How a woman lost her husband to dehydration in Dubai

Dubai - Archana explained that one can get dehydrated while sitting in air-conditioned rooms for long.

Last summer, Dubai-based dietician Archana Arora lost her husband, while he was on his routine cycling round.
After 90 minutes of cycling in the open, 47-year-old Rajiv called Archana over the phone complaining of nausea, vomiting and dizziness. "I knew it was dehydration and asked him to stay wherever he was, drink water and send me his location so I could reach him." That was the last conversation Archana had with her husband, who fainted and later passed away. By the time the ambulance and Archana reached Rajiv, he had no pulse and could not be revived. Rajiv died due to over-exerting himself and severe dehydration.
The mistake Rajiv made? Apart from over-exerting himself and not listening to his body, Rajiv, instead of consuming more water, took a few sips of water followed by a sugary drink, which proved fatal as it messed up his electrolyte balance.
Narrating the incident, Archana said: "After consuming the sugary drink, he felt restless and then vomited. The smart band he wore showed he had over-exerted which led his heart rate to shoot up to 160. When your heart beats extremely fast and there is dehydration, the heart is unable to pump blood to the upper part of the body."
When dehydrated, Archana said one must have water or coconut water or some salt tablets or other electrolyte solutions. "A big mistake would be to have sodas, sugary drinks and even several sugary sports drinks. Sugary drinks are diuretic that means they increase the production of urine and hence will make a person lose more water. This increases the water requirement and can lead to a life-threatening situation."
"People sweat more but due to humidity in the air. This increases body temperature and water requirement goes up. I would advise everyone to have water on an empty stomach, before taking any meal, snack, beverage or any sugary drink. Drink water - it is great for digestion; you will end up eating smaller portions of food; and, you will have the required amount of water in your system in this way."
Archana explained that one can get dehydrated while sitting in air-conditioned rooms for long. "If you keep an apple in the fridge for one month, you will see the apple getting wrinkled. Similarly, when sitting in AC, we lose a considerable amount of water which is why one must keep sipping water every now and then.
"Our bodies are made of 60 per cent water and all the normal functioning of the body like transportation of nutrients and oxygen happens only through water. Many people come to me complaining about various issues such as urine infection, lactose intolerance, nose bleeding and hunger pangs. In fact, chances of urine infection are very high if your intake of water is less, especially in women. We must ensure that the minimum intake of water per person is between 1.5 litres and two litres."
Archana concluded that water therapy is the cure to all diseases so while stepping out make sure you carry water bottles with you. "If you are exercising, then try and carry light salt-sugar mix water. Lemon is good and mint too is a great cooling agent. If you are fond of juice then have watermelon juice without sugar."
Common symptoms of dehydration
>Dry mouth, dry tongue, dry skin
>You go less frequently to urinate and its colour is dark
>Nausea, vomiting, loose motions
>Heat stroke, that leads to vomiting and loose motions
>Headache, coma
What to do
>Replenish all fluids and electrolytes - water and coconut water are a good source
>If it is repetitive, rush to a doctor
saman@khaleejtimes.com

• KT For Good