It is the water in our body that ensures the functioning of all important processes. Digestion, the nervous system and muscles, the excretion of harmful substances or the transfer of oxygen, vitamins and nutrients and much more depend on it. And although these are necessary processes for our life, at first glance we do not see them. However, proper hydration also affects our appearance and how we feel. Enough water in the body can, for example, improve the appearance of the skin, increase the amount of energy, improve mood and memory, or even help with weight loss.
However, if our body does not take in enough fluids, the body becomes dehydrated. Dehydration of the body endangers the brain, heart, kidneys and muscles. Long-term consequences include the formation of kidney stones, urinary tract infections, damage to the liver, joints and muscles.
Did you know that…
…during our life, as we grow, mature and age, is there a natural loss of water in our body? While a newborn's body is made up of 75% water, in children this number drops to 65%, in adults it is only 55%-60% and in seniors only 45%. Therefore, the older we get, the more important it is for us to drink and regularly replenish fluids.
It is also proven that as we get older, our brain reacts more slowly to feelings of thirst, which is why, for example, the risk of dehydration increases up to 6 times in seniors. Therefore, we cannot rely only on the fact that our body warns us of a lack of fluids. We must consciously plan and control our drinking regime. If the feeling of thirst also appears, it is one of the first signs of dehydration.
To follow the drinking regimen, we can apply a simple rule, which is to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. We should spread this amount throughout the day, because it is also not good to drink a large amount of water at once. Of course, if you do physical activity or have health problems, you should increase your daily water intake even more.