The benefits of water

Drink before you feel thirsty

Whatever age group you belong to water is of basic importance from the point of view of the working of the body. You should pay continual attention to the water reserves in your body so that you are not in danger of becoming dehydrated!

The signs of dehydration

Every day your body loses 2.5 litres of water directly through your lungs and your skin. As soon as your water loss reaches 1%, your body warns you with the feeling of being thirsty. This sign is obvious, it warns you of dehydration. The seriousness of dehydration is influenced by age, and has an intense effect in health: causing blood pressure reduction, nervous disorders, and fast changes in the general condition of your body.

Replace lost water!

An average of 1 litre of water per day gets into your body along with so-called solid foods. In other words every day you need to drink 1.5 litres of liquids (water, tea, coffee, fruit juice...), but you also have to take into consideration increases of water loss due to various activities and situations (physical work, fevers, the summer heat...).

An important rule

Being thirsty makes you want to drink water, but not being thirsty does not mean that you have no need for liquids. You should not leave it completely up to the feeling of thirst, and you should never forget that you do not need to wait for the feeling of being thirsty in order to drink!

Water and children

Water forms 75% of the mass of the bodies of infants. This proportion drops to 60% by the age of 1 and stays the same till adulthood. The importance of replacing lost water can never be emphasised enough. Here are a few questions that may arise while talking to your children.

Can infants' food be made using tap water?

Yes, if the tap water contains a low amount of minerals, it has been boiled in advance and if its nitrate content is not high. Your child may drink tap water without any problem from the age of six months, if he/she has now got used to a varied diet.

Does water have a role in growth?

A much greater role than you would think. Our bodies need a great deal of water, calcium is essential for the strengthening, development and regenerative ability of the bones. Of the foods that contain calcium, your body is best at processing those that contain water. The appropriate amount of calcium intake is the most important during puberty; the calcium needed by infants and small children is normally satisfied by the daily intake of nutrients.

Does a child's water requirement change with age?

Certainly. The water requirement of a small baby is greater than that of a 1-year-old. Be careful! Infants are not able to indicate that they are thirsty. As their water requirement is two to three times greater than that of an adult, much attention must be paid to replacing their water.

Water and pregnancy

Water is life, and, perhaps, this is the most important thing during pregnancy. Water is essential, you could almost say that the water requirement of a foetus is much more important that its oxygen requirement.

Water exchange between the body of the mother and the foetus

The mass of the foetus is made up of 90% water. The amniotic fluid the foetus floats in also contains water: this protects the foetus from impacts, infections and ensures a continuous temperature for it. The water exchange between the mother and the child takes place through the placenta.

Have plenty to drink day by day

You need to have plenty to drink to provide a sufficient amount of water for the foetus to develop. The minimum fluid intake should be 1.5 litres per day. During pregnancy the pregnant mothers' threshold of feeling thirsty reduces naturally to make them realise sooner, if their body is in need of water in order to avoid dehydration.

By having drinks regularly a pregnant mother can avoid urinary infections, constipation and other common inconveniences during pregnancy. This is what makes water essential both for the foetus and the pregnant mother.

Water and sports

Doing physical exercise is very useful for everyone, not only sportspeople. But apart from concentrating on warming-up exercises and on doing the right movements do we pay enough attention to sufficient fluid intake? Drinking should really be a reflex action, as dehydration significantly reduces both physical and mental performance.

Water is absolutely essential in the course of a physical burden

In the course of physical loading, especially if it lasts for an extended amount of time, the bodily temperature increases. The body reduces its temperature by sweating, otherwise the body would suffer serious damage. Also water facilitates the removal of carbon dioxide and lactic acid, which helps to prevent muscular spasms and the inflammation of the tendons.

Water is also essential for preparation

In most sports water is the best drink. During preparation sportspeople need to start drinking plenty of water at least 2 hours before starting their activity, and they should continue drinking small amounts of water in the course of doing their activity. After finishing they need to drink water in the interest of compensating for the loss of fluid and removing the residue produced as a result of a higher body temperature. Depending on the effort you make and on your own physical condition you need to decide how much water your body needs. A good method, for example, is to weigh yourself before and after doing physical exercises, as the difference is mainly due to the loss of water.

Always remember

While making physical efforts the loss of water can take place rapidly, even at a dangerous rate. The more efficiently you compensate for the loss of water, the greater your performance will be. Never wait until you become thirsty before you have a drink, especially when the temperature of the environment is high.

Water and your age

The older human body gets the less water it contains. In the body of an elderly person water comprises only 55% of the total weight. But it does not mean that they are supposed to drink less water! If there is a lower reserve of fluid, there is a higher risk of dehydration.

Hydration is essential

As people get older, they do not feel thirsty so much, and it is often too late by the time they realise they are dehydrated. While doing sports elderly people need to concentrate more on water supply similarly to sportspeople of any age doing sports intensively.

Calcium intake is essential

Elderly people often suffer from calcium deficiency due to insufficient daily calcium intake. This is what makes them more susceptible to osteoporosis, cancer of the colon and cerebral arteriosclerosis. Of all nutriments representing sources of calcium, water is the most efficient source of calcium, because the human body finds it the easiest and quickest to process.