Everything you need to know about your water balance

As you probably know, hydration is extremely important if you want to get through life as healthy as possible. In fact, without the right kind of hydration, you can get sick or even die. However, there is a lot of confusion when it comes to hydration. To show you a little more about it, we decided to list the most important information in this article. When you read this, you will learn everything you need to know about the right way to hydrate!

Before we go into the meaning of hydration, it is useful to take a brief look at the term itself. What do we mean by hydration and what about your hydration? Hydration is also the intake or drinking of fluids to provide your body with water. Water is an important component of the body. On average, water makes up about 60% of body weight in men and 50-55% in women. Water is lost through urine and sweat and excreted through the breath. To prevent the body from running out of fluids, we as humans need to drink. This is what we call hydration.

Now you're probably wondering what happens when you don't have the best hydration. If you don't drink enough fluids, your body will become dehydrated over time. Studies have shown that when dehydration reaches about 1%, negative effects occur. These are both physical and mental. For example, you may experience dry mouth, headaches, and poor concentration. You can tell that you are not properly hydrated when your urine turns a very dark color. The idea is that your urine should be straw-colored or light yellow. If it is darker, then you are not getting enough fluids. If it is completely transparent, you are getting too much fluid.

The amount of fluid you need during the day depends on several factors. The weather plays an important role. In warm weather, you need to drink more fluids because you will sweat more. This also applies to times when you are exercising. In general, you should drink between 6 and 10 glasses of fluid per day. This is equivalent to about 2 to 2.5 liters per day. For men, it makes sense to drink a little more, preferably about 3 liters per day. Apart from the fact that you can get fluid from drinks, it is also true that you can get plenty of fluid from your diet. For example, if you eat a lot of fruit with juicy pulp like oranges or grapes, you don't need to drink as much to meet your fluid needs.

Contrary to popular belief, hydration doesn't just mean water. There are countless other types of drinks you can drink to keep you hydrated. It's true that some drinks are better to drink than others. To help you get started, we have listed the most common types of drinks for you below:

• Water - first and foremost, it is obviously possible to choose water if you want to hydrate. Drinking water is a good choice because it provides hydration without calories or sugars that can damage your teeth. When it comes to water, it doesn't matter what type you drink. Tap water (if you can drink it) and bottled water hydrate the body in exactly the same way.
• Tea or coffee - many people like to drink tea or coffee in addition to their daily water intake. Tea or coffee also count towards fluid intake. Although the caffeine in tea and coffee may cause you to urinate more, it does not actually dehydrate you. If you choose tea that does not contain caffeine, you will get the same amount of fluid as you would with water. This makes it a great alternative for the standard water.
• Milk - it is also possible to increase your water balance with milk. As you may know, milk contains many important nutrients such as protein, B vitamins, iodine and calcium. This makes it a good kind of drink that not only hydrates, but also supports your body.
• Fruit Juice - Fruit juices are made up of water as well as vitamins and minerals. Although you can drink these beverages to get your fluids, they are not as healthy for you. Most fruit juices contain quite a bit of sugar.
• Sports drinks - Sports drinks contain carbohydrates and electrolytes. Adding these substances to water allows the liquid in the drink to be absorbed into the body more quickly. This makes it a sensible choice for people who have had a heavy workout and want to replenish their fluid levels quickly.
• Alcoholic drinks - Alcoholic drinks have a diuretic effect. This means that these drinks dehydrate your body. It is important to keep alcohol consumption within recommended limits if you want to ensure that your water balance stays within proper limits. Try not to drink more than 7 glasses of alcohol per week, and make sure you drink some water after drinking to make up for the deficiency.

We hope the information in this article has given you a better understanding of the role hydration plays in your health. By drinking enough, you can be sure to maintain your fluid balance and stay as healthy as possible. Drinking enough is the only way your body can function at its best!