IT is a liquid that makes up about 66 percent of the human body by running through the blood, inhabiting the cells, and lurking in the spaces between. On a regular basis, water escapes the body through sweat, urination, defecation or exhaled breath. Replacing these lost stores is essential, but rehydration can be overdone.
Whenever you disregard your sense of thirst and strive to ingest several glasses of water a day just because you have been told that doing so is good for your health, you actually put unnecessary strain on your body.
This may come as a surprise to many who advocate that a lot of water is taken as a healthy habit to cleanse the body system.
Explaining how risky swallowing water can be, Dr. Ambrose
Eromosele, a general practitioner, says, “Drinking water is normally a good thing, but ingesting more water than you need can increase your total blood volume and because the body is designed to have a certain amount at every point in time, it will look for ways to get rid of the excess water. In that case, the kidneys must work overtime to filter excess water out. In a short while, you will be putting too much pressure on the heart and other organs.”
In humans, when the kidneys cannot flush water out of the body fast enough and the blood becomes waterlogged, chances are the cells become bloated and the brain increases in size.
Eromosele states, “As your blood becomes diluted with surplus water and in an effort to maintain an equal balance of electrolytes between your blood and your cells, water will seep into your cells from your blood, causing your cells to swell. If this swelling occurs in your brain, the patient will experience increased pressure in the brain and headaches because the brain will be pushing the bones of the skull.”
So how much water should you drink to best support your health?
Experts say the answer depends on your unique circumstances, including your diet, exercise habits, and environment.
If you eat plenty of foods that are naturally rich in water, such as vegetables, fruits, and cooked legumes and whole grains, you may not need to drink much water at all. If you do not use much or any salt and other seasonings, your need for drinking water goes down even further.
Conversely, if you do not eat a lot of plant foods or you add substantial salt and spices to your meals, you may need to drink more glasses of water every day than the person who eats a lot of fresh wholesome meals and fruits.
Regardless of what your diet looks like, if you sweat on a regular basis because of exercise or a warm climate, you will need to supply your body with more water (through food and/or liquids) than someone who does not sweat regularly.
Some nutritionists suggest observing the colour of your urine as a way of looking out for dehydration. The idea is that clear urine indicates that you are well hydrated, while yellow urine indicates that you need more water in your system.
While this advice is somewhat useful, it's important to remember that some food additives and heavily pigmented foods can add substantial colour to your urine.
"If you are going to the toilet more than once every two hours or so, that might be too much, especially if your urine is clear. It is a key sign that something is going wrong with your system." Dr. Ambrose says
So it is advisable to drink only when you are thirsty.
-The Nation
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