Ah, the hot summer days and nights of Atlanta. You love them and you hate them! With summer days regularly exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit, many Atlantans spend their summer days fluctuating between dehydration and rehydration. While it is best to be proactive and hydrate yourself before facing the heat of the day, it is not always that simple! With that in mind, here is some helpful information on how to rehydrate from Atlanta’s heat.
Dehydration in Atlanta
While Atlanta is not the hottest city in the United States (that title goes to Phoenix, AZ), its notoriously hot and humid summer days are still hot enough that Atlanta was once referred to as an “urban heat island” by NASA researchers! If you are an Atlanta native, you know what we mean. Air quality issues only complicate matters when it comes to the heat, making dehydration a daily threat. Dehydration is particularly risky for older adults, infants, toddlers and individuals with chronic medical conditions.
A little-known fact about dehydration is that the moment you start feeling thirsty, dehydration has already begun to set in. As such, it is important to get ahead of the game and drink plenty of water before spending any significant amount of time outside in the heat, whether you are working, exercising or relaxing underneath that blazing Atlanta sun.
Furthermore, dehydration can lead to significant and potentially life-threatening medical issues if it is not properly addressed. These medical issues include heat injuries like heat exhaustion or heat stroke, kidney or urinary problems, seizures and hypovolemic shock. As such, it is important to know the signs and symptoms of dehydration so you can seek the appropriate care, whether that involves medical intervention, emergency care or at-home remedies. Accordingly, here are some common dehydration symptoms:
- Dark-yellow urine
- Decreased urge to urinate
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Significant thirst
While you should seek appropriate care for any dehydration symptoms, some symptoms may require you to seek immediate medical care because they indicate a more severe case of dehydration. With that in mind, you should seek immediate medical care if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- Bloody or black stool
- Delirium or sudden confusion
- Diarrhea that continues for 24 hours or longer
- Difficulty breathing
- Inability to keep down fluids or persistent vomiting
- Low blood pressure
- Peculiar lack of perspiration or sweat
- Racing heart rate or rapid breathing
- Skin that lacks elasticity
- Sunken eyes
Rehydrate in Atlanta
When you are starting to feel dehydrated, your first action might be to grab a bottle of water or fill your glass with cool water. While plain old water is important for rehydration, there are other things you can eat or drink to rehydrate that may be even more effective than water! Some of these foods and drinks may surprise you. They include:
1. Milk
For most people, reaching for the nearest milk carton is not their first instinct when trying to rehydrate. However, a 2016 study reported by the New York Times suggests that doing so might not be a bad idea! When you drink milk and other beverages that contain large amounts of nutrients and electrolytes like sodium and potassium, your kidneys retain the fluid longer than they do with water. As such, your body is able to absorb more of the electrolyte and water content with milk, providing a more robust rehydration response.
2. Orange Juice
Similarly, that same study found that your body also retains orange juice longer than it does with water. So if you are looking for something a little more powerful than water but less dense than milk to rehydrate with, a glass of OJ will meet you in the middle.
3. Foods that Contain High Electrolyte and Water Content
Who doesn’t like watermelon or a juicy peach on a hot afternoon? Not only do those types of fruits taste refreshing, but they are also a great source of electrolytes like potassium and are rich in water content. As such, such fruits could just be the perfect rehydration snack.
4. Soup or Broth
You might associate soup with rainy days or a homestyle remedy for a head cold but not so much with rehydrating after a hot day! However, soups and broths are typically high in sodium and water, which is an ideal combo for helping your body rehydrate.
5. Yogurt
Yogurt is jam-packed with sodium and potassium, which leave our bodies in large amounts when we sweat! As such, adding yogurt to your rehydration equation can help replenish your body after beads of sweat have been rolling down your face all day.
Get IV Therapy in Atlanta From Mobile IV Medics
If your case of dehydration requires more significant solutions than a glass of OJ and a bowl of yogurt, intravenous (IV) therapy is a powerful rehydration solution. IV therapy involves the intravenous (i.e. into your veins) administration of various antioxidants, fluids, nutrients and vitamins directly into your bloodstream. By administering these rehydration essentials intravenously, your body makes use of 100% of their nutritional value because your body won’t break them down and waste them through digestion.
There are several clinics and mobile medics in Atlanta that offer IV therapy services.
If you have ever had surgery, given birth or had any type of procedure that involves an IV drip, the procedure for IV therapy is no more invasive than an IV drip. With that in mind, a medical practitioner will supervise your IV therapy and a registered nurse will administer it. The nurse will talk you through the process before beginning.
Once you are comfortable and ready, your nurse will clean the injection site with disinfectant and insert a needle directly into your vein, usually one from your arm. A catheter will be connected to the needle through which the fluid and nutrient concoction will enter your bloodstream. While the fluid is entering your bloodstream, your nurse will monitor the pump to make sure the rate of delivery is correct.
The IV therapy process usually takes around 45 minutes to complete, during which you can read, watch TV or browse your phone. However, you will need to remain still to avoid dislodging the catheter.
While there are many med spas and IV drip clinics that offer IV therapy in Atlanta, odds are you are already feeling unwell and not super inclined to leave your house if you are considering IV therapy for rehydration purposes. While you may feel that your only options are to either suffer through your symptoms or make a reluctant trip to your nearest med spa or IV drip clinic, we are happy to offer you another option at Mobile IV Medics!
Whether you have a migraine, are dealing with a punishing hangover or are trying to overcome or manage a sickness, we can bring IV therapy to you with our mobile IV therapy services. We offer specialized IV treatments for immune system support, food poisoning, morning sickness, jet lag, cold and flu and migraines! Wherever you are in the Atlanta area, we would be happy to bring the IV therapy clinic to your doorstep for same-day services.
Sources:
- https://www.farmersalmanac.com/americas-hottest-cities-15740
- https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/stories/Landsat/atlanta_heat_background.html
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dehydration/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26702122/
- https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/milk-and-other-surprising-ways-to-stay-hydrated/
