What is Hydration?
It is important to understand what is meant by Hydration? Hydration, or in other words, maintaining the right fluid balance in our bodies, is essential—for healthy bodies, athletic performance, energy, digesting food, functioning joints, and so much more.
Why is Hydration important?
Hydration, meaning the presence of the right fluid balance in our bodies, is vital for the functioning of key activities in our bodies, such as:
- Dissolving and transporting minerals, vitamins, proteins, and other important substances throughout the body.
- Speeding up the breakdown of food and absorption of nutrients.
- Lubricating our eyes, joints, spinal cord, and other areas of the body.
- Regulating body temperature.
- Helping catalyze chemical reactions in the body.
How do we lose water? By sweating and through the skin, when eliminating waste, and when exhaling during breathing.
How do we stay Hydrated?
Drinking more water is the key to remaining hydrated and it is important to ensure that your daily water intake or the glasses of water you drink are sufficient to provide your body with adequate fluids. All beverages you consume provide water, as do foods you eat. Just be sure to stick to eating a balanced diet and skip sugary drinks. Focus on foods that have more water than others, like fruits & vegetables, and cooked grains and beans. Fatty foods provide less water.
Factors affecting your Hydration needs?
There are two basic calculations for determining Hydration needs in your body:
- Metabolic rate. You need to consume 80 to 110 milliliters of water for every 100 kilocalories of metabolic rate. For example, if based on your body weight, your BMR is 2,000, you should be drinking 1.6 to 2.2 liters of water a day as a baseline.
- Body weight. A slightly easier way to estimate water needs is by weight. Consume 30 to 40 milliliters of water for every kilogram of weight. If you weight 50 kilograms (110 pounds), for instance, you need at least 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day.
It’s also important to consider factors that change basic fluid needs. You need to up these baseline fluid intake amounts in the following situations:
- When temperatures are high, you sweat more and need more fluids to replenish lost water.
- More intense and longer workouts also increase sweat output.
- Exercising during warm weather conditions requires that you increase fluid intake even more.
How can I improve my Hydration?
When working out or engaging in physical activity, a good general rule is to drink 500 milliliters (about two cups) of water half an hour in advance and have a fluid intake of atleast 250 milliliters every 15 minutes during the activity to prevent dehydration. The idea is to get pre-hydrated so you start exercise in a state of having extra fluid and a good electrolyte balance. Drinking during the workout helps maintain hydration and prevent dehydration. It is advisable to carry a water bottle with you during exercise of workout and keep drinking water at regular intervals to stay hydrated.
If you do get excessively dehydrated or feel thirsty after an activity, you need to take steps to get rehydrated as quickly as possible. It’s not difficult to get to this state, especially when you misjudge the weather conditions or when the event or workout is tougher than you anticipated and fluids aren’t top of mind during the activity. To rehydrate rapidly, take in up to 1.5 liters of fluid per hour. This is as much as the body can absorb, so drinking more than that will not be useful. Some situations in which it is important to rehydrate at this rate include:
- In between events during a long tournament.
- After an intense workout in hot conditions.
- After intentionally dehydrating for a body sport weigh-in.
What is Dehydration?
While we understand the meaning of Hydration, it is equally important to be aware of the risks of Dehydration. Dehydration is the loss of water and electrolytes—mineral salts like sodium, calcium, and potassium—from the body to the degree that it impairs body functions.
Maintaining good, steady hydration means you shouldn’t feel thirsty, ever. If you get thirsty, you are already dehydrated, which can be termed as mild dehydration to start with, having lost between one and two percent of your body weight in fluids.
The best way to combat dehydration is to avoid it. Being proactive and staying hydrated is important.
What happens if I get dehydrated?
Dehydration Impacts Performance – During a workout or athletic event, dehydration can lead to decreased performance. You’ll start to feel fatigued and like everything requires more effort than usual. Dehydration triggers muscle cramps, nausea, and headaches. You will lose some muscular endurance and strength and your overall performance will decrease.
There are also some very serious potential consequences of dehydration. It can become severe if you don’t stop to rehydrate. Dehydration can lead to:
- Diarrhea.
- Fever.
- Vomiting.
- Kidney failure.
- Heat exhaustion.
- Coma.
- Death.
Dehydration can literally be fatal. The risks are greatest during intense physical activity, especially in the heat. For this reason, hydration is a serious matter.
What are the best and worst drinks for Hydration?
For most people who are not exercising intensely, water and a healthy diet are adequate for maintaining good hydration. For athletes, on the other hand, and for your clients if they’re pushing hard on a race day or during a heavy training session, mere water intake doesn’t quite cut it.
Electrolytes are the minerals in our bodily fluids that conduct electrical signals and assist in a lot of other important functions. As with fluid balance, you need to maintain a balance between electrolytes in and electrolytes out. When you sweat a lot, you lose water as well as electrolytes, so in any situation in which you are training, performing, or just working out, you need to include electrolytes in fluid intake.
A good sports drink likely provides what you need for electrolytes during training and events, but generally you should aim for six to eight percent electrolytes in a fluid for the best results.
Carbohydrates are important too. In your sports drink or homemade fluid mix, be sure to include 30 to 40 grams of carbs in 500 milliliters of water, a six to eight percent solution. Carbohydrates help with absorption of water and electrolytes, improve endurance during activities, decrease the body’s stress response, decrease inflammation after working out, and improve glycogen synthesis.
It is advisable to avoid alcohol, caffeinated beverages, soft drinks, Energy drinks, etc., all of which leads to dehydration.
The Risks of Over-Hydration
Athletes are at risk of going overboard on hydration before and during events. Even the most experienced athletes are vulnerable. In a study from Europe, researchers found that ten percent of the over 1,000 competitors in the Ironman European Championships had hyponatremia.
If you drink too much, especially plain water without electrolytes, before and even during or after a sporting event, you can end up with hyponatremia—low concentrations of sodium in body fluids. In other words you dilute blood and other fluids until the levels of electrolytes are dangerously low.
Just like dehydration, hyponatremia can become severe and even be fatal. Early signs of the condition include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Gastrointestinal distress
- Headaches
- Swelling in the hands and feet
- Confusion and restlessness
Ultimately, hyponatremia can cause brain cells to increase the amount of water content causing cerebral edema, excessive fluid and swelling in the brain. This condition is fatal if not addressed. It’s unlikely that in the normal course of trying to hydrate for physical activities that you will develop severe hyponatremia, but it is something to be aware of and to avoid.
Healthy hydration for older adults with poor appetites?
It is advisable that individuals with poor appetites consume fluids which have nutritional benefits, such as water, electrolyte drinks, coconut water, Milk, etc., to maintain their hydration levels.
FAQs
Benefits of staying Hydrated?
- Prevents muscle cramps during workouts and enhances muscle functioning.
- Increases focus and cognitive functions.
- Smoothens the digestive tract, hence preventing constipation.
- Keeps the skin moisturised, reducing dryness and enhancing overall complexion.
- Flushes out toxins from the body through urine, sweat and bowel movement. Also prevents urinary tract infections.
- Maintains blood pressure and heart function by maintaining electrolyte balance in the body
Can I drink too much water?
While drinking water is good and is an important source of being hydrated, overhydration may be avoided as it can cause problems. It is therefore important to maintain a balance of electrolytes in your bodies
Does tea and coffee count towards my daily fluid intake?
Yes, drinking tea and coffee adds to fluid intake in our bodies. However, excessive consumption of tea/coffee may lead to dehydration, considering the high percentage of caffeine in such drinks. It is therefore important to keep drinking water at regular intervals to maintain hydration levels in our bodies.
What are the signs of dehydration?
Thirst is a sign of dehydration, but there are other clues that you have lost your fluid balance. The early signs of dehydration include:
- Thirst and dry mouth
- Darker urine
- Fatigue
- Flushing of the skin
- Elevated body temperature
- Increased breathing rate
- Elevated pulse
Key facts about Hydration?
- Water makes 60% of human body and is essential to maintain the balance of body fluids, support various body functions such as digestion, cognitive abilities, blood circulation, body temperature, etc.
- An average adult should consume 2-3 litres of water daily. However, individual needs may differ.
- Dry mouth, dark yellow urine, fatigue, dizziness, and headache are some early symptoms of dehydration.
- While water is the key source of hydration, other beverages such as milk, juices, etc. can also provide the necessary fluid intake that the body requires.
- Severe dehydration may lead to serious health issues, including kidney stones, urinary tract infection, other types of disorders in the body, etc.
