Water, water everywhere

By Lisa Quinn in In the news on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 @ 16:25

Sitting at my desk looking at my empty glass and watching my colleague leave the kitchen armed with a full jug of water , has left me thinking I should be doing the same!

Some people say 1.5 litres is enough, some people say more, and if you exercise even more than that! But if you drink too much that is also bad for you!!

So what is the answer?

If you drink too much water this can cause serious problems, such as hyponatraemia or water intoxication. As the water content of the blood increases, the salt content is diluted. Consequently the amount of salt available to body tissues decreases, which can lead to problems with brain, heart and muscle function.  

Initial symptoms of over-hydration include dizziness, nausea, apathy and confusion. However these symptoms are also associated with dehydration - so it's important to be aware of how much you are drinking.  Whilst drinking too little can lead to dehydration which can make you feel tired and lethargic, and can decrease your capacity for exercise.

A suggestion to how much you should be drinking is that, in general, a nutritionist's understanding of a glass of water is 280 millilitres. Drinking eight glasses of water daily should be your goal, which is why you should be getting 2.5 litres, of water. This is the water quantity necessary for your organism's healthy existence.

You can get your daily water requirements from sources other than pure water - your cup of tea counts! Water is the main ingredient of all drinks – carbonated drinks and still drinks, fruit juices and fruit and vegetables all have a high water content.

However, extra fluid is needed in hot weather and when you exercise. For each hour of exercise you should drink an extra litre of fluid. If you have an illness that is causing sickness, diarrhoea or sweating, you will need to up your fluid intake to make up for the extra loss.