Why Is Hydration Essential To Good Health?

We often are told to drink more water, but most of us just don't know the reason, or how important it is to keep our body hydrated. An average of between six to eight glasses should be enough for a day. This will of course depend on the person's need. You should not wait to be thirsty to drink, because, by the time you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated.

''Your body depends on water to survive. Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work properly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and lubricate your joints. Water is needed for overall good health.'' American Academy of Family Physicians.

Water remains the best health drink to keep the body hydrated, although some drinks like tea, coffee, fruit juices, sports, energy drinks, and some foods may contribute to the amount of fluid you take in a day. It is however best to limit the intake of sugar and caffeine in some drinks when we are trying to hydrate the body.

Seven Notable Signs Of Dehydration

Your body tells you when you need to drink water, and here are the signs to look for:

1. Dry Mouth - is the number one sign of dehydration which can easily be solved by drinking water. That is everything being equal and that your dry mouth is not caused by another illness like diabetes or the medication you are on.

2. Little Wee - One should normally pass urine regularly, at least once in two hours. If you are not, or have dark yellow or amber urine, then you are dehydrated. Here is a table to know when to drink water.

3. Extreme Thirst that is (associated with fatigue or headache) - is another way your body is telling you to drink water that the body doesn't have enough water for normal cellular activities. Here again, this hydration can be due to fatigue from extreme exercise, in which you have lost water through sweating, or could be due to diarrhea.

4. Dizziness or lightheadedness - If the cells in the body are without adequate water, hydrogen may not get into the cells in the brain, as it should. This is because reduced blood pressure and lower blood volume will cause dizziness and lightheadedness.

5. Constipation & Muscle Cramp - This can occur if your food waste does not have enough water to move down to the colon for elimination. This can be uncomfortable, causing stomach and sometimes muscle cramps.

6. Bad Breath - contrary to what most don't believe, dehydration can cause an unusually high proportion of bacteria in the mouth, giving you bad breath. This is because our saliva has anti-bacterial properties, and dehydration stops the production of saliva, causing the build-up of bacteria in the mouth.

7. Tearless Cry (Dry Crying) - Are you aware that some people do have dry eyes? Yes, this might be another cause of dehydration where the tear glands are dry and do not shed tears. This is different from the emotional or psychological disorder that happens when some are unable to express their emotion or feeling.

People Who Are Most At Risk Of Dehydration

There are some people who should drink more water than the ordinary because of the fact that they are at higher risk of dehydration than others. These are athletics who sweat more due to high-intensity exercise, older people because the brain does not respond to thirst, disabled (the fact that they are not able to help themselves when they are thirsty or unable to communicate their needs).

There are others who are at risk due to certain illnesses, like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), diarrhea, kidney stone, diabetes who passes water frequently due to the fact that excess sugar needs to be eliminated via urine, and certain allergy reactions where there's frequent vomiting.

Can Adequate Hydration Cure Some Ailments?

Keeping the body hydrated can cure many minor ailments, especially urinary tract and bladder infections. This is by drinking more water to flush out the pathogens (bacteria and toxins) causing the infection. In a short video, ''YOU ARE NOT SICH BUT THIRSTY'', Dr Batmanghelidj was able to treat many ailments with water when he was incarcerated. He later wrote a book detailing his findings.

The Takeaways

• Dehydration is the cause of death of the elderly in care homes in the UK.
• If you don't drink enough water, you may become dehydrated. This means your body doesn't have enough fluid to operate properly.
• Water as a molecule is present throughout the cells of the body.