Aqua

An adult’s body is about 60% water. Dehydration effects happen when there is a 1% or greater reduction in body weight due to fluid loss. For example, an adult weighing 70Kg who loses 1Kg body mass may experience symptoms like lightheadedness, fatigue or tiredness and headaches.

• Women are more vulnerable to urinary tract infections when chronically dehydrated.
• Studies also show that insufficient fluid intake is a trigger for headache and migraine.
• Keep enough water in your system and you can optimise all aspects of health and wellbeing including your heart.

The fluid part of your blood, the plasma, is a complex mix of water, dissolved salts, sugars and protein. When your body loses water, your blood plasma becomes more concentrated. This means less fluid to help push your vital oxygen-carrying blood cells through your body. So your heart has to work harder!

Brain drain

Your brain at 75% water needs hydration too! Even mild water loss can have a bad effect on concentration and alertness. Studies show that dehydration levels of 1% can adversely affect the way you process information. Short-term memory loss and attention difficulties have been seen at 2%. People also report feeling more tired when they’re dehydrated. Dehydration has even been shown to adversely affect productivity and morale in the workplace! All these dehydration facts add up to one conclusion: replace the water you lose and keep regularly hydrated to maximise your potential and enjoy an active life at work and at play.

How much water do I need?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that women need a total body intake of 2.2 litres of water every day and that men need 2.9 litres. However, not all of this has to be drunk as a liquid because foods, especially fruits and vegetables, contain water as well. It’s important to know that you cannot gain all your water needs from foods. Estimates vary but on average the water in foods amounts to around 800ml a day, so to ensure your total water needs are met, you need to top up with water.

Remember to drink more water if you’re exercising or losing lots of water through sweating.