Over
70 % of the adult body is made of water. Our body cannot function
without water: a human will die faster of thirst than of hunger. A 68
kg person has about 40 liters of water in the body. 23-26% is found
inside the cells, 7,5 % in the space between the cells and up to 4
liters in the blood. This volume must be kept constant. Food does not
deliver enough moisture; doctors say we should drink two liters of
water daily, since our body eliminates water through urine, sweat (we
sweat even when temperature is under 0), feces and breath.
Water is never enough: you will compensate for the body's ability to
eliminate water (a state called hyperhydration) only by drinking over
7.5 liters of water in 24 hours. Here are 14 reasons why you should
drink a sufficient amount of water daily:
1. Dehydration (lower water amount) affects body functioning
- Digestion, excretion and the constant maintenance of the body
temperature cannot be ensured if water is under the normal levels in
the body. The water balance is connected to the electrolyte levels
(mineral salts blood ratio). The sodium level in the blood is the
source which can ‘tell’ us the hydration level in our body.
When there is too much sodium in the blood, the body retains water to
dilute the sodium excess and less urine is produced.
2. Thirst - this is a sensation forming in the brain nuclei, which can
be easily ‘cheated’. That's why dehydration may not cause
immediate thirst. You may be dehydrated without being thirsty. When
you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Dehydration and thirst are
more connected when you practice sports.
3. Diet - Dieting means eating less, and since foods can be an
important source of water for our body, you must replace the water
ingested through food by drinking that equal amount.
4. Temperature - Heat boosts the required amount of water, as you sweat
more to cool down the body. Water consume must increase during summer.
The same happens during exercising: muscular contraction releases heat,
the body temperature increases, and so does sweating. An adult needs
one extra liter of water for each hour of exercising.
5. Kidney - Chronic dehydration has been connected to the development
of kidney calculi. This works also for chronic urinary infections. Also
the kidneys work better with abundant water.
6. Skin - Aging skin loses water. Hydrated skin is smoother and
healthier. Water feeds the skin and cleans the body of toxins,
that’s why hydrated skin looks healthy and shiny.
7. Toxins - Water is involved in all the metabolic reactions. Diets
rich in proteins require higher amounts of water, because higher
amounts of toxic nitrogen compounds form and they are easier to be
eliminated by the organism in the presence of abundant water (because
kidney and sweat glands work faster).
8. Diuresis - Water ingestion speeds up the elimination of liquids and drugs from the organism.
9. Aging - In case of elder people, the sensation of thirst decreases,
especially if they are sedentary or suffer from dementia. Their kidneys
lose more water and they should drink a cup of water every two hours.
10. Slimming – Water has no calories. Drink water before eating,
and it will decrease the sensation of an ‘empty stomach’,
the hunger sensation. Do not drink water after eating! This will dilute
the ingested food, which will pass faster through the stomach and
hunger sensation will return earlier. Also, water dilutes the digestive
juices in the stomach.
11. Vomits. People may not realize that through vomiting they lose huge
amounts of water and electrolytes. Diarrhea and fever (through sweat)
too have the same effect and the body loses sodium and potassium, which
are very important in the water balance. Up to 4 liters daily can be
lost through severe vomiting or diarrhea, that's why salts must have a
replacement. Isotonic drinks or alkaline solutions are recommended,
too.
12. Diabetes – the only symptoms of the diabetes insipidus are
the exaggerated thirst and the excessive amount of urine. It can start
gradually or suddenly at any age and it is the result of a deficiency
of antidiuretic hormones, which limit the production of excessive
urine. A person can drink enormous amounts (4 to 30 liters) of liquid
to compensate the loss produced by so much urine.
13. Coffee and tea – caffeine is a mild diuretic, speeding up the
urination cycle, but at the same time, it "steals" the calcium and
electrolytes (that are eliminated through urine). Coffee also increases
water loss through feces, since it functions as a laxative.
14. Alcohol – you say that you're going to get hydrated with a
beer. That's false: you're going to lose more water. It's not only
about the diuretic effect of the beer. After a drinking bout, on
average 3 glasses of water are required to rehydrate your body. Because
by drinking you lose many fluids, going to bed dehydrated will make the
body unable to eliminate the alcohol, and (in concentrated levels) the
alcohol will induce nasty effects in time.
70 % of the adult body is made of water. Our body cannot function
without water: a human will die faster of thirst than of hunger. A 68
kg person has about 40 liters of water in the body. 23-26% is found
inside the cells, 7,5 % in the space between the cells and up to 4
liters in the blood. This volume must be kept constant. Food does not
deliver enough moisture; doctors say we should drink two liters of
water daily, since our body eliminates water through urine, sweat (we
sweat even when temperature is under 0), feces and breath.
Water is never enough: you will compensate for the body's ability to
eliminate water (a state called hyperhydration) only by drinking over
7.5 liters of water in 24 hours. Here are 14 reasons why you should
drink a sufficient amount of water daily:
1. Dehydration (lower water amount) affects body functioning
- Digestion, excretion and the constant maintenance of the body
temperature cannot be ensured if water is under the normal levels in
the body. The water balance is connected to the electrolyte levels
(mineral salts blood ratio). The sodium level in the blood is the
source which can ‘tell’ us the hydration level in our body.
When there is too much sodium in the blood, the body retains water to
dilute the sodium excess and less urine is produced.
2. Thirst - this is a sensation forming in the brain nuclei, which can
be easily ‘cheated’. That's why dehydration may not cause
immediate thirst. You may be dehydrated without being thirsty. When
you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Dehydration and thirst are
more connected when you practice sports.
3. Diet - Dieting means eating less, and since foods can be an
important source of water for our body, you must replace the water
ingested through food by drinking that equal amount.
4. Temperature - Heat boosts the required amount of water, as you sweat
more to cool down the body. Water consume must increase during summer.
The same happens during exercising: muscular contraction releases heat,
the body temperature increases, and so does sweating. An adult needs
one extra liter of water for each hour of exercising.
5. Kidney - Chronic dehydration has been connected to the development
of kidney calculi. This works also for chronic urinary infections. Also
the kidneys work better with abundant water.
6. Skin - Aging skin loses water. Hydrated skin is smoother and
healthier. Water feeds the skin and cleans the body of toxins,
that’s why hydrated skin looks healthy and shiny.
7. Toxins - Water is involved in all the metabolic reactions. Diets
rich in proteins require higher amounts of water, because higher
amounts of toxic nitrogen compounds form and they are easier to be
eliminated by the organism in the presence of abundant water (because
kidney and sweat glands work faster).
8. Diuresis - Water ingestion speeds up the elimination of liquids and drugs from the organism.
9. Aging - In case of elder people, the sensation of thirst decreases,
especially if they are sedentary or suffer from dementia. Their kidneys
lose more water and they should drink a cup of water every two hours.
10. Slimming – Water has no calories. Drink water before eating,
and it will decrease the sensation of an ‘empty stomach’,
the hunger sensation. Do not drink water after eating! This will dilute
the ingested food, which will pass faster through the stomach and
hunger sensation will return earlier. Also, water dilutes the digestive
juices in the stomach.
11. Vomits. People may not realize that through vomiting they lose huge
amounts of water and electrolytes. Diarrhea and fever (through sweat)
too have the same effect and the body loses sodium and potassium, which
are very important in the water balance. Up to 4 liters daily can be
lost through severe vomiting or diarrhea, that's why salts must have a
replacement. Isotonic drinks or alkaline solutions are recommended,
too.
12. Diabetes – the only symptoms of the diabetes insipidus are
the exaggerated thirst and the excessive amount of urine. It can start
gradually or suddenly at any age and it is the result of a deficiency
of antidiuretic hormones, which limit the production of excessive
urine. A person can drink enormous amounts (4 to 30 liters) of liquid
to compensate the loss produced by so much urine.
13. Coffee and tea – caffeine is a mild diuretic, speeding up the
urination cycle, but at the same time, it "steals" the calcium and
electrolytes (that are eliminated through urine). Coffee also increases
water loss through feces, since it functions as a laxative.
14. Alcohol – you say that you're going to get hydrated with a
beer. That's false: you're going to lose more water. It's not only
about the diuretic effect of the beer. After a drinking bout, on
average 3 glasses of water are required to rehydrate your body. Because
by drinking you lose many fluids, going to bed dehydrated will make the
body unable to eliminate the alcohol, and (in concentrated levels) the
alcohol will induce nasty effects in time.
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