Frequent physical activity and a balanced diet are important to staying healthy. However, we often forget that water is a fundamental need of the body, leading to dehydration.
Our body comprises around 60% water, found in different places, such as inside the cells and the space between them, in the blood, and other body fluids, such as sweat, saliva, and tears.
Water is crucial for our body, as it transports and distributes essential nutrients such as minerals, vitamins, glucose, proteins, and even fats. It also regulates our body temperature, eliminates toxins produced by our organs, acts as a lubricant for our joints, and, no less critically, helps our digestive process.
Dehydration can have many negative effects on our health, for example, a decrease in our blood volume, which makes it difficult for it to circulate, causing our organs and muscles to receive less nutrients and oxygen to function correctly.
Therefore, dehydration occurs when our water balance is negative, which means that we lose more water than we take in. The more water our body loses, the more serious the consequences for our health will be. Some very clear examples of this are:
- -Poor blood circulation and organ function due to a lack of nutrients.
- -Fatigue, bad mood, irritability, and loss of appetite.
- -Possible decrease in productivity.
However, when we are properly hydrated, brain cells receive oxygenated blood, which keeps the brain alert. A loss of water leads to a reduction in body weight of 1 to 2%, which can affect the brain’s processing capacity and short-term memory.
Hydration helps transport essential nutrients so cells can produce the energy necessary for the body’s proper functioning. It also plays a vital role in digestion since it is required to dissolve and absorb these nutrients, as mentioned above.
In the heart, it maintains blood pressure within healthy limits; in muscles and joints, it acts as a lubricant for their proper functioning. In the skin, it forms a barrier against pathogens and helps prevent the development of infectious and allergic processes.
It is very important for the kidneys, as they help regulate the body’s water levels by increasing or reducing the flow of urine, which helps eliminate unnecessary waste and nutrients.
It is essential always to maintain adequate hydration, which is lost when we stop consuming liquids properly; however, the body can hydrate itself from the various liquids we ingest so that between 75 and 80% of the water our body needs comes from drinks.
In comparison, the other 20-25% comes from the foods we eat, so to stay hydrated, we should not only consume liquids such as water, infusions, juices, dairy products, etc., but it is also essential to consume foods, mainly those that have a lot of water such as broths, soups, fruits and vegetables (the water content is higher than in other foods).
This is the basis from which we start to hydrate ourselves; however, there are also various ways to maintain our hydration level daily, beginning with the recommended daily water intake for the population of approximately 2 liters.
Another recommendation is that at the beginning of the day, we drink a glass of water and continue consuming liquids in small quantities constantly throughout the day. This will help us avoid situations such as having to go to the bathroom frequently.
It is also advisable to always carry a bottle of water that you can drink slowly, set alarms or reminders so that you don’t spend too much time without hydrating yourself, and set goals to motivate yourself to drink.
It is very important to create in ourselves the habit of drinking water before feeling thirsty since feeling thirsty is a sign of dehydration.
Natural water is always the ideal option for hydrating ourselves, but it is not always to everyone’s liking. We can choose to change its flavor a little by adding pieces of fruit, lemon slices, or aromatic herbs.
Always take care not to add sugar and avoid industrialized drinks such as soft drinks and processed juices, just to mention a few examples.
