Water is essential for life and it is very important to get the right amount of fluid to be healthy. You can’t survive without water – it is essential. Our body is made up of mostly water. It makes up nearly two-thirds of a man’s body and just over half of a woman’s.
Healthy Hydration:
In this article we will share the importance and benefits of hydration and explore a series of simple tips to staying hydrated:
- Why do we need water? – Water makes up a large proportion of the body. On average 60% of body weight in men and 50-55% in women (because women have a higher percentage of body fat). Water helps us to regulate temperature, transport nutrients and compounds in blood and help remove waste products that are passed in the urine as well as helping us to sweat. To avoid dehydration we need to replace this lost fluid regularly with fluids from food and drinks.
- When we get dehydrated – there can be impacts to our mental and physical function. Symptoms of mild dehydration include a dry mouth, headaches and poor concentration. When the body detects that more water is needed the first thing that happens is our kidneys reduce the amount of water lost in our urine. This means that the colour of our urine becomes darker and you can use the colour of your urine to tell if you are well hydrated – if you are drinking enough your urine should be a straw or pale yellow colour. If it’s darker then you probably need more fluid. Thirst kicks in when the body is already a little dehydrated, so it is important to drink when you are thirsty.
- How much water do you need to drink? – The amount of fluid you need depends on many things including the weather, how much physical activity you do and your age, but the Eatwell Guide suggests 6-8 glasses of fluid per day. Take a look at this water calculator to help identify how much water you need to consume – https://www.hydrationforhealth.com/en/hydration-tools/hydration-calculator/
- Can I drink too much? – It is possible, although very rare, to drink so much water the body cannot get rid of the excess quickly enough and sodium levels in the blood become dangerously low. This can have serious health consequences and is unlikely under normal conditions but has happened in individuals following a very extreme detox programme.
- Do you need sports drinks when exercising? – Whilst we need to increase our fluid intake during exercise. Water is fine for rehydrating after moderate exercise. Most people do not need special sports drinks to stay hydrated. However, for high intensity exercise that lasts more than 1 hour or so, drinks that contain some sugars and sodium (salt), such as sports drinks or homemade versions, may be better at replacing the extra fluid lost as sweat.
Benefits to staying hydrated:
- Help maximise performance both physically and mentally
- Increase energy levels and brain function
- Can help to minimise headaches
- May help to relieve constipation
- Can aid weight loss
We will explore some of these points further and discuss this topic during the ‘Healthy Hydration’ webinar on Wednesday 21st April 2021 at 12pm. You can register to join the webinar at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7223015553438807821
If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after
the webinar has taken place.
If you feel you may need some support, you can also contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.