Hydration and pressure sores: How does hydration/ drinking enough water affect pressure sores?

Maintaining adequate hydration is vital for life, because water makes up about 60% of our body. And our blood is more than 92% water, at the proper hydration level. Another part that hydration plays, is balancing bodily fluids and regulating our body temperature, since heat also contributes to pressure sores.

Dehydration happens when our body lacks the right amount of water to carry out its necessary functions, compared to what is lost to sweat, urination and respiration.

Dehydration may be caused by drinking too little fluids. It can lead to confusion, poor wound healing and pressure sores. Additionally, dehydration causes the skin to lose its’ elasticity and become more fragile. It also decreases the transportation of nutrients and oxygen to the sores. That slows down the healing process.

When we are thirsty, that’s our body’s way of reminding us to drink, to replace lost fluid and maintain sufficient hydration levels. Signs of dehydration include urine which is darker-coloured and strong-smelling. That is a strong and early sign of dehydration.

It becomes dangerous when one consistently doesn’t drink enough water.

Older people are more vulnerable to dehydration because of the ageing process’s bodily changes, and are considered to be at an increased risk of dehydration. Swallowing difficulties, dementia and poorly-controlled diabetes are also more common in older people, and are all associated with inadequate hydration.

Soups, fruits, vegetables and salads all have high water content and increase hydration. While eating very dry or very salty food, drains your body of valuable water, and you may need to drink more to prevent dehydration.

Those suffering from dehydration are given oral rehydration treatments to increase their fluid levels. These are often available in sachets or tablets that are dissolved in water so you can drink it right away. You may want to speak to your GP about if that is a suitable option for you.

it is important to drink lots of water, about 6-8 glasses every day. Tea, coffee, fruit juice, milk, coconut water, fruit-infused or sparkling water and other hydrating drinks also count.

Nutrition and Pressure Sores: Best Foods/ Diet for Pressure Sores

Eating a healthy, balanced diet that contains an adequate amount of protein and a good variety of vitamins and minerals can help prevent skin damage and speed up the healing process. If your diet lacks key proteins, vitamins and minerals, your skin may be more vulnerable to developing pressure ulcers.

Nutrition and Pressure Sores: Proteins

Protein is a vital element of a healthy diet that will aid the healing of pressure sores. Deficiencies in diet can increase your risk of pressure ulcer development and delay wound healing. By maintaining a healthy weight and eating a balanced diet, you can reduce your risk of developing pressure ulcers.

Thе аvеrаgе, hеаlthу реrѕоn nееdѕ аrоund 0.8 grams of рrоtеin per kilоgrаm of bоdу wеight, however, аn оldеr person mау nееd ѕlightlу mоrе (even while hеаlthу). If you are prone tо bеdѕоrеѕ оr trуing tо heal оnе, your рrоtеin nееdѕ are increased. It mау bе difficult to get more рrоtеin intо a diеt thаt iѕ limitеd аnd largely ignоrеd аѕ it iѕ. Using рrоtеin ѕuррlеmеntѕ саn mаkе ѕurе thаt you are getting enough рrоtеin plus оthеr vitamins аnd minerals.

Examples of protein-dense foods are:

• Eggs
• Fish and seafood such as oysters, prawns, crabs
• Lean meats – beef, pork, lamb
• Poultry – chicken, turkey, duck, goose,
• Dairy – milk, cheese, yoghurt
• Broccoli
• Almonds
• Milk
• Oats

Elderly people аrе amongst thе group mоѕt likеlу to gеt bеd ѕоrеs, along with people with Alzhеimеr’ѕ diѕеаѕе аnd other dementias. Also, people with diаbеtеѕ or whо hаvе bееn paralyzed bу аnу condition or disease. Sadly, thеѕе grоuрѕ are аlѕо thе same реорlе mоѕt likely tо hаvе рооr diеts аnd рооr арреtitеѕ.

Dеѕрitе the increased need to eat better, if you are in any of these groups, you mау nоt be interested in, or mау bе unable to еаt vеrу wеll. Uѕing a protein ѕuррlеmеnt may be a good ѕuggеѕtiоn. Eѕресiаllу in light оf the fасt thаt the protein needs when one has bеd sores is highlу inсrеаѕеd оvеr thе nоrmаl nееdѕ.

Also, include in your pressure sore preventing/ healing diet, foods rich in minerals and vitamins. These include foods rich in Vitamin C, Iron, Zinc and Fluids, such as:

Nutrition and Pressure Sores: Vitamin C

Vitamin C foods help with the absorption of iron from your food. They are necessary for the proper functioning of your immune system and for wound healing.

Vitamin C Rich FoodsVitamin C dense foods include:

• Citrus – oranges, clementines, lemons, grapefruits, lime…
• Papaya
• Kiwi fruit
• Potatoes
• Mangoes
• Berries – Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cranberries.
• Watermelon
• Peppers
• Blackcurrants
• Broccoli
• Pineapple
• Brussels sprouts

Nutrition and Pressure Sores: Iron

Iron is important in making haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is the protein found in red blood cells, that helps carry oxygen around the body. Iron supports your immune system, too.

Foods rich in Iron include:

• Shellfish –
• Spinach
• Liver and other organ meats
• Legumes
• Soybean flour
• Red meat
• Fruits – apples, banana and pomegranates
• Mulberries and black currants
• Pumpkin seeds
• Quinoa
• Turkey
• Honey
• Green leafy vegetables and red meat
• Beans, such as red kidney beans, edamame beans and chickpeas
• Dried fruit – such as dried apricots
• Fortified breakfast cereals

Nutrition and Pressure Sores: Zinc

Zinc is another key nutrient that fights pressure sores and promotes wound healing. It helps your immune system and boosts your metabolic functions to encourage growth. The body’s metabolic functions include turning food to energy to run everyday bodily functions which repair, restore and maintain health.

It may also reduce inflammation and your risk of some age-related diseases. Elderly people, older adults and people with diseases that reduce Zinc absorption may need to get it through a Zinc supplement.

Foods rich in Zinc include:

• Meat – Poultry/ chicken, red meat, lamb, pork…
• Shellfish – Oysters, shrimp, crab, lobster, squid…
• Legumes – Beans, lentils, chickpeas…
• Seeds – Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, squash seeds, flax seeds, …
• Mushrooms
• Nuts – Almonds, brazil nuts, cashews…
• Dairy – Milk, cheese, yoghurt…
• Eggs
• Whole Grains – Oats, quinoa, wheat, rice…
• Fortified breakfast cereals

Foods for Pressure Wound Healing: Video

You will find this NHS Diet and pressure ulcer resource quite useful in planning your specific diet.

And if you’re overweight, a healthy diet for you can include using lower-fat dairy products. Also, avoiding deep-fried and high-sugar foods like biscuits, cakes, chocolate, sweets and fizzy drinks. And watching portion sizes.

The best pressure ulcer diet plan should include lots of different fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods will provide a variety of nutrients and vitamins, which will prevent pressure ulcer from becoming worse and promote healthy healing,

Fluids

it is also important to drink lots of water. 6-8 tall glasses daily is the recommended benchmark.

Teas, coffee, fruit juice, milk, coconut water, fruit-infused or sparkling water and other hydrating drinks also count.

You should try to stay well hydrated at all times, and follow your chosen pressure sore diet plan accordingly.

Healthy Eating Plate/ Eatwell Plate/ The Eatwell Guide

An easier way for you to ensure you are eating right to prevent or heal pressure sores might be to use the Healthy Eating Plate, also called the Eatwell Plate, and now updated and called the Eatwell Guide.

It is an easily recognisable visual aid, representing government recommendations on eating healthily and achieving a balanced diet. It highlights the different types of food, and the proportions in which they are needed, to have a well-balanced and healthy diet.

Vegetarian Eatwell Guide

The Eatwell Guide is suitable for most people – including elderly people and people with disabilities – whether you have a healthy weight or are overweight, a vegetarian, or eat meat. In it, the foods and drinks we consume are divided into five main groups. The portion representing dairy is small, and therefore, you should eat these foods in moderation.

Non-Vegetarian Eatwell Guide

Based on the Eatwell Guide’s advice, it is recommended that women eat around 2000 calories a day, and men 2500 calories, to achieve a healthy balanced diet.

The Eatwell Guide differentiates unsaturated oils and spreads (e.g. plant/ vegetable oils like rapeseed, olive, nut oils and lower fat spreads) from other foods that are high in fat, salt and sugars. It recommends that swapping saturated fat with unsaturated fats in our diets can lower cholesterol levels in the blood, which is good. Also, swapping sugary soft drinks for water, milk or no added sugar drinks.

The Eatwell Guide: Video

The portion representing dairy is small, and therefore, you should eat these foods in moderation. The Eatwell Guide also recommends that you should choose lower-fat versions of dairy products.

The guide has a food group that sits outside of the main image – that food group represents high-fat, salt or sugar-laden foods. These foods are not essential in the diet, so should be eaten less often and in small quantities.

You also get information on hydration, calorie guidelines and front-of-pack nutrition labelling from the guide. Many foods – sandwiches, pasta dishes, pizzas and casseroles are combinations of the Eatwell Guide’s food groups.

As it relates to pressure sores, using the Eatwell Guide could help you stay at a healthy weight and provide the necessary nourishment to prevent pressure sores, and lower your risk of getting ill. However, if you already have pressure sores, then a high-protein diet is recommended.

Also, if you have other health conditions such as diabetes, you want to check with your registered dietitian on how to adapt it to meet your own needs.

Conclusion

Bed sores аrе uncomfortable аnd роtеntiаllу ѕеriоuѕ but саn bе prevented оr kерt tо a minimum with ѕоmе саrеful monitoring and intеrvеntiоn. Once a bed ѕоrе is found, the proper trеаtmеnt muѕt be ѕtаrtеd, in addition tо рrореr nutrition.

The асtuаl саrе for thе bеd ѕоrе will depend on how deep it is and itѕ lосаtiоn. Healing and skin restoration will be increased with a nutritious, wholesome diet. And proper hydration by drinking enough fluids daily.