Lionel Richie Hospitalized After St. Louis Concert

Lionel Richie’s Hospital Stay Is a Good Hydration Reminder for Hoosiers

Lionel Richie reportedly checked himself into a St. Louis hospital after a weekend concert, and his experience is a reminder that drinking water and replacing electrolytes aren't exactly the same thing.

If you've spent any amount of time outside in Indiana during the summer, you already know the drill.

You walk outside, the humidity hits you in the face and somehow you're sweating before you've even made it to the car.

We may be heading toward fall, but those hot and humid days aren't necessarily finished with us yet. And a recent health scare involving Lionel Richie is a pretty good reminder that staying hydrated can be a little more complicated than simply remembering to drink a bottle of water.

Richie performed at The Muny in St. Louis on Saturday, August 29, but shortly after the show, the 77-year-old music legend reportedly checked himself into a St. Louis hospital.

And interestingly enough, dehydration was something Richie had already been talking about that night.

Lionel Richie Was Drinking Electrolytes During His St. Louis Show

Richie had experienced dizziness earlier this summer during a June concert in St. Paul, Minnesota, eventually cutting the performance short and postponing upcoming shows.

During his St. Louis performance, Richie reportedly told the crowd that after trying to figure out what had been going on, his doctor determined he had been dealing with dehydration.

An Audacy reporter who attended the St. Louis show said Richie was repeatedly brought electrolyte drinks onstage throughout the performance. Richie even joked with the audience about how they tasted.

That brings up something I think is easy to overlook when we talk about hydration.

Drinking your water and replacing your electrolytes are two different things.

Water and Electrolytes Aren't Exactly the Same Thing

We're constantly told to drink more water, and there's a good reason for that.

Water is essential for keeping your body hydrated, regulating body temperature and helping your body function normally. In fact, for everyday hydration, water is generally exactly what you need.

Electrolytes, however, are minerals such as sodium and potassium that play roles in hydration, fluid balance and the function of your nerves and muscles. When you sweat, you're losing both water and electrolytes.

That doesn't mean you need to replace every glass of water with a sports drink.

For most normal daily activities, drinking enough water and eating regular meals is generally enough to maintain your fluid and electrolyte balance. But the CDC says if you're sweating for several hours, a drink containing balanced electrolytes can help replace what you're losing through that sweat.

So think of it this way: water replaces fluid, while an electrolyte drink can help replace some of the minerals you've also lost during prolonged sweating.

They can work together, but they're not interchangeable.

That's Something Hoosiers Should Keep in Mind

You don't have to be Lionel Richie performing under stage lights to work up a serious sweat.

Maybe you're mowing the lawn on a 90-degree Indiana afternoon, working outside, spending the day at a festival, hiking, playing sports or trying to squeeze in an outdoor workout.

Add our humidity to the equation, and you can find yourself absolutely drenched pretty quickly.

The CDC lists dizziness, headache, weakness, nausea, heavy sweating and muscle cramps among the possible symptoms associated with heat-related illness. If you start feeling faint or weak while you're exercising or working outside in the heat, stop the activity and get somewhere cool.

And don't necessarily wait until you're desperately thirsty to finally reach for your water bottle. Staying on top of hydration throughout the day is much easier than trying to play catch-up once you're already feeling lousy.

Richie Needed a Seat for His Final Song

Despite the concerns, Richie reportedly made it through nearly his entire St. Louis performance on his feet.

It wasn't until his finale, "All Night Long," that he asked for a chair and finished the song sitting down.

According to Audacy's reporter at the concert, there wasn't otherwise much about Richie's performance that suggested he would soon be heading to a hospital.

After the show, Richie reportedly checked himself into a St. Louis hospital as a precaution. Reports Monday indicated doctors were evaluating him for slight dehydration and that he hoped to be released Tuesday.

Consider This Your Reminder to Grab Your Water Bottle

Hopefully Richie's hospital visit turns out to be nothing more than an extra precaution, but his experience is still a good reminder for the rest of us.

Even as summer starts winding down, Indiana can still give us plenty of hot days. Keep drinking your water, pay attention when you're sweating for long periods of time and remember that replacing electrolytes can be different from simply drinking more water.

Most importantly, listen when your body starts telling you something isn't right.

After more than five decades of performing, Richie certainly knows how to give a crowd a show. But I think even his biggest fans would agree that when "All Night Long" starts feeling a little too long, it's perfectly okay to sit this one out.