Your body is made up of around 60% water. Every single bodily function depends on it. It removes toxins from your body’s organs, transports nutrients to your cells, lubricates your joints, and aids in food digestion. The body continuously loses water during the course of the day, mainly through urination and sweating but also through routine bodily processes like breathing.
Lack of water consumption can lead to dehydration. You must consume a lot of water each day through drinks and food if you want to avoid dehydration. Though, how much water you should consume each day is a topic of discussion. This varies on an individual basis. What is right for you can be decided with the assistance of your doctor.
This article analyses and outlines simple ways to effectively maintain your hydration levels.
Benefits of Drinking Water
For survival, your body needs water. Each system in the body needs water to function effectively. Water has many important jobs, such as:
- Providing your cells with nutrition and oxygen
- Cleaning the bacteria out of your bladder
- Controlling body temperature
- Help with digestion
- Constipation prevention
- Lowering the blood pressure
- Safeguarding tissues and organs
- Joint lubrication and cushioning
You are keeping hydrated when you provide your body with the water it needs to perform those functions. You run the danger of dehydration if you don’t consume enough water each day. Weakness, low blood pressure, lightheadedness, disorientation, and dark urine are all indications of dehydration.
How much water does your body need?
Your individual needs for water vary from person to person and are based on a variety of factors. There are certain fundamental guidelines, though:
- The average amount of fluid recommended for men each day is 13 cups or roughly 3 litres.
- The recommended daily fluid intake for women is 9 cups or around 2.5 litres. Women should drink around 10 cups of water per day when pregnant and about 12 cups per day while breastfeeding.
This includes the fluids from food and beverages like tea and juice in addition to water. You should drink more fluids to remain hydrated if you’re outside on a hot sunny day or engaged in an activity that causes you to sweat a lot. The same is true if you experience diarrhoea, fever, or vomiting as a result of your current medical condition.
How Much Water Should Children Drink?
Like adults, the amount of water that children require varies depending on a variety of factors, including their age, weight, and gender. How fit and healthy they are, how active they are, and the weather where they reside are further factors. Typically, kids and teenagers require 6 to 8 glasses of water every day. They should consume a lot of water-rich fresh fruits and vegetables (for example, cucumber, watermelon, pineapple, musk-melon, etc.)
Tips for Getting Enough Water
Check out these suggestions for drinking more if you need help getting enough water intake:
- Consider always keeping a water bottle with you.
- Consider fluids. You don’t need to only consume plain water to be hydrated. Milk, unadulterated fruit juices, tea, and broth are other healthy liquid options.
- Squeeze some fresh lemon or lime juice into your water to give it some flavour, with added benefits of lime (Vitamin C).
- Consider consuming an electrolyte-rich sports drink while working out hard to help replenish the ones you lose via perspiration.
- Avoid sugary beverages. While juice, soda, and alcohol all provide fluids, they also include a lot of calories. So, it makes sense to select water whenever you can.
How to determine whether your body is getting enough water?
Don’t assume you’re getting enough water just because you’re not thirsty. Checking the colour of your urine is a simple technique to find out if you’re getting enough water. You may need to consume more water if the colour of your urine is dark yellow, brown, or amber.
Usually, drinking extra water will be enough to treat mild to moderate dehydration (in which the body will not operate normally). Other signs of mild to moderate dehydration might be:
- Dark or strong-smelling urine
- Dry mouth
- Constipation
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Less frequent urination
- Muscle cramps
Risks Associated with Drinking Water
- Dehydration
Sweating and urinating are only two examples of the many ways your body uses and loses fluids. When your body discharges more water or fluid than it is consuming, it results in dehydration. It can cause a variety of symptoms, such as severe thirst and weariness. Additionally, you could notice that your urine is dark or that you are not peeing as regularly. Children who are dehydrated may experience dry mouth and tongue, less sobbing when they cry, and fewer wet diapers than normal. You may manage mild dehydration by consuming more water and other fluids. You could require hospital treatment if you have severe dehydration. In order to alleviate your symptoms, your doctor will probably administer Intravenous (IV) fluids and salts as a safer and more effective method.
- Hyponatremia
Additionally, consuming too much water might be harmful to your health. When you consume too much water, the electrolytes in your blood may become diluted. Hyponatremia can result because of the sudden drop in the sodium levels of your body. Symptoms are::
- Unclear Thinking
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Seizures
- Muscle spasms, cramps, or weakness
- Coma
Hyponatremia by drinking too much water is rare. However, a high chance of acquiring this condition exists in youngsters and those who have a smaller body build. Likewise, those who engage in physical activity and consume a lot of water fast, like marathon runners, are fine with extra water intake. Consider consuming a sports drink containing sodium and other electrolytes to help replace the electrolytes you lose via perspiring if you may be at risk as a result of drinking a lot of water before working out