Drink up to avoid dehydration this festival season

Dehydration is one of the top reasons emergency rooms and urgent care centers are busy this time of year. Since June 1st, AMR Ambulance Services has treated 16 people in Buffalo for dehydration. Dr. Joseph Riccione with Buffalo Medical Group said upping your H20 intake could keep you out of his waiting room, this summer. "Twenty or thirty minutes is enough out in the sun to become dehydrated. It really depends on where you're starting. How much fluids are you down already," Dr. Riccione said. Dry mouth, dark yellow urine, and dizziness are the top signs for dehydration. Don't be fooled. Sugar based energy drinks, tea, and sports drinks can actually make you lose fluids. "Do the sports drinks to give you back some electrolytes, if you're sweating a large amount or doing an active workout, where you're going to lose a lot of that. Water is still the best thing," Riccione said. The lack of enough water while in the heat could result in dehydration or worse, a heat stroke. That's why medical experts urges people attending barbecues and festivals to drink up.