It is estimated that 40% of community-dwelling older adults may be chronically underhydrated.
A study published in the Journal of Physiology found older adults should drink more water in order to regulate their body temperature. The researchers studied young and older men’s body temperature when exercising.
As you exercise, your body’s temperature regulation adjusts how much you sweat to prevent further water loss and dehydration. However, the study found that as you age, the ability to regulate your body’s temperature decreases, making older adults more susceptible to dehydration.
“(Older adults) are less likely to be wary and more likely to ignore signs of dehydration and heat-related illness because they have a past history that is unrepresentative of their new status as older adult males,” Dr. Rand McClain told Healthline.
“Most people have never experienced the severe symptoms associated with dehydration and, if dehydrated, are usually mildly so and able to compensate without much effort.”
Drinking more water can help you avoid a host of issues that come with dehydration. Signs of early dehydration may look like extreme thirst, dark-colored urine, fatigue, dizziness and confusion, according to the Mayo Clinic. Severe dehydration can lead to other complications such as urinary and kidney issues, heat injury, seizures and low blood volume shock.
As you age your sense of thirst decreases. This means that by the time you feel thirsty, you may already be dehydrated. Adding hydration into your daily routine can help you avoid dehydration.
According to the National Council on Aging, you may want to consider eating fruits or food with higher water content, avoid diuretics such as alcohol or caffeine that increase the production of urine, drink water with every meal or once you wake up and add fruit to your water to change it up.
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