The importance of water intake for our health: how to stay hydrated?
Hydration is often cited as one of the essential pillars of a healthy lifestyle. However, it remains underestimated in our daily lives. Invisible and easily forgotten, good hydration is nevertheless essential to ensure the proper functioning of the body and mind. But then, how to hydrate properly? In this article, we will guide you to understand the basics of water intake with advice on how to achieve it on a daily basis.
What is meant by water intake?
Water intake is the total amount of water we consume daily, whether through drinks or food.
It is important to know that the main sources of water are drinks such as water, tea, coffee, soft drinks, but also fruits and vegetables. In fact, most vegetables contain between 90 and 95% water.
Water requirements according to age and lifestyle
Water requirements in adults
For adults, the water requirement is between 2.5 and 3 liters for men and between 2 and 2.5L for women. However, this does not mean that this is the amount you should drink because the fruits and vegetables you eat daily help you reach this requirement.
It is considered that you still need to drink between 1.5 and 2L of water per day (for women and men respectively), which becomes more achievable. These figures are not fixed, they depend on different factors. The amount of water needed will be influenced by the climate , physical effort and diet . You will therefore need to drink more if you live in a hot climate, if you do sports or if you eat salty or protein-rich foods.
For women, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, water needs are also greater. During pregnancy, we recommend drinking 1.5L of water per day, in addition to food, and 2L for a woman with a baby to breastfeed.
Water needs in seniors
In seniors , the need to hydrate is just as important. Taking medication, for example, is a factor to take into account and requires more hydration.
In addition, some physiological changes affect the hydration of older people. Indeed, the risk of dehydration is higher and the feeling of thirst decreases with age. Most of the time, renal efficiency is reduced and the urge to urinate comes more quickly. It is therefore necessary to drink more water to compensate for these losses.
Controlled hydration allows you to avoid certain complications such as hypotension/hypertension ,fatigue , kidney problems or even urinary tract infections . It is therefore important to drink water regularly , even if you do not feel thirsty.
Water needs of athletes
During a sporting activity , water intake must be greater, in particular because of perspiration as well as the loss of 1% of body water mass which already has negative effects on sporting performance (this represents approximately 10% less physical and cognitive performance!).
This is why it is recommended to increase your water consumption before exercise and to continue to drink around 200 mL every 20 minutes during the activity, supplementing with a drink rich in electrolytes, to provide you with all the essential mineral needs. It is recommended to consume between 500 and 800 mL of water per hour of exercise depending on the weather conditions, your profile, your perspiration, etc. Don't forget, rehydration after the session is essential in order to recover well and replenish your water and electrolyte reserves!
How to properly distribute your water intake throughout the day?
During the day, drinking regularly is key. The goal is to be able to drink at fairly regular intervals even without necessarily being thirsty. It is still advisable to avoid consuming too much water before going to sleep so as not to wake up with a pressing need.
The most common mistakes are drinking either too little or too much at once. The feeling of thirst is an indicator that the body is already in a water deficit , so it should be avoided if possible. In addition, drinking too much can overload the kidneys and therefore cause an imbalance of electrolytes in the blood.
To make your hydration effective , you must therefore listen to your body and always have water nearby to be able to drink regularly, throughout the day. To facilitate your water consumption, you can also vary the different sources of hydration.
Finally,Hydratis tablets allow you to facilitate your hydration thanks to the different flavors and the electrolytes as well as the trace elements they contain, which are essential on a daily basis.
Calculating your water intake: an estimate adapted to your daily life
To help you estimate your necessary water intake , there are different methods. The simplest is a quick calculation, you need to drink about 35 mL of water per kilo of body mass. Let's take the example of a person weighing 80 kg, who will therefore need 2.8 L per day. If you are doing physical exercise, you can add between 500 mL and 800 mL per hour of exercise depending on the intensity. If you wish, you can also visit ouronline hydration diagnosis on our website, where you will find recommendations on the amount of water to consume per day.
There are also apps like Chron'eau or Hydro Coach that can help you track your daily water consumption.
Hydration is important for the proper functioning of our body and mind and there are simple methods available to you to optimize your water consumption. These tools are specific to each person and will depend on your activity, your diet or your age, which is why it is important that you personally define your daily water needs.
Hydratis is here to help you, thanks to our lozenges which promote optimal hydration in all circumstances!
