Hydration

All life on this planet begins with water.  There's a reason why we are searching the galaxies for a planet with water so we may one day journey across space to build a new home.  Without water, life as we know will not be able to exist.



The human body is made up of 60-70% of water.  Every time you exhale, urinate, have a bowel movement, and sweat, you lose water.  And we must constantly replenish the fluid we lose.  A majority of people are dehydrated and they don't even know.  Most people think that when they get "thirsty" that they are dehydrated.  By the time you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated.  Staying hydrated is key in staying healthy.  Water helps with digestion, brain function, lubricates joints, brain function, temperature regulation, flushes out wastes and toxins, and many more important function. 


When waking up, the first thing a person should do after using the restroom is to drink a glass of water.  What that does is it helps kick start your digestive system and rehydrates the body after sleep.  If you are still tired after waking, it may not be trouble with sleep, but dehydration.  Drinking a glass of water in the morning will help a lot.  Drinking water in the morning also increase metabolism which can help with weight loss.

Dehydration

Dehydration can have many negative effects on the body.  Essentially, it makes your body not function properly.  When dehydrated, our body feels sluggish, drained, and not as alert.  Which could effect performances in school or athletic events.  Also, dehydration can cause a decrease in muscle strength and endurance.  You should always be fully hydrated before doing any physical activity.  Drinking fluid five minutes before any physical activity will not be effective.  You should drink fluids at least an hour before the activity as it takes time for the body to absorb the fluid.  Additionally, you should constantly drink fluid during the physical activity to replenish the fluid that are lost (sweat and breathing).  And finally, drink fluid after a workout also. 

How to determine hydration level

One of the most effective ways to determine the level of your hydration is to check the color of your urine and the frequency of urination.  Obviously when the urine is darker and urination is less frequent, you are dehydrated and when the urine is clear and urinating is more frequent, you are fully hydrated.  Urine should only be dark in the morning due to sleep.  If your urine is dark during the day, you need to drink some fluids.  Remember, don't determine the color of the urine when the urine is in the toilet mixed with the toilet water.  The toilet water mixes with urine and makes it more clear.  If your urine mixes with the toilet water and it is still very dark, you are super dehydrated.  Normally, you want your urine clear with a slight yellow in it.  If your urine is too clear, you are hydrated enough and you should slightly reduce the amount of fluid or do more physical activity.

Water Intoxication

Yes, it is possible to die from drinking too much water in short amount of time.  By drinking too much water, it mess it up the body fluid balance.  But don't worry too much about water intoxication.  Usually there are signs and symptoms of water intoxication and you should know when to stop.  To prevent this, just drink a few sips of water every few minutes throughout the day.