Mealtime Partners, Inc.
Specializing in Assistive Dining and Drinking Equipment
August 2018 Independent Eating and Drinking Newsletter
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Dehydration: More Information You Should Know
In May of this year Mealtime Partners published an article titled: “Hot Weather Reminder About Adequate Hydration”. At the beginning of each summer we try to provide this type of a reminder. However, there is so much more that is interesting about proper hydration that we thought we would share a second article with you to pass along more insights into the significance of consuming enough water and the effect of mild dehydration.
As we have mentioned on numerous occasions, most of us spend a lot of our time mildly dehydrated. We do not pay proper attention to the early indicators that our body provides us that we are thirsty. We are busy, we don’t have a drink readily available, we are in a meeting, etc. The reasons are numerous, and we use them to justify not drinking. Yet, if we would drink regularly and adequately, our well-being would be positively impacted.
Research currently indicates that even a slight loss of liquid, which causes our body to be below the appropriate fluid level, can cause impairment in our cognitive function. Wittbrodt, et al, conducted a literature review and meta-analysis of 33 different studies that addressed the issue of dehydration and cognitive function. The results indicated a direct relationship between dehydration and deterioration in cognitive performance. The study indicated that attention, executive function, and motor coordination were all impaired by mild dehydration.
Even though there are no clear cut regulations about how much we should drink to be fully hydrated, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine convened a panel of experts who compiled guidelines as to best practices in consumption: Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements (2006). Their recommendation is that men ingest 125 ounces, and women ingest about 91 ounces of fluid daily. Of course, if strenuous exercise is undertaken, or the environment is very hot, additional liquid is needed.
There are several types of individuals who need special attention when evaluating cognitive function. For example, an elderly person can exhibit poor memory skills due to mild dehydration, yet they can be assumed to be showing signs of dementia. A recent study indicates that a small amount of dehydration can decrease cognitive performance. During a game to test cognitive flexibility, a 1% level of dehydration caused a 12% increase in errors. Imagine a student taking final exams at college who is dehydrated. They may fail their exam due to lack of water!
Fortunately, the cognitive function problems brought on by mild dehydration can rapidly disappear when the individual exhibiting them has enough water.
It is always worth repeating that someone who is unable to pick up a cup or bottle to take a drink is more likely to be dehydrated than someone who is able to drink independently. Therefore, it is worth considering a hands-free drinking system to facilitate good hydration. For information about Mealtime Partners drinking systems, click here.
| The Mealtime Partner Dining System | |
| For individuals who are unable to feed themselves because of limited or no hand and/or arm function, the Mealtime Partner provides them with a way to eat independently. This lets them experience an enjoyable mealtime that is totally under their control. They can choose what they eat for each bite and pace their eating to suit their own needs and desires. | |
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The Mealtime Partner Dining System can be positioned to meet the specific
needs of each user. The user does not have to adjust their
position to eat using the device because the Partner’s flexible
mounting systems permit positioning to fit the user's needs,
making mealtimes a
comfortable, relaxed experience, with the user positioned safely
for eating. The Mealtime Partner empowers its user to eat what they want, when they want it. The Mealtime Partner Dining System is quick and easy to learn and has no complicated programming requirements. Each Dining System comes with a complete training video on DVD so new users and caregivers can learn to use it in just a few minutes. There are no other assistive dining systems that meet the needs of the users, like the Mealtime Partner. For more information about this device, click on this link. To talk to a representative, call us at 800-996-8607, or email us at: info@mealtimepartners.com and we will be happy to assist you in selecting the best system to meet your needs. |
The previous article in this Newsletter discussed the impact of not drinking enough water, and yet there are people who can become overly hydrated. Over hydration occurs when someone consumes more fluid than their body is able to excrete. Their body retains the excess water. Under normal circumstances the kidneys are able to excrete whatever excess water that is in the body. However, when someone drinks excessively large amounts of water, the body’s sodium level can be diluted and become too low, which can be harmful. The body’s delicate electrolyte balance is unstable, resulting in problems from feeling tired to confusion. If the pituitary gland, kidneys, liver and heart are all healthy, even if you drink too much water, you should have no detrimental side effects. A healthy young adult would have to drink more than 6 gallons of water a day regularly for their body to be unable to excrete all of the liquid they consumed.
For people who have poor kidney function over hydration is quite common. They are unable to urinate enough to keep the level of fluid in their body at a safe level. For people with this type of problem, fluid intake must be restricted, and monitored, and if necessary their doctor will prescribe diuretics which help reduce the fluid that is being stored in the body and allow it to be excreted.
Over hydration can be confused with excess fluid in the blood. If the sodium level in the blood is too high, too much fluid is retained in the blood resulting in excess blood volume. If over hydration occurs, the sodium level in the body and the electrolytes in the body, in general, will be diluted, and will be too low. When the sodium level is too low a condition called hyponatremia can occur, which can be dangerous. Symptoms can include: nausea and vomiting, headache, confusion, loss of energy, drowsiness and fatigue, restlessness and irritability, muscle weakness, spasms or cramps, seizures, and coma.
The easiest way to judge whether you are drinking too little or too much is by the color of your urine. Dark yellow urine is an indication that you are dehydrated. Pale yellow urine (lemonade color) indicates that you are well hydrated. Clear, colorless urine indicates that you may be drinking too much.
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Did You Know? Did you know that a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics reported that there is a relationship between the reasoning skills of an infant, who is fed breast milk, and who has a mother who drinks more than an occasional alcoholic beverage? Drinking a single glass of wine or beer, once in a while did not impact the infants reasoning skills. However, infants whose mothers drank more alcohol showed cognitive deficits by age 6 or 7. The study was limited in the information available because it did not record the volume or frequency of alcoholic consumption. Additionally, the time between consumption and nursing was not available. The study reinforces the general medical consensus that it is wise to not drink alcohol while you breastfeeding. |
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