Important facts about hydration,all you need to know!

Think of what you need to survive, really just survive. Food? Water? Air?  Naturally, I'm going to concentrate on water here. It is a natural resource that is required by every person to help satisfy our health-related needs. This includes our body composition, mental focus, sleep and recovery. It is evident that water is one of the key elements responsible for human life on earth and is vital for our survival. The amount of water in your body depends on various factors including age, gender, physical activity, and even where you live. It’s often referred to as Total Body Water (TBW).

For example, infants are born with roughly 78% of their entire weight being water. By one year of age, TBW decreases to about 65% of the weight. In healthy adult males, TBW averages 60% of their weight because they generally carry more lean mass. On the other hand, women will see that roughly 55% of their weight is TBW. Water is of major importance to all living things; in some organisms, up to 90% of their body weight comes from water. Up to 60% of the human adult body is water.

 These percentages are rigorous proof of the importance of H2O in our bodies to maintain favourable health. However, most people drink below their daily recommended quota. Even though people are aware of the health benefits of water, many fall short of the eight glasses a day, causing an alarming rise in the number of dehydrated individuals.

Each day humans must consume a certain amount of water to survive. Of course, this varies according to age and gender, and also by where someone lives. Generally, an adult male needs about 3 litres (3.2 quarts) per day while an adult female needs about 2.2 litres (2.3 quarts) per day. All of the water a person need does not have to come from drinking liquids, as some of this water is contained in the food we eat.

The function of water in the body

• A vital nutrient to the life of every cell acts first as a building material.

• It regulates our internal body temperature by sweating and respiration

• The carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream;

• It assists in flushing waste mainly through urination

• acts as a shock absorber for brain, spinal cord, and fetus

• forms saliva

• lubricates joints

According to Dr Jeffrey Utz, Neuroscience, paediatrics, Allegheny University, different people have different percentages of their bodies made up of water. Babies have the most, being born at about 78%. By one year of age, that amount drops to about 65%. In adult men, about 60% of their bodies are water. However, fat tissue does not have as much water as lean tissue. In adult women, fat makes up more of the body than men, so they have about 55% of their bodies made of water. Thus:

• Babies and kids have more water (as a percentage) than adults.

• Women have less water than men (as a percentage).

• People with more fatty tissue have less water than people with less fatty tissue (as a percentage).

The science behind hydration

When you take in water as fast as you lose it, you create a balance between the water reservoirs in the body. We remain sensitive to the water balance in our blood system and are well equipped at replacing any daily fluids lost through bodily functions, including:

• Excretion: a person can lose a pint to several gallons of urine a day.
• Breathing: when we inhale, moisture is added to the air as it passes to our lungs. The humidified air is then lost, once we exhale and the amount of water lost depends on the levels of humidity of the air.
• Sweating: we lose an under a litre of water daily when it evaporates from the skin. This amount can increase dramatically when we sweat profusely due to vigorous workouts or high body temperature.
• Digestion: generally, we lose little water through the digestive tract. However, in the case of severe diarrhoea and vomiting, a gallon or more can be lost.

Water consumption must balance water loss. If the body suffers through a water deficiency, the lymphatic system, the system that helps maintain fluid balance, makes sure essential cells stay hydrated at the cost of damage to less important ones, causing your body to perform less efficiently. .

What is Dehydration?

Dehydration is the medical term for what happens when the body loses more fluids than you take in. The human body loses water by sweating and producing urine, so you must replace the lost fluids by drinking water and other beverages. Frequent urination, persistent diarrhoea, vomiting, excessive sweating, and burns are some of the most common causes of dehydration.

What are the Symptoms of Dehydration?

If you think you are experiencing dehydration, you may have the following symptoms:

• Lethargy
• Dry mouth
• Muscle weakness
• Dizziness
• Headache

Severe dehydration may cause additional symptoms, such as:

• Low blood pressure
• Sunken eyes
• Reduced perspiration
• Dry skin
• Increased heart rate
• Fever

How can I stay hydrated?

With people becoming more aware of their health, proper eating habits and exercise routines have become more significant than ever. Despite this, we are all guilty of occasionally overlooking our need for hydration. Here are some tips and tricks to get you sipping.

• Spice it up by adding natural flavours like herbs or fresh fruits.
• Eat your H2O. Eating water-rich foods is an effective way to increase your water intake. Make sure your grocery shopping list includes fruits and vegetables that have high water content. Some water-rich foods include watermelon, cantaloupe, zucchini, peaches, spinach, broccoli, oranges, cucumber, grapefruits, strawberries, and lettuce.

• Install a water drinking app on your smartphone. There are numerous water monitoring apps available such as Waterlogged, Hydro Coach, and many more that you can download on your Android or iOS device to help you keep track of your daily H2O intake.
• Drink water before you get thirsty. Thirst is a sign that your body is already dehydrated. Therefore, to avoid arriving at this point, remember to sip water throughout the day.

How much water should I drink every day?

There are various opinions on how much an individual's daily water intake should be, the most common being about two litres a day. However, many internal and external factors ultimately affect how much water one needs.

• Infants: A few sips throughout the day but not more than two ounces of water. Any more can fill up the little space they have for breast milk or formula.

• For children between the ages of 4 to 13: drink between 1 litre to 1.7 litres of water per day depending on their age and gender. This is approximately four to six cups of water a day. The difference in water intake is due to the different makeup of our bodies, where males tend to have higher fat levels, hence requiring more water.

• For adults: Men need roughly 3 litres of water while women require 2.2 litres a day. That is roughly about 13 cups for men and 9 cups for women.

• For a pregnant woman: It is advisable to take 2.3 litres, about 9 cups, of fluid per day, which includes the daily recommended three glasses of milk or a calcium-rich soy drink.

• For the physically active: Take at least 2.7 litres, 11 cups of water, daily since strenuous physical activity, like going to the gym, can cause a rapid drop in fluid levels.

The optimal time to take water

There are certain times in the day that is best to hydrate to maximize the water's effectiveness on your body:

• After waking up to activate your internal body organs;
• Before taking a bath to lower blood pressure;
• Thirty minutes before eating to help in digestion and about an hour later to give the body time to absorb the food's nutrients;
• Before going to bed to account for any fluid loss as you sleep.

With these good hydration habits, you’ll have your metabolism running, energy up, digestion in check and skin glowing.

Exercise and hydration 

Exercise is thirsty work. Whenever you exercise you lose fluid, not only through sweating but also as water vapour in the air that you breathe out. During high-intensity exercise in hot, humid conditions, your body's fluid losses can be very high and, if the fluid is not replaced quickly, dehydration will follow.  Dehydration causes cardiovascular stress, increase core body temperature and impairs performance. This will have an adverse effect on your physical and mental performance, yet it can be avoided, or at least minimised, by appropriate drinking strategies. 

Fluid losses during exercise depend on exercise duration and intensity; temperature and humidity; body size; fitness level and the individual. They can be as high as 1-2 litres/hour. So, always start exercise well hydrated. During exercise, drink only to the point at which you are maintaining, not gaining weight, to avoid the risk of hyponatraemia(Hyponatremia is a low sodium concentration in the blood. It is generally defined as a sodium concentration of less than 135 mmol/L.)

Water is a suitable fluid replacement drink for low or moderate-intensity exercise lasting less than 1 hour. For intense exercise between 1 and 3 hours duration, a sports drink containing up to 80 g carbohydrate/litre can speed up water absorption, provide additional fuel, delay fatigue and improve performance.

Wrapping it Up 

The best thing you can do for proper body water balance is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you can achieve a healthy lifestyle, your body water will fall into balance naturally.  The first step would be to find out where your body water levels are today, so you can start planning for a healthier life now.

References:

https://www.waterlogic.com/en-gb/resources/blog/hydration-facts-all-you-need-to-know/

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/everything-you-need-to-know-about-hydration.html