Are You Getting Enough ...

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...WATER ?

Water makes up more than two thirds of the human body, without it we would die within a few days. Despite knowing this and living in a part of the world where free, clean water is easily accessible many of us do not drink enough water to maintain our body properly hydrated. 

Cell and organ function that make up our entire anatomy and physiology depend on water to work properly. Our senses are based on receptor cells, these receptors respond to nerve stimuli and send nerve impulses along sensory neurons. The brain which interprets nerve impulses enables us to perceive the impulse as one of our senses. 

The brain is 90% water, those of us who have sustained brain injuries may not realize that our sense of thirst has significantly declined, and our impaired memory does not help us to remember to drink water. Medications such as antihistamines and certain antidepressants also increase our fluid needs. Dehydration adds additional stress to other areas in the body that are already struggling due to injury.  

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Busy work and family schedules can contribute to dehydration in otherwise healthy persons. The next time you are sitting at your desk feeling tired or are behind the wheel chauffeuring a child to yet another activity/practice, pause - and think about how much water you have drank (or not) so far in the day. Your daytime fatigue could actually be mild dehydration. Most people often  mistake dehydration for hunger, before grabbing that candy bar in your desk drawer or eating junior's leftover fries from the drive-thru on the way to activity/practice try drinking a glass of water first.

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Thirst, loss of appetite, dry skin, dark coloured urine, fatigue, head rushes, and dry mouth  are some (but not all) signs that your body is entering into mild dehydration. Adults 65 plus and loved ones of seniors read here for additional information.

HOW MUCH WATER ???

An important thing to remember is that a glass - refers to an 8 oz glass. How much is a really tough question, just like a body is not one size fits all - neither is the amount of water each of us requires to drink for proper hydration. I will share my nutritionist's response when I recently posed this question ~ a good rule of thumb is 1/2 your weight divided by eight. In my individual case - (half of 140) 70 divided by 8 =  8.75 glasses daily of water, since I do take meds - it is advisable to increase this amount by a glass or so for me.

Found this graph here and thought it may be helpful as a starting point to getting more fluids in our body. Note the 50 oz of water is equal to 6.75 glasses of water (8 oz size).

Eating properly balanced meals can help. About  20% ( or 2 1/2 cups) of our fluid intake comes from food. Though all foods contain some water, fruits and vegetables provide the greatest amount. Our mother knew what she was saying when she told us to "eat your veggies". 

What are your secrets for getting enough Water in you day? Please Share....

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