Electrolytes for seniors losing their sense of thirst

Recently, a new customer called Martina ordered 3 bottles of Oshun after first trying it at a friend’s house. Three bottles on a first order? We had to ask her about it. Martina, who’d just turned 70, told us: “Two of the bottles are gifts for my friends. As we age, we are losing our sense of thirst.” This startled us: do we lose our sense of thirst as we grow older?

Do seniors lose their sense of thirst?

We took a deep dive into the research and found that this is indeed quantified: “older adults exhibit decreased thirst sensation and reduced fluid intake” particularly when exposed to a warm environment, a lack of easily available beverages or when taking medication with a diuretic effect.

Two problems can occur from this reduced sense of thirst: dehydration or overhydration.

Dehydration will bring symptoms such as dry skin, constipation and dark urine - relatively easy to spot, but not always addressed.

Some symptoms of poor hydration habits, such as muscle cramps and headaches, can also come from overhydrating: drinking too much plain water without enough electrolytes. If you lose your sense of thirst and the common wisdom is to simply and forever “drink more water” this can lead to hyponatremia – lack of sodium in the blood stream – and other common electrolyte imbalances such as lack of potassium or magnesium.

Addressing electrolyte imbalances

Both dehydration and overhydration symptoms can be alleviated by appropriate electrolyte and fluid intake. This is exactly what James, a regular user of Oshun since our launch, witnessed when he gifted a bottle of Oshun to his 73 year old father:

“My Dad is 73 and still plays football twice a week, cycles twice a week and referees on the weekend. He's also partial to the odd beer. This means he's constantly dehydrated and lives with the never-ending threat of cramp. Cramp in the night, cramp walking up the stairs, cramp getting out of the car, you name it. It's hilarious to watch but something had to be done about it. He's been taking rehydration sachets for years to help with this, but they're full of sweeteners and additives and they're not super convenient to take on the go, so inevitably he just wouldn't take them. Since I gifted him a bottle of Oshun for Father's Day, he's been bouncing around like a 50-year-old again. He can pop it in his drinks throughout the day with no fuss, and better still, he's not filling his body with sh*te in the process. Win win."

"Since I gifted my dad a bottle of Oshun, he's been bouncing around like a 50-year-old again."

Both James and Martina have been incredibly thoughtful and caring toward their family and friends by gifting them their first bottle of Oshun. The results are life-changing for the recipient, and heartwarming for the giver.

Want to feel that way too? Send a bottle of Oshun to your senior friends or family members.

We recommend they start with 4 pumps a day spread across 1.5-2 litres of fluid through the day. If they are particularly active like James' father (or enjoy an overheated home), they can increase this to 8 pumps across 3 litres of fluid. The fluid does not need to be plain water: herbal teas, flavoured water or other preferred drinks will work, provided they are not overly sweetened with sugar, overly caffeinated or alcoholic.