Are We drinking enough Fluids daily?
Most of us would answer this question as
NO. An average healthy human being needs to consume
3.7 liters of fluids per day. If less amount is consumed, then it causes dehydration whereas if excess quantities are consumed it causes extra load on our kidneys.
Why should we drink sufficient water per day?
First of all, we must understand that water is one of the essential constituents of the human body. As far as human blood is concerned,
80 % of the human blood is made of water. Even for many other body organs and body tissues, it is an essential constituent. Hence proper water intake is a must to maintain a healthy body. The water content of various body systems is displayed below.
What role does water play in our body?
How do we end up with dehydration?
The water balance in our body is maintained mainly by the kidneys. Most of the water we drink is excreted from our body either in the form of urine and sweat or through stools.
When we drink less water or lose more water, we end up with dehydration.
Acute Dehydration:
When there is a rapid loss of water due to severe vomiting or diarrhoea, we end up suffering from Acute Dehydration. It is a life-threatening condition and needs to be treated by a doctor at earliest. Generally, this is caused due to sudden loss of water and fluid from the body.
Chronic Dehydration:
When we drink less than the optimum quantity of water every day, then over a period of time, we develop a condition what is called
Chronic Dehydration. In this condition, the body continues to lose water at a regular rate. Still, the rate of water intake by us is less than required, so eventually, we develop dehydration.
Chronic dehydration develops slowly as compared to acute dehydration.
