De-Mystifying Drinking Water
Article by Dr. Farid Zarif
Even when a house plant doesn’t get enough water, it appears lifeless, but once watered, the plant will spring back to life, almost right in front of you. Water is just as essential for our bodies because it is in every cell, tissue, and organ in your body, that is why drinking enough water every day is important for your health.
Healthy people meet their fluid needs by drinking when thirsty and drinking fluids with meals. But, if you’re outside in hot weather for most of the day or doing vigorous physical activity, you’ll need to make an effort to drink more fluids.
The easiest way to know if you’re drinking enough fluid is to look at the color of your urine. If you’re drinking enough water, your urine will be clear or pale yellow. A darker yellow means you aren’t drinking enough water.
People who drink enough water also usually have soft bowel movements. Hard bowel movements or constipation can be signs that you aren’t getting enough water.
If you have any health problems, always talk to your doctor before increasing the amount of water you drink. You may need to limit your fluids if you have certain health concerns, such as kidney problems or heart failure.
It can be dangerous to drink too much water. But it’s rare that anyone drinks too much water. The risk is highest for people who do endurance sports, such as running marathons.
Too much water is dangerous because it would dilute the amount of sodium in your body. This imbalance could cause serious problems, such as confusion, seizures, and coma.
Experts advise athletes who do intense activity to drink a sports drink that contains sodium, other electrolytes, and some sugar. Most people don’t need sports drinks if they are exercising for less than an hour in moderate temperatures. Plain water is fine.
But experts do recommend sports drinks if you’re playing sports or doing other intense physical activity for more than an hour.
Tap Water verses Bottled Water
No, bottled water is not better than tap water. A lot of plain bottled water is just tap water that has been purified. It’s your choice how you want to drink water. If you like bubbly mineral water, drink that. If you like the idea of vitamins and electrolytes in your water, you can find several varieties of enhanced water at the store.
If you don’t like the taste of your tap water, or if you just want to be extra careful, you can purify tap water at home. Water filters are available in many stores.