At what point is just water not enough - working in the heat

My job is a mixture of working on site and in the office. At the moment it is hot, and working onsite in 40+degree heat for 5 + hours a day is taking it out of me.

I and easily drainking 3-4litres of water, but I feel my energy levels are low and by the evening I am buggered.

At what point should I be drinking something other than water, perhaps a cordial or something that had a bit of suger or electrolytes? I try to avoid that sort of stuff as it isn't very healthy but I also don't want to be feeling so crappy :)

Hopefully someone can help me out
TIA xxoo

I think it depends on how much you're sweating. Sweat releases water and salts, so maybe just drinking a bottle of Gatorade in addition to your water would be enough?

I would be adding a bottle of gatorade or other electrolyte drink to the mix as well because as you are sweating you are losing salt and you need to replace that. DH always has a container of staminade in his work esky so if he feels that he is a bit low he can just mix up a drink.

thats so weird, DP and I were just talking about this last night!

DP does hot, dirty work out in the heat.. Yesterday he drank 5 litres of water and he was so weak by the time he got home and he also had pins and needles.

I was actually wondering what else he should be doing, as water obviosuly isnt enough.. and if gatoraide would be ok. The only think is those drink cost so much! Whats staminade??

I am sweating quite a bit :redface:

My back is saturated, the water is beading on my face and legs, just drank almost a litre in one hit, we don't have any drinks with electrolytes here in the office, soft drinks, juices, alcohol, tea coffee etc, I will speak with the CA if we can get some for the summer months, as there are a few of us who do work on site, but they may have to be marked as to not be drunk just because they are there - I know a lot of people who drinks sports drinks just because, I only have had them when I have been playing a lot of sport in the heat. I think my dad had staminade or something similar at harvest time, I think I had water and sometimes weak cordial.

I just wish the hot weather would go away!

Hubby works on the mines - they drink around 10-12 litres of water a day just to replace what they sweat in the heat etc..
They have little sachets of Hydralyte-style stuff to add to their water to replace the electrolytes, about 1 litre of that to 3-4 litres of water.

Definately get something with salts and low sugars or you will end up feeling worse when you crash.

I used to work outdoors as a council worker and know that the heat really can take it out of you.
Doing physical work in the heat also tends to make it ten times worse.
We where given the sachets too. I am trying to think what they where called.
something like squirt etc... they were basically a hrydolite type thing we could mix with our water when we felt we needed it.