Flushing of toxins & wasteproducts from

body

Assists muscle, brain, and

nerve function

Sources

Hydration Tips The ManyBenefits of Water ...

Tote water in a con-tainer or bottle with you wherever you go.

Keep a glass of water next to you if you are going to spend a long time in one place (like while watching TV or on your desk at work or when study-ing) and periodically sip from the glass.

Add lemons or limes to your water.

If you prefer cold water, keep a pitcher in the refrigerator so it is ready at all times.

Keep track of how many times you refill your water throughout the day to meet your goal.

Drink water instead of soda at meal-times.

Include water as part of your daily rou-tine; for instance, drink a glass with each meal, before you leave for work in the morning, with each snack throughout the day, etc.

Keep water with you or close by when you exercise!

It depends; Our activity level, metabolism, environment, health conditions, presence of illnesses, medications, and diet all factor into what amount of daily water intake is ideal for us. Our requirements may change. That partly ex-plains why recommendations are varied. The 2004 Institute of Medicine recommendation of adequate daily intake of water for normal adult men is 3.7 L (about 16 cups or 125 fluid oz), for normal adult women 2.7 L (roughly 12 cups or 90 fluid oz).

Also, you must take into account risk factors, lifestyle, symptoms, and conditions as a guide to appropriate water intake. An easy way to monitor daily hydration is observing urine color: clear / pale yellow / straw colored indi-cates adequate hydration while darker urine suggests one may be dehydrated. Some medi-cal conditions place limitations on water intake so be sure to understand if these apply to you and discuss what amount of water consump-tion is ideal for you with your doctor.

Do not wait until you are thirsty; this is often a sign you are already dehydrated and some-times (especially the older we get, or for those who are ill or in hot environments) this biologi-cal signal becomes less reliant. Even more, not being thirsty is not an indicator that your body is not in need of water!

So… How Much Water Should I Drink?

1. “Hydration Needs Throughout the Lifespan.” 2009. http://www.jacn.org2. “Dehydration.” http://www.mayoclinic.com. Jan 2010. 3. Dehydration. Medlineplus. 25 January 2010. http://www.nlm.nih.gov4. “Hydration: More Than Just Water” 2009. http://www.beverageinstitute.org5. “How to Drink More Water Every Day.” http://www.wikihow.com. Accessed 02/20106. “The water in you.” http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html. Oct 2009..

Our Body of WaterThe U.S. Geological Survey reports that about 60% of the human body is made of water (many sources cite this percentage as higher), the brain roughly 70% water, the lungs about 90% water, and blood approximately 83% water… No wonder water is so important!

Skin hydration

Moistening of tissues in

mouth, eyes, and nose

Joint lubrication

Body temperatureregulation

Transport ofnutrients andminerals for body’s use

Protection tobody’s organs

and tissuesTransport ofoxygen for body’s use

Aids indigestion

Promotes the healing

process

Helps toprevent

constipation

Dehydration: Not Getting Enough Water

Your body relies on water from food (about 20%)

and beverages (about 80%) to carry out numerous

processes and functions. The body is in a state of

dehydration when the amount of water taken in

(via foods, beverages, water) is outweighed by

water expelled from the body (via processes

within the body, urine loss, perspiration).

Who is most at risk? Infants, children, older adults People with chronic illness Endurance athletes People who live at high altitudes

When is one especially at risk ? Experiencing vomiting or diarrhea Losing a large amount of urine (possibly as a

result of uncontrolled diabetes, diuretics, anti-histamines, and blood pressure medicines)

Excessive amount of sweating (high intensity exercise; hot weather)

Cold/Flu (as one avoids eating, drinking) Fever

Water OUT

Water IN

Signs & Symptoms of Dehydration

Mild toModerate

Severe: Medical Emergency

Dry or sticky mouth

Feeling sleepy, tired, lack of energy

Thirst

↓ urine output

↓ or no tears with crying

Muscle weakness

Headache

Dizziness, lightheadedness

Muscle spasms (which can lead to cramps)

Maximum thirst

Irritability, confusion in adults

Very dry skin, mouth, mucous membranes

Lack of sweat

Little or no urination (dark yellow or am-ber colored urine)

Low blood pressure

Fast heart rate

Fever

Seek medical help for severe signs and symp-toms: lack of urination for more than 8 hours, uncharacteristic shriv-eled skin, dizziness or confusion.

Prevention is the Key

Do not prolong your symptoms to the point of becoming severe; know the signs and symptoms of dehydration and establish healthy hydration habits.

Don’t wait until you are thirsty; drink small amounts of water throughout the day.

Keep in mind that water is a totally pure, inexpensive, no calorie means by which to stay hydrated.

Uncontrolled diabetes, diuretics, and some medications can result in increased urine loss so you must replace the fluid loss by increasing your fluid intake.

Blood tests, urinalysis or additional tests can be performed by medical profession-als to confirm dehydration but you can use self monitoring of urine color to give you an idea of whether you are ade-quately hydrated or not (remember, vita-mins and some medications may cause your urine color to be darker).

Replenish fluids when experiencing sick-ness (vomiting, diarrhea), during exer-cise, or if you are dealing with chronic illness.

Severe Dehydration: A Serious Medical MatterSevere dehydration can lead to a host of unde-sirable medical complications. These can in-clude, but are not limited to: heat injury (heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke), cerebral edema (swelling of brain), seizures, loss of con-sciousness, hypovolemic shock (low blood vol-ume causes low blood pressure which results in less oxygen available to your body), kidney fail-ure, coma, and death.