Every year on the last Friday in May, the whole of the USA celebrates National Heat Awareness day and this year's promises to be the biggest yet. Although it may seem a little unusual at first, this national day has a very serious message that needs to be listened to for the good of mankind all over the world. So what is it all about then? This very special event is sponsored by the National Weather Service and aims to help educate about the very real dangers that heat and dehydration can bring to our lives. You only have to look back over the last 4 decades to see how devastating heatwaves can be:
  • In 1980 a heatwave killed 1250 people in the USA
  • In 1995 a Chicago heatwave killed over 700 people in Chicago
  • A European heatwave in 2003 was responsible for more than 50,000 deaths.
  • In May 2015, an Indian heatwave killed over 1,000 people and the total number has not yet been confirmed.
The event itself discusses these terrible tragedies and explains how dehydration itself can be dealt with by drinking water regularly throughout the day and evening. We are also advised to cut down on caffeine based drinks and alcohol, even sugary drinks are partially to blame for dehydration. Hydration all year around You may be surprised to learn that we are also open to dehydration in the colder months because our bodies are always using fluids to cope with the activities that are dictated by modern life. If you need to know exactly how much water you should be consuming, a decent guideline is as follows:
  • Men should try to drink around 2. 5 litres of water per day
  • Woman should aim for just over 2 litres per day
  • Children need to drink between 1 and 1.5 litres
Of course these amounts need to be adjusted according to the temperature and also depending on the physical activities being carried out by each individual. To help prevent dehydration it's a good idea to always have a water bottle on hand and regularly use hydration solutions available to you such as water coolers or instant chilled and hot water taps. Not only the USA If you are living here in the UK and are wondering why we should take heed from the Americans as far as looking out for dehydration is concerned, whilst that may seem like a good question, just think about this for a minute or two. We also experience some pretty warm weather this side of the pond and the weather needn't be scorching for dehydration to rear its rather ugly head. According to Doctor Roger Henderson, many of his surgery patients complain of fatigue and quite often the root cause is simply dehydration. He believes that we all need to introduce drinking water regularly into our daily routines as a matter of common sense. To read more on what Dr Henderson had to say on dehydration click here. It is also worth bearing in mind that many of us will be jetting off to warmer climates this year and we'll need to take on extra water whilst enjoying the sun, sea and sand to avoid the dreaded D word. For top tips on staying hydrated whilst abroad check here.