In this article guideline, we’ll dive into why overall Body Hydration is so important to your health and wellness. Suffice it to say, that your body depends on water to survive. Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work properly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and lubricate your joints.
Simply put, water is needed for overall good health. One thing is for sure, water makes up more than half of your body weight. You lose water each day when you go to the bathroom, sweat, and even when breathing. Perse, you’ll lose water even faster when the weather is really hot — as well as when you’re physically active, or if you have a fever.
Vomiting and diarrhea can also lead to rapid water loss. In other words, if you don’t drink enough water, you may become dehydrated. This means, that your body doesn’t have enough fluid to operate properly. For this reason, be sure to actively drink plenty of water to avoid becoming dehydrated. Similarly, follow my leads in this guide to discover other useful tips.
What Body Hydration Is All About
Body Hydration is the replacement of bodily fluids lost through sweating, exhaling, and eliminating waste. On average, the body loses and needs to replace about 2-3 quarts of water daily. Luckily, the composition of many foods that we eat is mostly water. In terms of body hydration, foods with high water content include greens and most fruits and vegetables.
In short, you should drink water every day. To achieve the recommended body hydration quotient, you should look to water first before any other fluid or liquid forms. Most people have been told they should drink 6 to 8, 8-ounce glasses of water each day. That’s a reasonable goal, right? However, different people need different amounts of water to stay hydrated.
For instance, most healthy people can stay well hydrated by drinking water and other fluids whenever they feel thirsty. While, for some people, fewer than 8 glasses may be just enough. Other people may need more than 8 glasses each day. You can also find water in many fruits and vegetables (for example, watermelon, tomatoes, and lettuce), and in soup broths.
So, why does body hydration really matters? Every day, we lose water from our bodies in various forms. May it be through our breath, perspiration, urine, and bowel movements — which is why it’s important to continue to take in water throughout the day. For the body to function at its best, you must replenish its water supply with beverages or food containing water.
The other water benefits are:—
- Helps regulate body temperature
- Carries nutrients and oxygen to cells
- Moistens tissues in the eyes, nose, and mouth
- Helps protect body organs and tissues as well as lubricate joints
- Lessens the burden both kidneys and liver have by flushing out waste products
- Helps dissolve minerals and nutrients to make them accessible to your body
In addition to the above list, specifically, drinking hot water may also contribute to a healthy weight-loss plan. Not forgetting, some scientific research also suggests that drinking enough water can help you feel full. Regular physical activity and healthy diets are important for healthy aging. However, the body’s basic need for water is often overlooked, resulting in dehydration.
How Much Water Is Too Much?
Well, this depends on your body and the kind of activity you are doing. Talk to your family doctor if you have questions about the right amount of water to drink while exercising. There are no exact rules for how much water to drink while exercising because everyone is different. You also need to consider other varying factors as well.
Including your sweat rate, the heat and humidity in your environment, and how long and hard you are exercising. The American Council on Exercise suggests the following guides for drinking water before, during, and after exercise:
- 17 to 20 ounces of water 2 to 3 hours before you start exercising.
- 8 ounces of water 20 to 30 minutes before you start exercising or during your warm-up.
- 7 to 10 ounces of water every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise.
- 8 ounces of water no more than 30 minutes after you exercise.
Athletes may want to measure how much fluid they lose during exercise. More so, in order to get a more specific measurement of how much water to drink (16 to 24 ounces of water for every pound of body weight lost). For most people, water is all that is needed to stay hydrated. However, what if you will be exercising at a high intensity for longer than an hour?
Learn More: 15 Benefits Of Drinking Water And Other Water Facts
Well, in that case, a sports drink may be helpful. The calories, potassium, and other nutrients in sports drinks can provide energy and electrolytes to help you perform for a longer period of time. Choose a sports drink wisely! For one thing, they are often high in calories from added sugar and may contain high levels of sodium. Also, check the serving size.
If you drink the entire bottle, you may need to double or triple the amounts given on the nutrition facts label. Since some sports drinks contain caffeine, if you consume that contains caffeine, be careful not to add too much caffeine to your diet. Caffeine may cause a diuretic effect on your body. This means, that you may have to urinate more often.
Other Best Alternative Water Options For Body Hydration
First of all, energy drinks are not the same as sports drinks. Energy drinks usually contain large amounts of caffeine. Also, they contain ingredients that overstimulate you (guarana, ginseng, or taurine). These are things your body doesn’t need — for most of them are quite high in added sugar. According to doctors, children, and teens should not have energy drinks.
In general, sports drinks can be helpful if you’re planning on exercising at higher-than-normal levels for more than an hour. They contain carbohydrates and electrolytes that can increase your energy. They help your body absorb water. However, some sports drinks are high in calories from added sugar. They also may contain high levels of sodium (salt).
Chiefly, it’s also best to limit caffeinated drinks too. Whilst, keeping in mind, that caffeine may cause some people to urinate more frequently or feel anxious or jittery. Plus, be mindful of what you drink. Some choices may add extra calories from sugar to your diet. At all times, in order to be safe, always check the serving size on the label.
Eventually, some sports drinks contain caffeine, too. Surprisingly, one bottle may even contain more than one serving. Remember that a safe amount of caffeine to consume each day is no more than 400 milligrams. Luckily, there are decent caffeine amounts that are found in popular drinks we all enjoy and love drinking. This’s something worth mentioning below.
Consider the caffeine amounts in these drinks:—
- 12 ounces of a Coca-Cola Soda: 30 to 40 milligrams
- 8 ounces of green tea or black tea: 30 to 50 milligrams
- 8 ounces black coffee: 80 to 100 milligrams
- 8-ounce energy drinks: 40 to 250 milligrams
While plain water is best for staying hydrated, other drinks and foods can help, too. Fruit and vegetable juices, milk, and herbal teas add to the amount of water you get each day. Even caffeinated drinks (for example, coffee, tea, and soda) can contribute to your daily water intake. A moderate amount of caffeine (400 milligrams) isn’t harmful to most people.
Whether you’re a serious athlete or simply exercise for recreation, it’s important to stay hydrated. Good body hydration means getting the right amount of water before, during, and after exercise. Water regulates your body temperature and lubricates your joints. It helps transport nutrients to give you energy and keep you healthy.
The Key Notable Dehydration Side Effects
Oftentimes, Dehydration occurs when you use or lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. If you don’t replace lost fluids, you will get dehydrated. As you lose fluid, your blood becomes more concentrated, making your cardiovascular system work harder to efficiently pump blood.
A high blood concentration also makes your kidneys retain more water, which is why you urinate less. Dehydration can also affect the sleep hormone, melatonin. If you’re chronically dehydrated it can reduce your levels of essential amino acids which are needed to produce melatonin, throwing off your circadian rhythm and making it difficult for you to stay asleep.
Learn More: What Happens to Your Body When You’re Dehydrated?
Important to realize, that some people are at higher risk of dehydration than others. Including people who exercise at a high intensity (or in hot weather) for too long. As well as those with certain medical conditions (like kidney stones, bladder infection), are sick (fever, vomiting, diarrhea), pregnant, or breastfeeding. Or rather, they are trying to lose weight.
Overall, dehydration commonly affects those people who aren’t able to get enough fluids during the day. Older adults are also at higher risk. Bearing in mind, that as you get older, your brain may not be able to sense dehydration. Thus, it doesn’t send sufficient signals for thirst to the brain.
You should see a doctor immediately if you have symptoms of dehydration, heat exhaustion, or heatstroke. You should also see a doctor if you have symptoms of a rare condition called hyponatremia. These include confusion, headache, vomiting, and swelling of the hands and feet. So, before we move on, there are a few things you can consult a doctor about.
Body hydration questions to ask a doctor:
- How much water should I drink each day?
- Am I more at risk of becoming dehydrated?
- What is the best way for me to prevent dehydration?
- I don’t like water, what’s the next best thing to keep me hydrated?
- How much more water should I drink when I am exercising?
- Are there foods I can add to water to make it taste better?
- What if I can’t consume as many fluids as doctors recommend?
- What does it mean if I drink a lot of fluids but don’t urinate often?
- How does drinking alcohol affect hydration?
- Does altitude affect hydration?
Realistically, the eyes may be a window into the soul, but the toilet bowl is a window into the body. Turns out, you can learn a lot about what’s going on inside by examining what comes out. In reality, it’s become pretty standard advice to keep an eye on what you leave behind when you pee. And to aim for a light lemonade color as a sign of optimal hydration.
With that in mind, as we aforementioned, by not drinking enough water, you’ll get dehydrated. Meaning, that your body doesn’t have enough fluid to operate properly. A simple way to make sure you’re staying properly hydrated is to check your urine. Furthermore, the urine color chart can be a great indicator tool to detect early body dehydration signs to note.
Learn More: The Urine Color Chart | What Is Normal Plus When To See A Doctor
On one side, if your urine is usually colorless or light yellow, you are most likely well hydrated. On the other side, if your urine is either dark yellow or amber-colored, then, it can be a sign of dehydration. As a matter of fact, normal urine ranges in color. From pale yellow to deep amber. Whereas, these are the result of a pigment called urochrome in the urine.
And, as such, it usually indicates how well diluted or concentrated the urine is. Always remember, that the urine color chart indicator may vary from time to time — and, also, from each daily intake and overall health. Dehydration can range from mild to severe. Symptoms of severe dehydration can include mental confusion, weakness, and loss of consciousness.
You should get emergency medical attention immediately if you have any of the severe symptoms or other mild signs below.
Such signs are:—
- Little or no urine
- Sleepiness or fatigue
- Muscle cramps, or headaches
- Dry mouth or extreme thirst
- Urine that is darker than usual
- Dizziness or a lightheadedness feeling
- Lack of sweating, or hard, fast heartbeat
- No tears when crying
For some reason, thirst is often confused with hunger. To enumerate, thirst is normally just the brain’s way of warning that you’re dehydrated because you’re not drinking enough fluid. Usually, drinking plenty of water will take care of your thirst. Moreover, excessive thirst is a very common symptom. Often, as a result of a triggering brain reaction to fluid loss.
More so, during a vigorous exercise activity or even after eating salty foods — the reason why you should not consume ocean (salty) water. You’ll die of dehydration! But sometimes, no amount of water seems like enough. Whereby, you’ll drink and drink and drink — and drink — and still be thirsty. That’s a condition known as Polydipsia (excessive and persistent thirst).
Learn More: Why Am I Always Thirsty? 5 Possible Causes of Excessive Thirst
People who have Polydipsia will also spend a lot of time in the bathroom. Sometimes, it could also be a sign of an underlying condition such as diabetes. But, the urge to drink too much water, fluids, or even liquids can also be a physical or emotional disease. Meaning, that excessive thirst may be a symptom of hyperglycemia — which may help in detecting diabetes.
Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) is the technical term for high blood glucose (blood sugar). High blood glucose happens when the body has too little insulin or when the body can’t use insulin properly. On that note, if staying hydrated becomes tellingly difficult for you, there are some key tips that can greatly help you to get back on track.
Consider some of these basic guidelines:—
- Keep a bottle of water with you during the day.
- To reduce your costs, carry a reusable water bottle and fill it with tap water.
- If you don’t like the taste of plain water, try adding a slice of lemon or lime to your drink.
- Drink water before, during, and after a workout.
- When you’re feeling hungry, drink water.
- If you have trouble remembering to drink water, drink on a schedule (like when you wake up).
- Drink water when you go to a restaurant, it will keep you hydrated, and it’s free.
If you’re not hydrated, your body can’t perform at its highest level. You may feel tired, have muscle cramps, dizziness, or other serious symptoms. For example, drink water when you wake up, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and when you go to bed. Or, drink a small glass of water at the beginning of each hour.
Perse, the best way to beat the body’s hydration deficit is by doing what is necessary. Like drinking the daily recommended amount of water by both scientists and doctors. You should stay ahead by reading various tips and recipes on the internet — that’s if you’ll face any difficulty drinking enough water daily. Lastly, you should also talk to your healthcare provider.
Takeaway Thoughts;
Surprisingly, drinking water does more than just quench your thirst — it’s essential to keeping your body functioning properly and feeling healthy. Nearly all of your body’s major systems depend on water to function and survive. You’d be surprised about what staying hydrated can do for your body. Not to mention the role it has in making sure that you stay healthy.
The fact is that by consuming the minimum recommended of water, you’re helping the body’s hydration process — to always stay in check. To function better and improve your overall health. Effectively, the Mayo Clinic recommends a minimum daily water intake. Consider the following: Firstly, for Women — at least 11.5 cups. Secondly, for Men — at least 15.5 cups.
So, a total daily intake of around 2.7 liters (91 ounces) for women and 3.7 liters (125 ounces) for men can meet most adults’ (age 19 and above) water needs. Fortunately, depending on the other foods and beverages you consume, you may not need to drink 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day to meet your fluid requirements.
More Related Resource Topics:
- The role of water in the human body
- Lemon Water Benefits You Should Know
- Hyperglycemia (High Blood Glucose) | ADA
- Thirst – Illnesses & Conditions | NHS Inform
- Urochrome Definition Meaning | Merriam Webster
- A 10-Day Detox Program For You To Consider
- Polydipsia – Excessive Thirst Causes & Signs
- Energy Drinks | The Nutrition Source
That’s it! The complete guideline to kickstart and include a working body hydration strategy in your daily dietary and supplementary plan. Be that as it may, if you’ll need more help, you can always Consult Us and let us know how we can sort you out. You can also share your additional thoughts, suggestions, or even questions in our comments section.
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