How much water do you need?

Water is equally important as the air we breathe. A man can stay alive for some time without food but cannot stay alive for long without water. Water is an important element present in our body. The human body contains about 75 per cent of water.

It is the basis of blood, digestive juices, urine and perspiration. Water severs in several ways to keep our body healthy. It keeps the blood clean, makes the skin soft and supple, it cools the body when it becomes overheated thus it maintains the body temperature. It also lubricates and cushions organs and flushes toxins out of the body. Thus intake of water is necessary. But how much of water we need to take? It has been generally stated that a person should drink 8 to 10 glasses of water. We should keep in mind that we also take water indirectly. When you ask a question as to how much water do we need to take then it is not possible to give the exact quantity.

We generally require enough of water to keep our body healthy. We lose water daily through perspiration, excretion and other bodily functions; therefore it is important to take water. But how much of water to be taken depends from body to body. There are different factors responsible for the variation of water intake such as physical condition, age, activity level and climate. We need to drink according to our metabolism. Some people perspire a lot while others perspire very little, as such generally those who perspire drink more than who do not. Some people are physically more active than others and thus require more water as they loose a lot in the activity. As such you need to drink water accordingly. It also depends on the weather and the type of food we eat. People living in hot places usually require and drink more water than people living in the colder regions.

The kidneys filter away the toxins, indigested water and salts out of the bloodstream. The kidneys do not function properly if you do not take enough water. Moreover if kidneys do not function properly then the liver that metabolizes fat has to work extra to compensate and as a result metabolizes less fat. If you want to decrease fat then you should drink enough water.
Our body cannot store water as such it becomes necessary to drink water for the daily losses due to perspiration, urine and lungs. Intake of water is necessary to not let your body dehydrate. If your body is dehydrated then the consequences could be grave. Always remember that coffee or tea does not hydrate your body but dehydrates it so you should avoid taking more of these and take more of water instead.

The only time when you need not take water is when you are exercising as it may cause cramping. You can just sip water between exercises but you should not gulp to avoid cramping.

It is very important for our body to keep hydrated. If you body is dehydrated it could lead to serious problems, it could also led to death. In the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 240 people die each year from heat illnesses. You come to know that your body is dehydrated by symptoms as dry and itchy skin, coated tongue, indigestion, constipation, irritability and lack of concentration. You also come to know about it by the color of your urine. If you are dehydrated then you will have the color of apple juice otherwise it will be the color of light lemonade. So whenever you see symptoms of dehydration make sure that you take enough water to save you from serious health problems.

About the Author: