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A:
This really
depends on the individual, what their blood pressure is
like, and how easily they dehydrate. There has not been any
detailed medical research on this point, so individuals must
use their common sense and monitor their own symptoms.
Even among people with healthy adrenal function, you will
find a wide range in how well people tolerate a heatwave.
Everyone
needs to drink more fluid than usual, especially the
very young and very old.
If you
are doing any kind of strenuous physical activity in the
heat, you will need to replace the body salts lost in
sweat. Electrolyte solution can be useful here. Sports
drinks are typically less helpful as they do not usually
contain enough sodium. If you are drinking a lot of
fruit juice, it may be prudent to dilute the juice
half-and-half with water and add a pinch of salt, to
ensure your sodium and potassium intake remain balanced.
For
anyone who has a tendency to high blood pressure, it is
probably unnecessary to adjust the fludrocortisone or
salt intake in a heatwave.
But
someone whose blood pressure tends to be on the low side
may find they feel dizzy and uncomfortable in a heatwave.
If you regularly experience uncomfortable symptoms
during a heatwave, it can be helpful to have a home
blood pressure cuff to check your blood pressure. Where the
blood pressure is low, your doctor should advise you to
increase the fludrocortisone during hotter weather.
In general, you should raise your fludrocortisone for no
more than a week at a time, and by no more than half a
tablet (50mcg), without getting blood tests done to
check that your electrolytes are stable.
If you
rarely eat sliced breads, processed foods or ready-cook
meals, your salt intake may be towards the lower end of
the recommended daily amount (essential daily minimum =
0.6g sodium, recommended daily average = 1.6 g sodium).
Therefore, someone with a healthier diet is more likely
to need to boost their salt intake in hot weather than
someone whose everyday diet is already high in salt.
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