Water intake keeps disease away

With the summer fast approaching, let us be prepared to fight the heat with a bottle of pure drinking water.

Most people drink water only after the throat becomes parched and tongue turns dry. But by then, dehydration has already set in and it does not help if one consumes sugary beverages, say doctors.

These beverages do not provide the nutrients the body needs at that time.

Our body is made of 70 per cent of water. It is needed to digest food, and for smooth functioning of muscles, nerves and joints. Water flushes out toxins through the kidney and keeps the skin supple and soft. You should make it a habit to drink two-and-a-half glasses of water after brushing your teeth in the morning and 200 ml of water before going to bed at night.

Drinking a glass of water every two hours activates the gut. Anybody over the age of 20 years needs 10 glasses of water. That is about 2.5 to 3 litres. Without water the skin loses its elasticity and blood becomes thicker.

Cells require water to carry on their work. We advise diabetics with renal problems to reduce water intake if their kidney function is impaired. The body loses water through sweat and expiration.

Drinking soda with salt in summer helps replace the electrolytes that we lose through sweat. In summer, the kidney conserves energy by producing less urine but water continues to be lost through sweat.

People with normal health should consume anywhere between 8 and 12 glasses of water every day. The intake should be more when they exercise.

Symptoms of dehydration

What do we have to look for? Symptoms of mild dehydration include sore throat, dry cough, burning sensation in the stomach, muscle cramps, fatigue, dry skin, headache, cold feet and hands, a hoarse voice, flushed skin, loss of appetite, dizziness, chronic pain in joints and lower back pain. A strong odour and change in urine colour is another sign of dehydration.

Severe symptoms are difficulty in swallowing, delirium, numb and shriveled skin, sunken eyes and blurred vision, clumsiness, stumbling, pain while passing urine and muscle spasm.

But doctors also warn that there are medical conditions when patients are not advised water intake. A patient with congestive heart failure is already drowning in his own fluid. His feet are swollen and the body is bloated. He cannot lie down because of the fluid overload. Such persons are advised to consume less water as body loses capacity to get rid of un-required water.

Such patients are put on diuretics to ensure that they get nutrient supplement.

Original Resource:  Enough water intake keeps disease away health and lifestyle - The Hindu