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Country singer Tim McGraw collapsed on stage in Dublin over the weekend, People reported this morning, and dehydration definitely seems to be guilty. McGraw’s wife, Faith Hill,?told concert-goers that her 50-year-old husband was “super dehydrated,” and the she “made choosing one that he or she cannot return out on stage.”
McGraw’s rep said from a statement the singer was “attended to by local medical staff on-site and fine.” That’s certainly a relief, however it made us wonder: How serious does dehydration need to cause people to drop to his knees while performing, as McGraw reportedly did? And just how exactly does too little fluids cause a full-on collapse?
It turns out, a number of different factors is usually at play. Our bodies needs water for optimal functioning of course, and much much more inner workings-like blood pressure levels and electrolyte levels-depend with an adequate number of fluids within the body. If an individual isn’t getting enough water (or loses many fluids due to sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea), bp can drop and electrolyte balances might be dumped of whack.
These changes put force on the entire body?and can even cause tremors. So if you feel involved in physical activity-like playing a football game or, say, walking around on stage by using a guitar-they also can cause you to feel like you’re working in a lot harder than you are.
Sodium and potassium imbalances as well as decreased blood circulation (another consequence of dehydration) also can cause painful muscle cramps. Ray Casciari, MD, medical director on the La Amistad Family Health Center in Orange, California, previously explained to Health: “The body will protect its vital organs, thus it shifts fluid clear of muscles and anything this is not vital.”
Blood flow for the brain slows if a individual is dehydrated?at the same time, which could cause dizziness, Dr. Casciari also told Health. Even mild dehydration made healthy, men feel fatigued and foggy-headed in a 2011 British Journal of Nutrition study.?
After McGraw collapsed, Hill-flanked by other musicians and crew members-told the crowd that “we’ve all been slightly dehydrated, traveling a great deal of,” but that McGraw had suffered greater than the rest.
She’s probably right that the whole crew have been affected: You just need to lose about 1.5% of your water inside your body to get mildly dehydrated, depending on research with the University of Connecticut. And although mild dehydration could cause pesky side effects like headaches, smelly breath, and constipation, more serious cases might have dangerous consequences, including loss of consciousness.?
The person with average skills needs about 3 quarts of water (96 fluid ounces) each and every day, and never drinking enough can obviously lead to dehydration. But other elements can start to play a part at the same time: For example, avoiding foods that have already naturally high water contents (like fruits and vegetables) or that take up water during cooking (like grains) is effective in reducing overall fluid levels in the body. So can consuming alcohol, consuming caffeine, taking certain supplements or drugs, or with the underlying condition, like diabetes.
Even stress can bring about dehydration, as it overworks the adrenal glands-organs that produce stress hormones but regulate fluid and electrolyte levels. Age can be a factor also: The male body’s ability to conserve water, as well as its sensation for thirst, both decline as time passes.
Treatment for dehydration usually involves a gradual replenishment of water and electrolytes, either through sipping fluids-like a sports drink-over a period?or by using a IV. (Drinking a lot without delay can overload the stomach and cause vomiting.)
Luckily, if dehydration is treated quickly, people should recover completely. We’re wishing Tim a speedy comeback?and also a healthy and hydrated remaining tour!
