Importance of Hydration

If we take into account that our body is composed of approximately 80% water, it is easy understand why hydration is an extremely important action to maintain a good state of health. We understand hydration to be the action of consuming liquids in various forms in a continuous and permanent way. This action is intended to replace the natural liquids that the body spends in different activities, especially when exercising, through sweating or perspiration.

In addition, we can say that water is a fundamental element for the functioning of any living being, for which reason danger of consuming body fluids without these being replaced can cause severe complications of health.

The body continually loses fluids. We lose fluid through sweat, the water vapor that we emit with breathing, urine, and bowel movements. In situations of extreme heat, fever or exercise, up to three liters of water can be lost a day.

Hydration can be carried out by providing various fluids. Hydrating does not mean drinking water exclusively. Many other liquids such as infusions, juices or fruit juices, milk, soups or even soft drinks provide liquids that contribute to maintaining a good condition in this framework.

When the lost liquids are not adequately replaced, it falls into a deficit situation known as dehydration.. This leads to the appearance of a series of alterations in the functioning of the organism that cause symptoms such as tiredness, weakness, muscle cramps, headache, malaise, and difficulty in concentration.

The body has mechanisms to regulate the concentration of substances in the body, these are able to identify alterations in the balance of body fluids, when this is affected, mechanisms are initiated to reduce the losses. These mechanisms are so efficient that With only a request of 1% of the total volume of fluids in the body, the thirst mechanism is activated..

There are different levels

When talking about fluid replacement, two types of hydration must be considered: oral or parenteral.

Oral hydration. It is the preferred way to carry out this process in a person who is dehydrated. This way of administration of liquids works only in people who do not have vomiting. The solutions comprise a mixture of water, sugar, salt, and baking soda.

Parenteral. This type consists of the supply of liquids through solutions that are administered intravenously. The main indication to carry it out is the presence of conditions that prevent the intake of liquids through the oral, as is the case with extensive lesions, loss of consciousness, swallowing disorders, and the presence of vomiting. Solutions used for intravenous hydration contain water, sodium, and sometimes glucose.

Due to the possibility of insensible losses of fluid in the body, there are situations in which greater attention should be paid to hydration.

Children and two elderly may have less sensitivity to sensations like thirst, either due to immaturity of his nervous system or by being distracted. This makes it easier for them to become dehydrated, which is more common when you carry out physical activity in high heat environments.

Athletes are also at greater risk of having hydration problems, since large amounts of fluid are produced during sports. amounts of sweat that lead to the loss of both water and sodium, the latter being a necessary electrolyte to maintain fluids in the body.

In these situations it is important to be careful to drink fluids frequently, even if you are not thirsty. dehydration profoundly affects the functioning of the organism, to the point that it constitutes an important cause of mortality, especially in children and the elderly with gastroenteritis.

summarizing

The fundamental thing lies in the fact that we are precisely facing an action that allows us to continue carrying out our activities in a healthy way since the body is given a good portion of lost liquids or consumed. You can hydrate specifically when you drink fluids after exercise, but you can also hydrate when you drink fluids as part of your feeding common (infusions, water, soft drinks, juices, etc.).

According to what professionals recommend, a person should normally consume between one and two liters of water per day to replenish those liquids that are consumed by the body. They also warn about the fact that when the sensation of thirst occurs is when the body sends signals to the brain to make him aware of this state of dehydration, for which it is always advisable to consume liquids even when you do not have thirst.