Children running through sprinklers, playing tag in the park or gearing up for summer football practice may need more fluids than they're getting, a recent study suggests.
According to a study by Harvard researchers published in June in the American Journal of Public Health, more than 50 percent of all children are not getting enough fluids. Researchers analyzed data from a National Health and Nutrition Examination survey from 2009 to 2012 that sampled the urine of more than 4,000 children between the ages of 6 and 19 and found that 54 percent of the children were not adequately hydrated.
As the Arkansas summer heats up, dehydration is much more likely. Here are some ways to know when you’re dehydrated and how to fix it:
• Thirst is an obvious sign, but doctors suggest you are already significantly dehydrated by the time you get thirsty.
• A dry, sticky mouth — what some call cotton mouth — is a sure sign of dehydration.
• With a lack of water comes a lack of energy, which could lead to sleepiness or tiredness.
• Dry skin could come as a result of dehydration, due to decreased sweating.
• Severe dehydration can result in few or no tears when crying.
• Headaches are common when the brain doesn’t get enough water.
• Drink from two to four cups of water every hour while working or exercising outside.
mAvoid alcohol or liquids containing high amounts of sugar.
Sources: The Centers for Disease Control
and The Mayo Clinic
That doesn't shock Dr. Samiya Razzaq, a pediatrician at Arkansas Children's Hospital, who says a good portion of her day is spent trying to convince parents to give their children more water.
"Oftentimes for me, addressing the importance of water is the top priority," Razzaq says.
The study found that boys, black children and young children were more likely to be dehydrated than girls, white children and older children.
Stavros Kavouras , associate professor and exercise science program coordinator in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, has studied dehydration for almost 20 years. Kavouras says that the Harvard study indicates problems across the board.
Regardless of race or sex, Kavouras says, the study indicates that people, children specifically, are drinking lower amounts of water, which puts them at risk for developing kidney stones, kidney disease or even diabetes.
Studies also show, Kavouras says, that with less water, children tend to have slower overall function, don't perform as well in school and are more moody.
Razzaq says that with decreased water intake, judgment gets foggy.
"Seventy-five percent of our brain is composed of water, so our brain is fatigued, and children's energy level comes down," Razzaq says.
The forgotten nutrient
While there is no one reason why children are dehydrated, Kavouras says one of the lead
ing reasons is a lack of knowledge about the
signs of dehydration.
Many people, Kavouras says, don't realize they're dehydrating themselves, and that's especially true for children. Often, people don't drink water unless they become thirsty, Kavouras says. He and Razzaq say when people feel thirsty, they are already significantly dehydrated.
"When the child says, 'I'm thirsty,' we don't want to get to that stage," Razzaq says. "If you're already feeling the thirst, that's a red flag."
Kavouras says even if someone drinks 16 ounces of water and the thirst sensation goes away, there's a good chance that person will still be dehydrated.
"If you go exercise, you can lose as much as three or four pounds [of water] per hour," Kavouras says. "And after, if you drink a pound of water, your thirst will go away completely, but you still aren't fully hydrated."
Without the thirst sensation, humans don't usually reach for a water bottle, Kavouras says.
Scientists even call water the "forgotten nutrient," he says, since there hasn't been much research into the study of hydration.
A solution often posed is to drink about eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. The National Health and Nutrition Examination survey suggests an 8-ounce daily increase in water intake was associated with a significantly lower risk of inadequate hydration in the children studied.
But Kavouras doesn't necessarily agree with that theory.
"The truth is, we don't know how much we need," Kavouras says. "We don't have a good answer. Your daily water needs can differ. It depends on temperature and on how active you are. Cutting grass, working out outside, you need more water. Versus a colder day, where you're mainly indoors, you don't need as much."
Reach for a water bottle
In late June, Razzaq traveled to Dallas on vacation and visited the Six Flags Over Texas theme park.
On the scorching, humid Texas afternoon, park employees were handing out water at stations all across the park. But not many people were taking advantage of the free water, she says.
"Instead, they were getting refills for whatever they already had," she says. "Soda after soda after soda. Even if the water is free, it's hard for people to drink. It has no taste, it's not fun, so it's hard to have it."
During the hot Southern summer, Razzaq suggests staying away from sugary drinks to stay hydrated, and consuming in moderation foods high in salt, energy drinks and anything caffeinated. For children, she suggests getting them to choose water over anything else at restaurants or at home.
"For me, as a pediatrician, one of the major complaints I get is that 'My child is drinking a lot of water,'" Razzaq says. "They don't say that when they drink six sodas a day. But when they see a children drinking bottles of water, they panic. If a child is drinking that much water, it's absolutely OK. It's nothing to worry about."
Once schools begins again in August or September, Razzaq suggests sending children to school with a water bottle.
"Children don't want to drink a lot or have access to water at school," Razzaq says. "Water fountain breaks are scheduled and rushed so giving them water to have would be good."
Kavouras says even the appearance of a water bottle around helps.
"We tend to drink when we have water in front of us," he says. "If you have a bottle in front of you, you'll drink it. If you don't, you'll rarely go find one to drink."
To Kavouras and Razzaq, the solution is simple: More water will lead to more productivity, which will lead to a healthier lifestyle.
"Something that you can [do to] prevent a lot of [problems is] just by turning on the faucet and drinking a little more water," Kavouras says.
Family on 07/22/2015