In order to avoid dehydration during the hotter months, doctors encourage patients to be more mindful of their water intake.
Every day of the year, hydration is important, but the hot summers in the UAE are when it’s most crucial.
Making sure your family receives enough water should be a top priority when the temperature in the Emirates soars above the 40oC threshold with energy-sapping humidity, but how much exactly do we need?
How much water should children and adults be drinking?
“It is widely agreed that men need 3 to 4 liters of water each day, while women need 2 to 3 liters. However, there are numerous additional elements that might affect how much fluid a person needs each day, including physical activity, the environment, altitude, pregnancy, and the presence of specific illnesses like kidney disease.
It’s important to keep track of how much water kids are consuming. Children require more water if they are engaged in strenuous activity or if it is hot outside. You need to make sure that your toddler drinks enough water.
Toddlers should eat between two and four glasses of liquid per day, children aged five to eight should consume one liter, and children aged nine to twelve should drink 1.5 litres.
Drinking enough water in hot climates
It’s important to remember how important staying hydrated is.
“Water intake is essential for the body of an individual to operate normally. Water is essential for the health and maintenance of all the body’s main organ systems”
“Water is essential for controlling body temperature and aids in preventing heat exhaustion and heat stroke… When the body is subjected to heat from the environment, perspiration is produced from the water that has been stored in the skin’s layers. The skin surface cools as a result of this evaporation, which also lowers body temperature.
“As more body water is lost via sweat, the body starts to get dehydrated.. It begins to retain heat rather than expel it and succumbs to the symptoms of heat exhaustion, including headaches, fast and weak pulse, vomiting or nausea, giddiness, malaise, and muscle cramping.”
Staying fit and hydrated
The quantity of water you drink each day needs to be changed if you exercise in the summer. In the US, an average woman should drink 2.3 liters because she weighs 77.4 kg, and the average guy should drink 2.4 liters because he weighs 80 kg.
Depending on how much you exercise every day, that amount should be increased.
According to Sole, you should drink 500 to 1,000 ml of water for every hour of activity, depending on how sweaty you are and the weather where you are exercising. On really sweaty sessions, adding an electrolyte will help with absorption.
Additionally, being hydrated could improve how well you perform at the gym.
If your body weight drops by merely 2% as a result of perspiration or inadequate hydration, it’s probable that your motivation to exercise or your ability to focus will suffer.
Water intoxication can result from excessive water consumption.
“When you drink too much water, your kidneys cannot get rid of the extra water”. Your blood’s salt concentration dilutes. The condition is known as hyponatremia, and it may be fatal.
For a man of average build who exercises frequently, drinking up to 3.4 liters of water a day may seem excessive, but if done gradually throughout the day, it is not harmful.
“For individuals who are well-nourished, healthy, and have a healthy lifestyle, consuming too much water rarely poses a serious threat. However, if you do drink too much water, your kidneys might not be able to properly clear it, which could cause bloating and abdominal pain as well as hyponatremia, which will need to be treated.
What if you don’t like water?
Many people don’t enjoy drinking big amounts of plain water, but they can still achieve their hydration goals by flavoring their water with cordials or tea, which has the same health benefits as sugar.
We advise drinking fluids from natural sources like fresh juices because most individuals find it hard to drink big amounts of water. However, flavoring water can encourage people to drink enough to obtain the proper level of hydration.
“Keep them to a minimum because fizzy drinks, squashes, and juices can have lots of sugar added and very few nutrients,”Despite being the preferred method of hydration, water is not the only one. Tea and coffee, which contain caffeine, are just as hydrating as milk when drunk in moderation.
“The majority of low-calorie electrolytes tablets or powder have a sweet taste, so that is a perfect combo, particularly when doing out. If you think water is a little monotonous during the course of the day, a low-calorie squash or concentrates would also be a nice choice.
Bright reusable water bottles from Quokka, for example, might serve as a reminder for people to sip water frequently throughout the day.
1. Maintain a full bottle of water by your bed so that you can drink 300 to 500 ml of water as soon as you wake up.
2. Keep a colorful, re-usable water bottle with you; this will draw attention to it through the day and serve as a reminder to sip.
3. Include a dash of sea salt in your morning meal. In addition to being a necessary mineral for fluid absorption, sodium can help to increase your urge to consume fluids.