Hydration - The What, When, and Why of Water
Let’s start with simple science: What is Hydration?
Hydration refers to the right water level in your body. Water makes up roughly 60% of the body. So, you need to be drinking enough water every day to keep you healthy!
Hydration is important to keep the body healthy, control body temperature, deliver vital nutrients, and maintain various organ functions.
However, drinking enough water is only half the battle. You also need to maintain your body’s electrolyte levels, including sodium, magnesium, potassium, and chloride.
Hydration drinks can play an important role here – they can help boost your energy during or after exercising and also save you from post-workout fatigue and muscle soreness.
Let’s take a look at dehydration now. Dehydration means there isn’t enough water in our bodies. Our body loses fluids in several ways – through sweat and urine, through our lungs and gut, and even through our tears!
Therefore, you need to drink more to replace the water you have lost during the day.
But how do you know you’re dehydrated? Here are the 6 common signs of dehydration -
- Feeling thirsty (You’re constantly craving water and other fluids)
- Feeling dizzy (You feel woozy and unsteady)
- Feeling tired (You feel like laying in bed all the time)
- Headaches (There’s a persistent nagging pain in your head)
- Dry mouth and lips (Your mouth feels like a desert)
- Peeing less often (You rarely need to visit the washroom)
These were the ‘what happens’. We’ll now talk about ‘why it happens’.
Common reasons for dehydration are excessive heat, fever, vomiting, medicines, digestion problems (diarrhea), and strenuous exercise. In other words, if you lift too heavy at the gym or stand under the sun for too long, your body’s water supply gets depleted.
Paradoxically, you can also drink TOO MUCH water.
This is called water toxicity; when you drink large amounts of water in a short period of time, the kidneys are not able to eliminate the excess water fast enough. This leads to hyponatremia, a condition where your blood sodium levels drop too low due to the high amount of water.
Common symptoms of water toxicity are confusion, nausea, muscle spasms, and in severe cases, even seizures. But don’t worry – hyponatremia is very rare and mostly seen in people with kidney disease, heart failure, diabetes insipidus, and sometimes also among triathletes and marathon runners who, under conditions of extreme heat or prolonged exercise, lose too much sodium through their sweat.
So, how can you keep yourself well-hydrated?
- Tweak your diet for optimal hydration
You can regulate your hydration levels not just with liquids but also with your diet –
- Water-rich vegetables and fruits are your friends for staying hydrated!
- Consume loads of fruits (Make some extra space for watermelons!)
- Vegetables, like cucumbers, zucchini, and bell peppers have high water content and are ideal for keeping you hydrated
- Let in the Lettuce! (It’s made up of almost 95% water)
- Drink coconut water, no matter what season it is
- Dairy products like milk and yogurt help you keep hydrated throughout the day
- Keep it flowing with fluids. Include more soups, smoothies, and other fluid foods in your diet
- Pro tip: Avoid alcohol, coffee, soy sauce, salty snacks, and artificially sweetened sodas as they can dehydrate you.
- Smart Note: Food contributes about 20% of the daily fluid intake, while the rest can be taken up through fluids.
- Schedule It The Cool Way
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommend a daily fluid intake of –
- 15.5 cups or 3.7 liters for men
- 11.5 cups or 2.7 liters for women
Your body loses a lot of water on a day-to-day basis through –
- Exercise: As you sweat during a workout, water leaves your body
- Temperature: Hot and humid climates make you lose water in the form of sweat
- Medical conditions: In situations like fever, vomiting, diarrhea, bladder infections, or urinary tract stones, your body’s water demand goes up
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: When you are pregnant or breastfeeding your baby, you will need more water to stay hydrated.
To ensure good hydration, what changes should you make?
Well, ladies, for that, let’s take a look at Ria.
It wasn’t easy being Ria – she was always tired and lethargic, she would get headaches often, and she would rather stay in bed all day long.
Then, one day, Ria decided to make a few lifestyle changes. She started following tips and tricks to exercise and stay hydrated (guidelines by the American College of Sports Medicine)
- To begin with, Ria changed her eating habits – she consumed a balanced diet and drank enough water to stay hydrated
- Additionally, Ria drank around 500 ml (2 glasses) of water about 2 hours before exercising. Water Before Workout Works!
- She also started drinking fluids regularly to replace the water lost during exercise
- She drank it cool. In order to motivate herself to drink more water, Ria chose water cooler than room temperature and nicely flavored
- On days that she worked out for longer than an hour, Ria compensated by consuming additional carbohydrates and/or electrolytes
- During intense exercise lasting longer than 1 hour –
- She included 30-60 g of carbohydrates to delay muscle soreness and fatigue. At the same time, she used to drink 600-1200 ml (3-5 glasses roughly) to maintain good hydration
- Along with it, she included sodium (0.5-0.7 g/L of water), to enhance the taste of water, promote water retention, and prevent hyponatremia
With a schedule so fresh and set, she got her health back on track, her body grooving in style and started living the life of her dreams.
Now it’s time for your story. Stay hydrated with a proper diet plan and drink TONS of water!
- What: 2.7 liters or 11.5 glasses of water
- When: Throughout the day
Tip: Drink 500 ml (around 2 glasses) of water about 2 hours before exercising
- What: 10.5 glasses of water + Rasha Instant Hydration Drink Mix* (1-2 times a day)
- When: Drink water throughout the day.
*Mix 1 sachet of Instant Hydration with 200 ml of water and drink it 1-2 times daily on empty stomach and/or after exercise.
- What: 9.5 glasses of water + Rasha Performance Hydration Drink Mix* (1-2 times a day) + Rasha Sports Hydration Drink Mix** (1-2 times a day)
- When: Drink water throughout the day.
*Mix 1 sachet of Performance Hydration with 200 ml of water and drink it 1-2 times daily before exercise
**Mix 1 sachet of Sports Hydration with 200 ml of water and drink it 1-2 times daily on empty stomach and/or after exercise.
- What: 10.5 glasses of water + Rasha Rest & Relax! Drink Mix* (1-2 times a day)
- When: Drink water throughout the day.
*Mix 1 sachet of Rest & Relax! with 200 ml of water and drink it 1-2 times daily after waking up and/or after exercise.