Our bodies are made up of over 60% water, and every single cell inside our bodies needs water to function. Water cushions and protects our organs and joints, helps digestion move smoothly, regulates our internal body temperature, and so much more. Without water, we absolutely cannot be healthy.
It is very important to remain hydrated every day, but especially during the summer months with rising temperatures and mercury levels. There are several dehydration myths floating around, so here are the facts:
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- Myth #1: Dehydration is not dangerous.
Dehydration is not only uncomfortable, but it can be very dangerous. Most of us will only ever experience mild-dehydration symptoms, such as sluggishness, headaches, and decreased urine and sweat output. If these symptoms are not treated, it may escalate to dizziness, confusion, and lack of urination. However, serious dehydration can lead to kidney failure, seizures, swelling of the brain, and even death. Luckily, mild dehydration is solved simply with more fluids.
- Myth #2: You are already dehydrated if you are thirsty.
If you are thirsty, have no fear, you are not too late. In fact, thirst is our body’s natural defense mechanism against severe dehydration. Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, professor of medicine at University of Pennsylvania, states that, “When you get thirsty, the deficit of water in your body is trivial – it’s a very sensitive gauge…it might be only a 1% reduction in your overall water. And it just requires drinking some fluid.” As basic as it sounds, simply drinking fluids when you are thirsty is a pretty fail-proof way to keep properly hydrated.
- Myth #3: 8 Glasses of water a day is the goal.
This overall rule of thumb is very outdated and promoted mostly by companies that sell bottled water. However, a more modern understanding of water intake is endorsed by the IOM, or the Institute of Medicine. They suggest that men have three liters of fluids every day, and women to get 2.2 liters of fluid a day. The most important word here is FLUID, not just water. Coffee, tea, natural juice, soups, etc. all contain water and help with rehydration. In fact, according to the OIM, nearly 20% of our water intake comes from food instead of beverages, such as cucumbers and watermelon.
- Myth #4: Clear pee is a good sign
While many of us may not monitor the color of our pee, it may be a good practice to get into in order to gauge your dehydration levels. Your urine should never be completely clear, however. The ideal color is a pale yellow. The darker the urine, the more dehydrated you are.
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- Myth #5: There’s no such thing as too much water
There IS such thing as too much water, but it’s very rare, and extremely dangerous. This is called hyponatremia, or water-intoxication. This occurs when sodium levels in the body are so diluted that individual cells begin to swell. Symptoms of hyponatremia include headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, confusion, or even seizures and coma. Don’t worry too much though, in order to reach a state of hyponatremia, you would have to guzzle copious, uncomfortable amounts of water. This is why marathon runners are the most common group to suffer from hyponatremia. Luckily, it is a completely avoidable issue.
- Myth #6: Sports drinks are hydrating
The sports drink market is very successful, but probably not necessary. If you are doing a general workout for about an hour, water is all you need. Endurance athletes participating in extended exertion for several hours at a time could potentially benefit from the right mix of sugar, but sports drinks these days are filled with long lists of ingredients and additives that probably won’t suit your tired body anyway. To be honest, many of our diets nowadays contain enough carbohydrates and sodium that “replenishing” with an electrolyte drink today may just mean excreting it out tomorrow.
- Myth #7: Coffee makes you dehydrated
Caffeine is itself dehydrating, but the amount of water in coffee and tea more than makes up for the caffeine’s dehydrating effects. That means you don’t have to feel guilty about that morning cup of Joe. However, if you are a coffee fiend, you could be overdoing it. Any more than 500 milligrams of caffeine a day, or 3-5 cups of coffee, can lead to overall dehydration.
Article Curated from:
Huffington Post
