Our body is approximately 70% water with every cell in the body containing water. This is why it is essential to be regularly consuming water daily. Some of the reasons people do not consume water are too busy, they go to the bathroom too much, they aren’t thirsty or they just forget. There are simple solutions to these problems!
Water is essential too our function and our health so it is imperative we find time in our busy lives to drink. Options can include scheduling time to drink such as before work or even at the completion of a task. Even downloading a water reminder app can help.
With not being thirsty, the body has an internal switch, which recognises thirst. If you regularly don’t drink water this switch will not recognise we are thirsty even though our body may be in a dehydrated state. Once we begin to consume more and more water this switch turns on and our body recognises the need. We may even get to the point of consuming 2L a day and still feel a thirst for water. Once you regularly consuming water the body adapts and will not need to pee out as much. Adding minerals to the water also can provide alleviation to the bathroom problem as it helps the body to more readily uptake the water ingested.
Water assists in many functions throughout our body which include:
- Transportation of nutrients
- Cushioning joints (lowering pain)
- Maintaining cell health
- Marinating body temperature
- Playing an active role in chemical reactions within the body
Our body essentially must be kept in water balance. We must balance the water lost with the water we take in. Our body naturally loses fluids through urination, sweating and even through the lungs. On extremely hot days the loss of water through sweat may be more extreme depending on the heat level. It is recommended as a minimum that a person consumes 1L of water for every 30 kilograms of bodyweight. On top of that in circumstances of extreme water loss (such as during heat) it is recommend to have an extra 500mL per hour if sweating profusely.
There are also fluids we consume we can dehydrate the body. Coffee, alcohol and even excess amounts of tea can lead to dehydration. A standard cup of coffee has the ability to dehydrate you by 2 cups of water or approximately 500mL!
When the body becomes dehydrated, usually a person will notice an increase in stress. This is usually due to the cortisol release during the dehydration period. Cortisol is our body’s stress hormone. If this hormone is constantly on the release it will be particularly hard for our bodies to relax or even sleep at night.
Signs of dehydration are often easy to realise and they include:
- Dry mouth
- Dark urine
- Rarely going to the bathroom
- Regular headaches
- Increase in stress levels
- Change in blood pressure
Water is essential to life. It is vitally imperative that we consume water daily otherwise we can risk causing problems to our health. The best thing to remember is to start out slow and to slowly increase the water to the level that your body needs. And before you know it you will be drinking more water than you ever thought you could!
