How to Know If Your Body Needs More Water

The benefits that water offers the body are innumerable. If you find it hard to drink enough liquid throughout the day, don't forget that you can also drink natural fruit juices or eat vegetables with high water content to stay hydrated.

Water is a vital life element. The majority of organisms on Earth are made up largely of water. Human bodies, for example, are 60% water, meaning that more than half of your body is water.

When your body needs more water and isn’t properly hydrated, it can deteriorate very quickly, even causing death.

How long can a person live without water?

Although it may seem hard to believe, there are records of people who have survived up to 90 days without consuming any type of food, whereas those who refuse to drink liquids haven’t been able to last any longer than 5 days.

Specialists estimate that the average person can last up to about 4 days without drinking water or any other liquid before they inevitably die.

How much water should I drink each day?

In general, experts recommend drinking about 2 liters of water per day, which is between 6 and 8 glasses of water.

However, to know exactly how much your body needs to stay hydrated and keep functioning correctly, you should keep in mind that you need one liter of water for every 25 kilograms of body weight.

How can you tell if your body needs more water?

Although you may think that your body is well hydrated and that everything is working properly, there are a few symptoms that may be signaling that you are dehydrated and that you need to drink more water than you normally do.

High temperatures, sickness, or an accumulation of toxins, among other factors, may increase your risk of dehydration, causing you to experience different health problems that can seriously decrease your quality of life.

Some of the symptoms that may signal that you are dehydrated are as follows:

• Swollen eyes.
• Dry mouth.
• Dark-colored or strong-smelling urine.
• Painful to urinate.
• Constant thirst.
• Decreased skin elasticity.
• A sensation of confusion or fatigue.
• Increased risk of falling.
• Urinary tract infections.
• Kidney stones.
• Muscle spasms in the body.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Constipation.
• Headaches and migraines.
• Dental problems.
• Dry skin.
• Hair loss.
• The absence of tears when crying.
• A decreased quantity of urine.

How to prevent dehydration?

To prevent dehydration, you must drink at least 2 liters of water per day, or the amount recommended according to your body weight. 

Athletes should increase this quantity considerably, depending on the type of activity they perform or how long they practice this physical activity per day because they must restore the liquids that are lost during their exercise routine.

What should I do if my body is dehydrated?

If, after checking out these symptoms of dehydration, you realize that your body needs more water, you should start drinking plenty of water each day to keep hydrated.

Make sure to drink water throughout the day, because if you drink too much in one sitting, it could have a negative effect on your health.

You can also provide your body with water by consuming natural fruit juices, as well as fruits and vegetables with high water content. 

If you are experiencing severe symptoms of dehydration, you should go to the doctor, because you may require IV hydration.

What are the benefits of drinking water every day?

In addition to providing your body with the hydration, it needs, drinking water every day will offer you a number of other health benefits. These benefits include:

• Helps you lose weight: Water has zero calories and you can use it as a substitute for all kinds of sodas and sugary juices. If you drink enough water, you will even feel full, and it can help you get rid of toxins in your body and increase your metabolism. Therefore, drinking water is an integral part of any diet aimed at weight loss.
• Increases your energy: Drinking water keeps you from becoming dehydrated and helps you to stay energized throughout the day.
• Improves heart health: Daily water consumption can significantly decrease your risk of having a heart attack. For people with a genetic tendency toward heart attacks, drinking water is an economical and easy way to reduce that risk.
• Improves digestion: The digestive system needs plenty of water to carry out the digestion
• process. Drinking water on a daily basis can help to reduce problems such as heartburn and constipation.
• Makes skin look healthy and younger: you can drink water every day to prevent early signs of aging and the effects that this has on your skin. Water helps to keep your skin firm and promotes collagen production, keeping your skin looking soft, shiny and young.