Hydration Facts You Need To Know

Water is the most essential drink in our life.  It is used in almost all the activities that we carry out in our day-to-day life. Cooking, bathing, cleaning, everything needs water.  Feeling thirsty? Drink some water. Are you perspiring? Drink more water. Like sleeping and breathing, drinking water plays a pivotal role in our body and life too. Let’s see what drinking and not drinking enough water can do to your body.

Every cell, tissue, and organ in our body needs water or rather fluid to perform its function. For instance, maintaining the body’s temperature, lubricating the joint, etc. The body’s ability to absorb water and carry out all bodily functions smoothly is called hydration. Hence, the reason our body is 60% made up of water. Of most of it is obtained through drinking water and other fluids, while 20% comes through food. Age, gender, and level of physical activity are some of the key factors that contribute to knowing the amount of water an individual should consume. Other factors include bodily processes such as breathing, urinating, etc. Also when the amount of consumption of dehydrating drinks such as coffee, determines the same.

The state of dehydration is when our body needs or loses more fluid than we consume to carry out its functions normally. Not replacing these lost fluids might put you at risk of severe dehydration. Although it can be prevented by making sure the body remains hydrated and gets adequate amounts of water at all times.

Restoring the fluids that are lost from dehydration is called rehydration. It can prevent our bodies from the effects of dehydration. More amounts of fluids than usual should be consumed in order to rehydrate the body.

Below mentioned are a few liquids that can help in keeping the body hydrated. 

• Water: Unlike any other drink, water is the cheapest, has zero calories, contains small amounts of essential minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium, and iron and is an ideal drink to keep the body hydrated throughout the day. A minimum of 2-3 litres (about 6-8 glasses) of water should be consumed on a daily basis.
• Coffee: Caffeinated drink like coffee acts as a diuretic and psyches up the body to absorb more water which in turn results in the body consuming more water.
• Coconut Water: Coconut water also acts as a substitute for water to keep one hydrated. It is rich in potassium, sodium, carbohydrates, sugars, calcium and fibre, along with anti-ageing and antimicrobial properties.
• Fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are made up of 80-90% water. Orange, watermelon, muskmelon, and grapes are some fruits with higher amounts of water. Similarly, vegetables like cucumbers, spinach, and tomatoes also have a great amount of water.
• Oral hydration solution: Oral hydration solutions come to the rescue during medical conditions like diarrhoea and vomiting where there is excessive loss of water and electrolytes like sodium and potassium, chloride and sugar. Lime juice with more sugar can do the same job as well.

• To sustain healthy levels of blood
• To Lubricate joints and cartilage
• To maintain electrolyte balance
• To make transportation of oxygen-rich blood and nutrients easy
• To drain out waste from the body
• To ensure easy and quick digestion of food and absorption of nutrients
• To prevent skin from drying
• To sustain the body's temperature

All in all, it is extremely necessary to keep your body hydrated all the time. Increasing your water consumption during illness, than usual, will help in eliminating the toxins speeding up recovery. Also, if you are someone who doesn't like the bland taste of water in sickness, you can add a few drops of lemon to it or any fruit concentrate to make it taste better and increase your water intake.