Why Should We Drink Water?

70-75% of the human body contains water, so its slight reduction, even by only 350 ml at a weight of 70 kg, leads to a feeling of thirst.
 

Water intake is necessary because it maintains the water-salt balance in the body. The body constantly loses moisture. With the release of water from our body, toxins and salts are also released.
 

A feeling of thirst occurs when the volume of circulating blood decreases and the blood pressure decreases. Namely, it moves the blood and leads to the transport of nutrients to the tissues.
 

Dry mouth is a sign, not a cause of thirst.


Why are we thirsty?
The feeling of thirst that we experience is a consequence of a long water-salt process. Cells lose their intracellular fluid and volume when water evaporates. With water loss, the blood becomes more saturated, salty, and also loses volume. Reduces the amount of osmoreceptor cells. In this condition, the kidneys begin to secrete renin. The heart also responds, its receptors signaling a drop in blood volume. The hypothalamus receives this signal through the vagus nerve. When thirsty, the body begins to draw moisture from the available fluids in the body, the amount of saliva decreases. Only then do the receptors on the oral mucosa respond to dry mouth and we establish a need for water.


When we ingest the invaluable fluid, the osmoreceptors will signal to the brain that the right amount of water is available in the cells.

Given that we are constantly experiencing a deficit, even of only 1% water, this affects our performance, muscle activity, the condition of blood vessels.


Dehydration
The way we feel the need for water can be judged on the condition of the body. It is difficult to calculate how much water we lose, as this happens even when breathing.
Large amounts of water are lost through heavy sweating, vomiting, fever, menstruation, sunburn, and poor nutrition.
In general, the feeling of thirst speaks only of slight dehydration of the body.


Symptoms of dehydration:

• physical weakness,
• loss of appetite
• redness of the skin,
• heartburn,
• headache,
• severe dry mouth,
• dizziness,
• dry cough,
• feeling hot, difficult to cope with high temperatures,
• dark urine with an odor.
  
   

We should seek medical attention when:

• the feeling of thirst is accompanied by increased appetite and frequent urination, which may be a sign of type 2 diabetes ,
• you feel not only the mucous membrane of your mouth dry, but also the lips, nose,
• thirst leads to feelings of weakness and fatigue.
  
   

During the summer season
Constantly high temperatures, strong sunlight, increased physical activity, all this accelerates the processes of moisture release from the body. The required amount of water to drink in the hot season increases from two to three liters per day.
 

It is recommended:

• water to drink when getting out of bed in the morning,
• to drink water constantly during the day,
• to consume mainly vegetables and fruits,
• if you drink three coffees a day and drink alcohol, you need extra water,
• two hours before sports you should take 2 glasses of water, during training you should also take sips.
  
   

What to replace water with
Some of the required amount of water can be obtained by drinking other types of fluids, but you must keep in mind:

• milk and juices are high in calories, so they should not be overdone,
• it is necessary to take a liter of liquid when eating in the form of a first course, soup,
• carbonated drinks harm the lining of the stomach, it is better to replace them with herbal tea - green tea, mint, bilberry, raspberry, chamomile, are suitable,
• it is not recommended to drink more than 2/3 of the contents of the glass at a time.
  
   

Other tips:

• Drinking water during meals disrupts the acidity in the stomach, drink 30 minutes before and an hour after.
• It is not advisable to drink large amounts of water immediately before exercise, as the required amount of sodium may be lost.
• In case of kidney and cardiovascular diseases, ask your doctor how much fluid you should take daily.