Are you staying Hydrated?
By Joanie in Health Tips, Lifestyle Tips on 29 August 2019
Water plays an immense role in our bodily functions making it an essential part of our everyday life.It is crucial for the functionality of every system in our body including our heart, brain and kidneys. The intake of fluids carry nutrients to our cells, flushes bacteria from our bladder, lubricates our joints, regulates body temperature, boosts healthy skin, eliminate toxins, facilitates proper digestion and is vital for kidney function. However, for most of us drinking enough water is not a habit that we make a priority so unfortunately most of us don’t get enough of it.
Our bodies are made up of 60% water and our blood is made up of 90%. So it is incredibly important that we replenish the water that we loose every day performing our normal functions. The current IOM recommendation for people ages 19 and older is around 3.7 litres for men and 2.7 litres for women. This is your overall fluid intake per day, including anything you eat or drink containing water in it, like fruits or vegetables. Of this total, men should drink around 13 cups from beverages and women should drink 9 cups.
Since dehydration can be life threatening, it is important that you replenish your body with water immediately if you feel yourself becoming dehydrated.
Some of the symptoms of dehydration are:
- Headaches
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Irritability and confusion
- Dry skin that doesn’t bounce back when you pinch it
- Low blood pressure
- Urine is minimal and more yellowish than normal
- Tired or fatigued
- Extreme thirst
- Dry mouth, lips & eyes
Common causes of Dehydration
- Dehydration can happen more easily if you have:
- Vomiting or Diarrhoea
- Heatstroke from being in the sun too long
- High intake of alcohol
- High temperature of 38c or more
- Diabetes
- High intense exercise that produces a lot of sweat
- Medication that causes frequent urination