#lovework Review: Human hydration: are we drinking enough? by Stephen Tamlin

#lovework Notes

In this piece, Stephen explores the importance of proper hydration for human health and well-being, and provides practical tips on how to ensure daily optimal hydration levels.

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Not drinking enough can quickly have negative physical and mental effects on a person, therefore it is important to regularly drink water for optimum hydration. Despite the universal acceptance on the importance of hydration, people across our blue planet, at all ages, live their lives at levels of hydration significantly below what leading organizations recommend. What can we do to make sure we’re really drinking enough across our entire life?

MOST OF US understand that hydration is crucial for our health. This has been proven through dozens of independent studies, showing at even mild levels of dehydration our physical and emotional abilities can be significantly affected. In fact, the functionality of several organs, our cognitive ability and our mood are hindered to an alarming degree if our body’s total water content drops by as little as 1%.

In light of this you may find it surprising that across the world, at all stages of life, most live in a status quo of dehydration. This is seen across all ages from childhood through to becoming a senior citizen. Not only does this stop our body and our mind performing to the best it can, for those of an older age this can have serious and life threatening implications.

Two obvious questions arise when you consider the extent of this problem. Firstly, why? Why are we not drinking enough water across all stages of our life? When you review research that has been carried out across the USA and Europe you begin to understand that there are valid and natural reasons why this is the case. Secondly, and the more important question is, what can we do to help people of all ages drink more water? The purpose of this article is to take a detailed look at the research and advice available to provide practical answers to both of these questions. 

Why is the world dehydrated?

IT’S NOT ALL doom and gloom, things are getting better. In the United States people are drinking more water now than they were 30 years ago. However, the average American still only drinks 1.8 cups a day which is significantly less than the 8.5 cups a day that are recommended by the European Hydration Institute, who are one of the world’s leading organizations on human hydration.

One of biggest reasons behind this under consumption is that the human body can become dehydrated more quickly than most people think. It takes only a 2% loss of total water content for your body to start feeling thirsty. Once you’re at this point your body is already in a state of dehydration, increasing the likelihood of experiencing a variety of symptoms that have been scientifically linked to how hydrated you are.

“It takes only a 2% loss of total water content for your body to start feeling thirsty. Once you’re at this point your body is already in a state of dehydration.”

Symptoms related to dehydration are broad and can vary significantly based on what stage you are in your life. All these issues are easily solved by doing one simple thing, drinking more water. In fact, the British Nutrition Foundation clearly states that regular H2O is the best thing to drink to keep yourself hydrated whether you’re young, middle aged or elderly. It’s worth emphasising this fact, as although all liquids will hydrate the human body, some do a much better job than others. Water and fruit juices, for instance, hydrate more effectively than milk and soda drinks.

With such a simple solution it makes it surprising to know that dehydration amongst children is a commonly worrying occurrence. 

Dehydration at Schools, Colleges and Universities

KEEPING CHILDREN HYDRATED can have many health and educational benefits. A study in 2012, carried out by The Natural Hydration Council, a leading expert in hydration, showed that hydrated children can outperform dehydrated children in exam conditions, due to improved visual attention and fine motor skills. In terms of physical health, if your child is enrolled in a sport, their risk for dehydration is much greater and increasingly important as it can lead to a decrease in performance by as much as 5%.

Despite these clear benefits, independent research has shown that a staggering 54.5% of children go to school dehydrated across the USA. This can not only cause health effects already highlighted, it also means children may be negatively impacting how well they can perform in school, due to inadequate hydration.

There are many reasons why children may not be hydrating themselves to the optimum level. One reason is down to our biological maturity. When we are at a young age, the human body’s thirst mechanism and heat awareness is under developed. Children will often not feel thirsty, despite the fact their body needs to cool itself down or is dehydrated. Also for many hydration is an afterthought, with so much stimulus throughout a school day, from playing with friends to learning in classrooms, drinking plain water may slip their mind.

“When we are at a young age, the human body’s thirst mechanism and heat awareness is under developed.”

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The full article was written by Stephen Tamlin originally posted here.