses of water a day can slash the chances of breast cancer by 79 pecent. In other studies, it's been proven that men who consume a significant amount of water are less likely to become ill from a bladder infection. 

Ultimately, if you are not hydrated, you are not physically ready to "fight tonight!"