Hydration

We've seen so many teens chugging sodas, diving into salty snacks, engaging in vigorous physical activity without a care in the world. Start caring. On the topic of pediatric dehydration, dehydration in teens is not as likely to be deadly as it is in babies or seniors but... Teen dehydration could lead to serious health problems and worsen typical adolescent boogey bears like acne and obesity. Just to be clear, dehydration is simply losing more fluids than you take in.
How could you tell if you're dehydrated?
Teens are likely to confront the same symptoms and illnesses that dehydrated adults do.
Some signs to look for in teen dehydration include:

*Development or worsening of allergy or asthma - Both conditions are caused by overproduction of histamine which occurs when the body tries to conserve water.
*Headaches
*Weight gain
*Problems concentrating/thinking, dizziness, light headed. The brain cannot function without lots of water.
*Fatigue
*Less or darkened urine
*Appetite loss, nausea
*Diabetes or other serious illnesses
*Can stunt growth. Physical growth requires lots of nutrients and water. If there is not sufficient water available, the body will mostly maintain itself instead of developing
*Skin problems - Remember that the skin is an organ mostly made up of water. When dehydration starts to occur, the first organ to suffer is the skin.
Why? Because keeping it hydrated is not as important as keeping our brain, heart and liver hydrated. So they get first, and lose last. Our bodies are wise.
At best, skin dehydration results in dull dry skin.
Facial skin problems are more likely in young women than young men. That is because the production of facial hair in young men forces blood (and fluids) to the face.
But for both sexes, acne is quite common - 75% of teens suffer from varying degrees. Interestingly, it is worse for males probably due to hormones and lifestyle choices.
Drink lots of healthy water to prevent these illnesses and symptoms of dehydration. Water will reduce facial redness and dilute the concentration of sebaceous gland oils.
A more serious skin condition that is connected to dehydration is scleroderma. Scleroderma is a connective tissue disease wherein the skin becomes dry, scaly, thick and actually atrophies.
When serious, it is painful and disfiguring.
There is no known cure. However, Dr. Batmanghelidj observes that it is treatable in the early stages if you drink lots of water.
As the skin is extremely important for removing wastes and toxins from our bodies, consider purchasing a drinking and shower water filters to remove contaminants in water.

Causes of dehydration in teens

*Gastrointestinal illness, vomiting, diarrhea
*Growth. Lots of water is used for growth.
*Intense physical activity. On the go teens are especially susceptible to this.
*Purposeful desire to lose weight. More likely with girls, teens will simply cut back on water and other fluids. Of course the opposite of weight loss occurs as the body tries to retain its water.

Exercise dehydration
If you exercise vigorously for more than an hour, you will be dehydrated. The body cannot retain the amount of water you can lose per hour.
How much water to drink if you exercise? Drink at least 2/3 of your weight in ounces of water. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink 100 ounces of water. That's about 12 glasses.
Also, for endurance activities, you may also need an electrolyte replacement to replace the minerals lost during exercise.
Gatorade is fine. Even better, make your own electrolyte replacement drink. Cheaper and healthier. Scroll down for recipe.
Be aware that dehydration reduces performance. A 1% loss of water results in 10% loss of capacity. So drink before , during and after workouts.

Treatment for teen dehydration
Drink a glass or 2 before every meal especially breakfast.
Drink 1 - 2 glasses 2 hours after meals.
Do not count juices, sodas, coffee or teas as water. They often cause you to lose water instead of replenishing you.