Staying Hydrated

WATER
Son: Dad, you are not eating too much but you keep drinking water. Do you want to turn your stomach to a water reservoir?
Dad: Son, it is not good to eat too much; but it is necessary to take sufficient water. Let me quickly teach you some things about water.
Water is the most important nutrient required by the body. It constitutes approximately 2/3rd of body mass and is found in all tissues including bones. Water plays essential roles in the day to day activities of the human body. Some of the functions of water will be mentioned here but are not limited to those mentioned here.

1. It is a medium for digestion, absorption, metabolism, secretion, and excretion
2. It is involved in the regulation of body temperature
3. It takes part in respiration by moistening the alveoli of the lungs
4. It serves as solvent for some vitamins (water-soluble vitamins) How Do We Get Water?
   During metabolism, our body gets water. That is called metabolic water.
   We get water by drinking i.e from the intake of water.
   The volume of water we derive from metabolic water varies with the type of diet.

Conditions That Necessitate Increased Water Intake
1) Hot weather
In hot weather, we have to increase our water intake because the body loses water and the water must be replaced so that we don’t end up dehydrated. The major ways our body loses water in hot weather are through sweat and urine. So, whenever you observe that you are sweating or urinating frequently, you are advised to increase your water intake level so that your body’s normal functions won’t be altered.

2) Sicknesses that cause vomiting
Sicknesses such as cholera cause the affected patient to vomit and in the process, water is lost. Such patients are advised to strictly follow the directive of the doctor. In most cases of severe vomiting, such patients are placed on fluid therapy in order to prevent dehydration. So, once you see that you are vomiting frequently, do well to see a doctor as quick as possible so that your case does not get out of hand.

3) Diarrhea
I have personally experienced this several times and I know how dehydrated you can be from “frequent visit to the toilet”. In this case, you find out that you have weakness in your thigh and probably not having the strength to walk. When this occurs, please seek help. You should do well to drink sufficient amount of water even in the course of journeying to the healthcare center if it is far from you.
There are disease conditions that result from lack of sufficient body water. You care to know? We will discuss that later in our next post, but before then, do ensure that you take sufficient amount of water as it is good for your health.

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