The human body is made up largely of water, up to 60% in an adult. Your heart, lungs, muscles, kidneys and even your bones need some water content to fulfill their role in an optimal way. Water supplies the cells of your body in nutrients, evacuates waste, bacteria and toxins, regulates the temperature of your body in particular thanks to perspiration, lubricates your joints, absorbs shocks and renders you many other services essential to your survival.
When the body lacks water, we talk about dehydration. Dehydration can be mild and can be quickly remedied by drinking water, or it can be severe and cause irreparable damage or death.
Signs that you are not drinking enough water on a regular basis
You may not be drinking enough water on a regular basis because you don't feel thirsty, for example. This is common among older people. This is called dehydration. Here are a few signs that should tip you off:
- Fatigue and loss of energy: Your blood circulation deteriorates when you are dehydrated, and your body is no longer supplied with enough oxygen. Drowsiness and fatigue are the effects of the lack of oxygen in the blood.
- Excessive thirst: It sounds obvious, but it's easy to get distracted and then find yourself at the end of the day, or the next day, feeling so thirsty that a dam can't quench it. Remember to hydrate regularly and avoid excessive thirst.
- Dry mouth: This is a good way to know that you need to pour yourself a good glass of water and drink it. If your mouth is often watery, you need to think about staying better hydrated.
- Weight and muscle mass loss: Your muscles are largely composed of water. Deprived of water, your muscle mass decreases leading to an overall weight loss. It is therefore essential for an athlete to be well hydrated if he wants to gain strength and muscle mass.
- Less frequent pee breaks: You may not be drinking enough water. A normal person may go to the bathroom up to six times during the day and once or twice at night.
- Dry and rough skin: It shows on your face and on your skin. Dry, loose skin is a sign of dehydration. Try to pinch yourself and see if your skin comes back quickly. If it doesn't, drinking more water will help.
- Constipation: Your digestion is also affected when you don't drink enough water. Beware of indigestion and constipation, which are also signs of dehydration!
How many glasses of water per day
Every day a human being must absorb a certain amount of waterif he wants to continue to live...simply. Know that you can't survive more than a few days, or a few weeks in very favorable conditions, without drinking water.
But how much water should you drink each day to stay healthy? The answer to this question is not as simple as one might think because it depends on several factors such as age, gender, physical activity, air conditioning, etc.
Under normal conditions, and knowing that some of the foods we eat, such as fruit, also contain water, It is recommended to drink four to six glasses of water per day. Each glass contains between 200 and 250 ml of water, making a total of between one and 1.5 liters of water per day. These are the recommendations from a scientific letter from Harvard University.
In general, therefore, it is recommended that adults drink about 1.5 liters of water per day. This amount can be increased in hot weather or if you exercise a lot. Pregnant or breastfeeding women need to drink a little more water.
Note that the water in the food and beverages we consume daily accounts for about 20% of our daily water intake. This means that you don't need to drink 1.5 liters of pure water per day to stay hydrated.
How to stay well hydrated every day
The most obvious solution that comes to mind for staying well hydrated is to drink tap water or bottled water. But you can also count the fruits and vegetables you eat each day as a source of hydration.
For example, citrus fruits, cucumbers and tomatoes are very rich in water. It is important to drink regularly throughout the day rather than drinking it all at once. Your body needs water throughout the day to function properly. If you wait until you are thirsty to drink, you are already (somewhat) dehydrated.
There are several ways to make sure you drink enough water every day. For example, you can always have a bottle of water on hand and sip it throughout the day. You can also invest in a water filter or carafe filter to have healthier water at your fingertips! By following these tips, you can easily ensure that you are drinking enough water each day to stay healthy!
Video: 1 or 2 liters of water per day?
It is recommended that you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to stay healthy (the equivalent of 1 to 1.5 liters). However, this amount may vary depending on your physical activity, climate and food and beverage intake.
Dehydration occurs when you lose more water than you take in and your body is not able to compensate for this loss. The effects of dehydration can include headaches, fatigue, decreased urine production and decreased sweating.
Warning signs of dehydration may include excessive thirst, dry or tingling mouth, red or irritated eyes, dry or irritated skin, weakness, dizziness or headaches.
Dehydration can be caused by excessive water loss through sweating, vomiting, stooling or urination. It can also be caused by decreased water intake due to insufficient water consumption or prolonged exposure to hot or arid conditions.
To prevent dehydration, it is important to drink enough water throughout the day. It is also important to limit your intake of foods and beverages that can lead to dehydration, such as hard liquor, caffeine and concentrated fruit juices.
