Surely you have heard ad nauseam that drinking water is extremely important for a good health, but why is it so important? How does dehydration affect our body?
Functions of water in our body
The human body is made up of 60% water, the brain is 70%, the blood is 80% and the lungs are 90%. Among other functions, water regulates our body temperature, lubricates our joints, eliminates toxins, and transports nutrients and oxygen to all the cells in our body.
But what happens when we lose more water than we ingest? We become dehydrated.
These are the 3 levels of dehydration that exist:
Mild dehydration
In this case, if the water loss or weight loss is less than 5%, we speak of mild dehydration.
Some symptoms:
- Thirst
- Dry or sticky mouth
- Scanty urine
- Dark yellow urine
Moderate dehydration
If the water loss or weight loss is between 5-10%, it is moderate dehydration.
Some symptoms:
- Dry skin
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Cramps
- Muscle pains
Severe dehydration
If the water loss or weight loss is greater than 10%, it is severe dehydration.
Some symptoms:
- Tachycardia
- Rapid breathing
- Confusion
- Fainting
- Fever
Although in cases of moderate and severe dehydration it is necessary to see a doctor, when it comes to mild dehydration it is enough to drink more water. The recommendation is usually 2L of water per day, but this will depend on each body, lifestyle and climatic conditions.
Tips to drink more water
If you find it difficult to drink water, these tips can help you:
1. Drink tap water filtered
The Most of our customers claim that they drink more water since they have one of our tap filters EcoPro or EcoPro Compact. By getting quality, good-tasting water directly from your tap, you no longer have excuses to drink more water and thus avoid dehydration.
2. Always carry a bottle of water with you
Carrying a bottle of water in your backpack will make you drink more water and save money on bottled water. You can reuse any bottle you already have and refill it with tap water or filtered water before leaving home. And, if you run out of filtered water while out and about, you can always filter water from public fountains with our filter bottle BottlePro .
3. Drink a glass of water on an empty stomach
In addition to hydrating your body as soon as the day begins, drinking water on an empty stomach promotes the elimination of toxins and helps to have good digestion, among other benefits.
4. Set alarms, reminders or use an App that reminds you to drink more water
Among the best-known Apps for drinking water are Aqualert, Plant Nanny, Reminder to drink water y Water reminder. In addition, you can set daily goals based on your needs and time of year (in summer you will need more water and in winter, less), thus avoiding a lack of water.
For more tips read our article "Tips for drinking more water."
