Are you drinking enough water?

Let’s find out why hydration is so important to us.

The short answer is that we can’t survive without water. It is crucial for our survival and well-being. Our bodies are made up mostly of water.

Water helps us to regulate body temperature, remove waste, prevent infections, deliver nutrients to cells, keep our organs functioning properly, improves our sleep, cognition and even mood!

Other benefits of water are maintenance of healthy blood level, helps maximise physical performance and keeps our brain function healthy. Keeping hydrated also prevents kidney stones formation.

So, in the contrary, let’s see what happens within our bodies when we don’t consume enough fluids and become dehydrated.

One key point to highlight here is by the time we feel thirsty, the body is already dehydrated. Even a little dehydration can impact our mood, attention, memory, and motor coordination. ?

When you “lose body water” without replenishing it, the blood become more concentrated, your kidneys retain water and therefore you urinate less. On top of that, the thicker the blood becomes, it is harder for our cardiovascular system and therefore the heart rate is increased in order to maintain blood pressure. Thicker blood can also result in blood clot formation.

When the body is dehydrated, the risk of exhaustion and collapse is increased. Less water also affects body temperature, and it leads to imbalance in the body’s electrolytes such as potassium, phosphate and sodium which carry electrical signals between cells.

Additionally, lack of sufficient water intake can cause skin dryness that can lead to premature wrinkles. From experience, I had notice that insufficient water intake can cause dizziness, foggy brain, irritability, and difficulty in concentration.

Some signs of dehydration are:

1.?????Increases thirst

2.?????Decreased urination and dark urine

3.?????Dry skin

4.?????Headache (most commonly headache is caused by dehydration)

5.?????Muscle cramps

6.?????Confusion

7.?????Fever

So, how much should we drink?

The key is to start drinking in the morning and continue throughout the day before you feel thirsty.

A general rule we should drink 1/2 oz daily for each pound of body weight. Many health experts also recommend eight 8-ounce glasses, which is equivalent to about 2 litres. This is called 8x8 rule.

Despite all the recommendation about water intake, many factors have to be taken into the consideration such as the climate you live in, activity and environment.

Tips on how to increase hydration:

If you are not a fan of plain water, you can squeeze some fresh lemon or lime juice, add some fruits like raspberries or cucumber and fresh mint leaves. Add whatever you like and whatever will inspire you to drink more.

You can drink coconut water; it contains 95% of water (not to be confused with coconut milk).

1. Buy a nice bottle and decorate it.
2. Drink more fruit juices and smoothies (do them yourself for the best results) shop bought fruit juices often have additional sugar added or eat more raw fruits such as watermelon, oranges, strawberries, pineapple, grapefruit.
3. ?Eat more veggies such as tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers.
4. Introduce soups into your life. It can be a broth or in the hot days, cold soup such as gazpacho will keep you cool and hydrate you well. Be experimental and creative with your hot or cold soups.
5. Limit caffeinated drinks
6. Keep bottle of water always with you to remind you to drink.
7. For optimal hydration, you can add a pinch of Himalayan salt into your water or electrolytes.
8. Drink herbal teas. For example, a peppermint or chamomile infusion.
9. Keep water journal. Seeing your record will motivate you to maintain your fluid intake.
10. Best to stay away from sugar- sweetened drinks.

If you drink water, please ensure your water if purified. Avoid drinking tap water.

Purified water is the type of water that has been either filtered or processed in a certain way with the aim to remove impurities like chemicals and contaminants that are harmful to our body. Purified water is free from chloride, calcium, sulphate and is also fee of ammonia, carbon dioxide and heavy metals.?The regular tap water must go through a purification treatment before it can become drinkable. A tap water without purification is unhealthy and toxic to our body, mind, and spiritual life. When we make a little effort towards a positive change, we will be greatly rewarded.