Water is involved in all chemical processes of the human body, without exception. The absence or deficiency of fluid reduces the functionality of a person. Dehydration sets in, and vital signs deteriorate very quickly. In addition to the physical condition, dehydration negatively affects the human neuropsychic activity. And what happens to the body with heavy drinking?
We are made up of water
The human body is 80% liquid. Regardless of its tasks, any cell of the human body is a universe in which millions of complex processes are activated. The volume of intercellular fluid is limited to a volume of 30%.
The presence of water in human organs and tissues:
- in the blood - 83%;
- in the skeleton - 22%;
- in the vitreous body of the eye - 99%;
- in adipose tissue - 29%.
Also, the presence of water in human life is necessary for normal digestion, absorption of vitamins and mineral elements, purification from slagging and blood circulation.
Maintaining water balance: how much is needed?
A sultry climate dooms a person to death without water for 5 days. To maintain water balance, a person should daily use from one and a half to two liters of clean water during the day.
The first thing that determines the amount of fluid required to maintain life is air temperature. At a constant daily temperature of 32 ° C, the rate of heavy drinking will be at least 3 liters, at a temperature of 21 ° C this figure drops to 1.5 liters, and at 10 ° C you need very little - 1.3 liters.
Increased physical activity and hard work increase these figures to 5 liters. Enhanced physical activity in the fresh air implies heavy drinking up to 6.5 liters.
Having lost a fluid equal to 25% of body weight, a person dies. If in time to fill the lack of water with a plentiful drink to a deficit of 10%, then the metabolic processes will start and will return to normal.
The amount of water consumed by a person in ordinary life:
- 1.5 liters is excreted by the kidneys with urine;
- 0.6 liters comes with sweat;
- 0.4 liters during breathing;
- 0.1 liters during bowel movements.
Why is you constantly thirsty?
The feeling of thirst is a natural reflex of the body in the process of disturbing the water-salt balance. An increase in air temperature, physical activity and the intake of salty foods provoke an increase in thirst.
The signal for thirst comes from the drinking center of the central nervous system (central nervous system). Responsible for him:
- limbic part of the cerebral hemispheres;
- areas of the cerebral cortex;
- nuclei of the posterior lobe of the hypothalamus.
Failures in the work of the drinking center is the root cause by which a person wants to drink uncontrollably. Persistent thirst can be a sign of disorders such as:
- poisoning;
- diabetes mellitus of all types;
- head injuries;
- bleeding limited by the body cavity;
- kidney dysfunction syndrome;
- pathologies at the genetic level;
- adrenal gland tumor;
- hyperhidrosis;
- hypercalcemia.
In addition to the described, intense thirst and dry mouth can cause drugs of a certain group, for example, soaked and antibacterial agents.
Consumption of water by expectant mothers
To maintain vital signs during pregnancy, the amount of fluid used needs to be slightly increased. Normal daily values should be increased by 300 ml.
In the 3rd trimester, specific proteins produced by liver cells enter the bloodstream of a pregnant woman, because of this, the need for heavy drinking increases.
Water consumption by children
WHO provided data on the daily requirement of the child's body for fluid intake, taking into account the body weight of the child:
- Children under 5 kg should not drink more than 800 ml / day, including breast milk.
- In children from 5 to 10 kg, the norm is up to 1 liter per day.
Among other things, the daily requirement depends on the age of the child, for example:
- From 1 year to 3 years, the norm is 1.3 l / day.
- From 4 to 8 years, the norm is 1.7 l / day.
- From 9 to 13 years, the norm is 1.8 l / day.
- From 14 to 18 years, the norm for girls is 1.6 l / day, for boys - 1.9 l / day.
In hyperactive children, an increased desire to drink is considered absolutely normal. To exclude pathology, you can be examined.
Tip: how to deal with intense thirst
It is very important to understand that strong, carbonated and other drinks with additives do not quench your thirst, but rather exacerbate it. Greasy and fried foods arouse the desire to drink more water. For heavy drinking, it is also not recommended to use mineral water saturated with salts. The optimum temperature of drinking water during a period of intense thirst is 22 ° C.
Benefit
Scientific studies conducted by scientists in modern laboratories have shown that excess water is allowed to be consumed only for a limited category of people:
- athletes;
- people whose activities are related to physical labor in the open air;
- residents of hot countries.
In addition, there is no verified evidence of the benefits of heavy drinking for ordinary people. Medical officials were left out, not confirming advice on 8 glasses of water per day.
Excess water consumption flushes sodium out of the body. It also became known that excess water does not increase skin turgor.
Harm
Doctors from around the world are united in the opinion that daily water intake should be moderate, since drinking plenty of water is harmful. It should be noted that modern advertising of bottled water is aimed only at increasing the number of sales, no more. It is very important to trust your body and its needs in these matters, excluding going to extremes, succumbing to the tricks of marketers.
Physical training naturally leads to weight loss; there is no need to compensate for it by excessive fluid intake.
The negative effect of excess water on the organs and systems of the body:
- increased burden on the kidneys;
- the cardiovascular system works for wear;
- muscle tone of tissues is disturbed;
- failures in the digestive system;
- there is a feeling of constant fatigue.
Slimming water
Warm water on an empty stomach in a volume of 200 ml normalizes stool. Drinking a moderate amount of water, usual for ordinary life, is necessary during the diet.
Drinking water immediately before meals is not recommended, since enzymes designed to digest food are washed out. Drinking during the meal is also undesirable.
Important! Excess water will not reduce the feeling of severe hunger, although it will restrain the desire to eat.
Heavy drinking with weight loss provokes morning edema.
Water treatment
When the body temperature is elevated, it means that the immunity of a sick person is desperately fighting infectious agents and viruses. The breakdown products of such a fight are toxic to humans. A slightly increased, but not very plentiful drink at a temperature removes toxins and mucus, which managed to form in the organs of the respiratory system. An excellent tool is simple purified water. Drink should be in small sips as often as possible. To help the weakened body as much as possible, it is necessary to take into account the temperature of the water. It should be close to body temperature.
Why drink plenty of flu for colds?
A larger amount of fluid activates blood circulation and increases the intensity of the kidneys. As described previously, such a start-up process is necessary for the removal of toxins from the body - decay products during the body’s struggle for life.