- info@mbpotch.co.za
When we talk about safety, we tend to think about crime, traffic or what happens in an emergency. But as temperatures start climbing again, there is another risk worth paying attention to, especially for children spending long days at school or on the sports field.
With seasonal forecasts pointing to a warmer, drier summer, now is a good time for families to get back into one very simple habit: take water seriously.
A child in the middle of recess, athletics practice or a cricket match is unlikely to stop and think about how much water they have had that day. Children are often too busy playing, competing or concentrating on what is happening around them to notice the early signs.
By the time they complain of a headache, dizziness, cramps or feeling unusually tired, dehydration may already be affecting them.
This is where parents, teachers and coaches have an important role. Children should have easy access to water throughout the school day and should be encouraged to drink before, during and after sport, rather than waiting until they feel desperately thirsty.
A water bottle that comes home untouched every afternoon is worth noticing.
Exercise increases fluid loss, and hot weather increases it further. A child training hard in the afternoon sun can lose a significant amount of fluid through sweat, even when the session does not feel unusually long.
Regular water breaks matter. So does arriving at practice already hydrated. Trying to catch up afterwards is not the same as starting properly hydrated in the first place.
For most normal activities, water should be the first choice. During prolonged, vigorous exercise, particularly when someone is sweating heavily for an hour or longer, a drink containing electrolytes can sometimes be useful to help replace what is being lost through sweat.
Electrolyte drinks should not, however, replace drinking water throughout the day. Energy drinks are also not the same thing as electrolyte or sports drinks and are not appropriate for children simply because they have been exercising.
We are often much better at reminding children to drink water than we are at following the same advice ourselves.
A long day at work, time spent driving, gardening, exercising, working outdoors or simply moving between one commitment and the next can easily end with very little water being consumed. Add high temperatures and sweating, and the effects can become noticeable quickly.
Headaches, thirst, dark urine, dizziness, fatigue and muscle cramps are all signs worth paying attention to. If you know you are going to be outside or physically active, do not wait until you feel dehydrated before reaching for water.
Adults doing strenuous work or exercise for extended periods may also benefit from replacing electrolytes, particularly when sweating heavily. For an ordinary day, though, regular water and normal meals are usually the foundation.
Dehydration and heat-related illness can become serious. Someone who becomes confused, unusually drowsy, very weak, uncoordinated, faints or appears severely unwell after being in the heat needs prompt attention. Heat stroke is a medical emergency.
With children in particular, it is better to take a change in behaviour seriously. The child who suddenly cannot keep up, seems unusually irritable, complains of nausea or a headache, or becomes dizzy during sport should not simply be told to push through.
Get them out of the heat, let them rest and start cooling and rehydrating them while assessing whether medical assistance is needed.
Before children leave for school, check the lunchbox, the school bag and the water bottle. Before sport, make sure it is full again. On especially hot days, send more than you think they will need.
And do the same for yourself.
Drink before you are desperate for it. Remind the kids. Refill the bottle. And on those long, hot days, pay attention to what your body is telling you.