Weekend Plus Desk :
uring summer, our bodies try to cool down through the natural process of sweating, which in turn can cause dehydration. This makes it essential for us to drink more water, as less water content in the body can lead various ailments.
Dr Ajay Agarwal, Director, Dept of Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Noida shares the factors that determine a person’s water intake, and also mentions the quantity of water a person should drink in a day.
Factors that determine water intake needs
*Environment: If the weather is hot and humid, you will sweat more. This means that you need to consume higher levels of water.
*Activity Levels: If you are doing any type of activity that makes you sweat, you need to consume additional water to replace the fluids that you lose.
*Overall Health: If you have fever or are suffering from any illness, you may lose water from body. This can dehydrate you further due to the heat.
*Pregnancy or Breastfeeding: If you are pregnant or breastfeed, you will need to take extra fluids to keep your body hydrated.
Benefits of drinking water
*Water helps your muscles perform at their best.
*Water can help boost your brain functions and mood.
*Water can help prevent and treat headaches.
*Drinking more water may help prevent constipation.
*Drinking water helps flush toxins from your kidney.
*Water can help make your skin look good.
*Water helps prevent hangovers.
*Water helps regulate internal body temperature.
*Drinking water fights bad breath.
*Water helps in lubricating and cushioning your joints.
*Water helps the body eliminate waste through urine and sweat.
Tips to make your child drink more water
*Six months and above: Once your baby is six months old you should give few spoons of water daily. When they are drinking, let them hold their sipper or cups and enjoy their drink.
*One to three years old: Children can certainly drink plain water throughout the day to meet their daily fluid needs, but they’ll also get water by consuming other healthful beverages including milk and 100 per cent fruit juice.
*Five to eight years old: In this age group, a child should ideally drink around one litre of water.
*Nine to twelve years old: Children should be taught about the importance of drinking water at this age.
*Thirteen years and above: In this age, eight to ten glasses of water per day should be consumed. If your child likes juices, you can mix water with fresh juices and let them have that.
uring summer, our bodies try to cool down through the natural process of sweating, which in turn can cause dehydration. This makes it essential for us to drink more water, as less water content in the body can lead various ailments.
Dr Ajay Agarwal, Director, Dept of Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Noida shares the factors that determine a person’s water intake, and also mentions the quantity of water a person should drink in a day.
Factors that determine water intake needs
*Environment: If the weather is hot and humid, you will sweat more. This means that you need to consume higher levels of water.
*Activity Levels: If you are doing any type of activity that makes you sweat, you need to consume additional water to replace the fluids that you lose.
*Overall Health: If you have fever or are suffering from any illness, you may lose water from body. This can dehydrate you further due to the heat.
*Pregnancy or Breastfeeding: If you are pregnant or breastfeed, you will need to take extra fluids to keep your body hydrated.
Benefits of drinking water
*Water helps your muscles perform at their best.
*Water can help boost your brain functions and mood.
*Water can help prevent and treat headaches.
*Drinking more water may help prevent constipation.
*Drinking water helps flush toxins from your kidney.
*Water can help make your skin look good.
*Water helps prevent hangovers.
*Water helps regulate internal body temperature.
*Drinking water fights bad breath.
*Water helps in lubricating and cushioning your joints.
*Water helps the body eliminate waste through urine and sweat.
Tips to make your child drink more water
*Six months and above: Once your baby is six months old you should give few spoons of water daily. When they are drinking, let them hold their sipper or cups and enjoy their drink.
*One to three years old: Children can certainly drink plain water throughout the day to meet their daily fluid needs, but they’ll also get water by consuming other healthful beverages including milk and 100 per cent fruit juice.
*Five to eight years old: In this age group, a child should ideally drink around one litre of water.
*Nine to twelve years old: Children should be taught about the importance of drinking water at this age.
*Thirteen years and above: In this age, eight to ten glasses of water per day should be consumed. If your child likes juices, you can mix water with fresh juices and let them have that.
