Water is a significant element that our body cannot lack. There is 60 percent water in our bodies. We need to drink water daily to compensate for water loss each day and keep balance and function in our bodies. We should drink enough water to make our bodies balanced and function effectively.
How much water should I drink?
According to organizations in the United States, the average amount of water that men should get in a day is 3.7 liters, and the average amount of water that women should get in a day is 2.7 liters.
However, there is a formula to calculate the amount of water you must drink to get enough water in a day. The formula is based on your weight.
For each 1,000 cc. of calculation, you need to drink water for 5 glasses.
For example, if your weight is 64 kilograms, there is a calculation like this.
The result of this calculation is 2112 cc. It means that you need to drink water for about 2 liters a day. Therefore, you need to drink water for about 10 glasses.
How do you know you have enough water in your body?
The color of our urine can signal to us that we have enough water in our body. If you drink enough water, the color of your urine is pale yellow. If water is not enough in your body, the color of your urine is dark yellow.
Factors that cause a change in water requirement
When you are in some conditions, you will need more water. You will have to drink more water in one day. The conditions that increase water requirements include:
- Exercise: When you get exercise, your body loses so much sweat. It causes you to drink more water to compensate for water loss.
- Sickness: When you have a fever, you need more water to compensate for the water loss. When you are a diabetic person, you will lose so much water. This is because the sugar is eliminated simultaneously with your urine. Therefore, you will pass the urine more frequently. It causes you to lose so much water. You need to drink more water in one day.
- Pregnancy: People in pregnant conditions need to drink more water.
- Hot environment: Hot weather causes you to lose water. People in hot weather, such as those who work outdoors, need to drink more water.
Signal of dehydration
When you lack water, your body will show you some signs of dehydration. These signs include:
- You are thirsty.
- When you pass urine, your urine will be intensive yellow.
- Your mouth, tongue, and skin will dry.
- You will easily get tired.
- Your blood pressure is low. Someone may have a seizure.
- Your heartbeat is not steady. It beat faster.
Dehydration can occur in everyone, especially infants, children, patients, and people who work outdoors. Hence, you need to drink enough water a day.
The benefit of drinking enough water
These are the benefits of drinking enough water.
- Drinking enough water helps decrease the risk of high blood pressure, cystitis, and diseases related to blood vessels.
- Drinking enough water helps relieve your stress.
- Drinking enough water helps you have a better mood and sleep.
- Drinking enough water helps increase your ability to respond and short-term memory.
- Drinking enough water helps control your weight. You will not be too fat.
Negative impacts of not drinking enough water
These are the negative impacts of not drinking enough water.
- Your mood will swing.
- You will shock.
- You will have a constipation.
- The temperature in your body will be too high.
- You will have calculi around your kidney.
- You will be fatigued.
- You may experience dryness in your lips and tongue.
- The color of your urine will be dark.
- You will pass urine less frequently.
Good time to drink water
- 1 glass after waking up: Drinking water makes you refresh and compensates for water loss while you sleep. Moreover, drinking water after waking up helps reduce the energy you have gotten from a meal. It is good for people who would like to lose weight. Additionally, it helps reduce the circulatory system and excretory system.
- 1-2 glasses in the late morning: Drinking water in the late morning helps eliminate residue from your body.
- 1 glass before a meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner): Drinking water reduces your anger for food; you will not eat too much food in a meal. Moreover, it helps reduce the energy from the food you have eaten. It is good for you to lose weight. However, you should not drink too much water because water will reduce the digestive system’s effectiveness in your body. It would help to drink a glass of water for at least half an hour before a meal.
- 1 glass after a meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner): Drinking water helps digest and absorb nutrients from food. Moreover, it promotes the effectiveness of the function of the digestive system and prevents constipation.
- 1 glass in the late afternoon: Drinking water in the late afternoon helps relieve sleepiness and makes you refreshed.
- 1 glass before sleeping: Drinking water helps prevent the lack of sleep water while you are sleeping. Moreover, it helps eliminate residue from your intestine. However, you should not drink water too close to the time you sleep because it makes you compelled to urinate while sleeping. This disrupts your sleep.
Recommendation for drinking water
- The water should be clean and nontoxic. The temperature of the water should be in line with the room temperature.
- You should not drink too much water in a short period because it can cause you to be in the condition of water intoxication. The sodium in your blood is low. Balance in your body is abnormal. Moreover, you may die.
- When you drink some kinds of fluids, such as alcohol, tea, juice, and drinks that have caffeine, you should drink water with it.
Drinking enough water is important for us. It boosts the systems in our body. It increases the effectiveness of functions in our body. In contrast, not drinking enough water causes your body to have many problems. Therefore, we should drink enough water.