A survey on the hydration habits of the Spanish population carried out by the company Waterdrop has found that more than half of the Spanish population experience a lack of hydration.
According to the data, 35.5% of Spaniards forget to drink and 58.2% say they do not feel the need to drink water, with a higher percentage in the case of the elderly, up to 66.7%.
However, hydration is essential for a healthy life. Water is a basic need for our body, as we need to replenish the body fluids we lose through sweating, exhaling air and eliminating waste.
If we do not replenish these liquids, our body may suffer from dehydration, a serious pathology with many risks.
Many people believe that by consuming foods rich in water the problem is solved. And well, it is true that it is beneficial, since eating leafy vegetables, for example, increases the level of liquids in our body.
Despite this, most of the fluids we drink have to come from water, although beverages whose main composition is water can also help, such as sports drinks, herbal teas, lemon water and vegetable broth.
Why do we have to drink water?
Experts point out that our body depends on water for survival, since every cell, tissue and organ needs water to function properly.
Thus, water is essential, since it has a number of functions, including transporting and distributing essential nutrients to our cells, eliminating toxins produced by our organs, regulating our body temperature, forming part of the digestive process and acting as a lubricant for our joints.
People can last up to six weeks without food, however, without water, we would not survive more than a week.
How much water should I drink every day?
For all these reasons, it is essential to drink water daily, and the amount will vary depending on the individual, his or her age, diet, activity level and the environmental conditions in which he or she lives.
It is not easy to determine how much water each person needs, but the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends the following amounts in each case.
In the case of children, who are more at risk of suffering from dehydration, it is necessary to drink little by little, but throughout the day to stay well hydrated and avoid health problems.
The truth is that children do not yet have a fully developed immune system and are more prone to diarrhea or gastroenteritis and suffer greater fluid loss.
Elderly and elderly people, who are also at risk of moderate or prolonged dehydration, should refresh themselves and drink liquids more or less frequently throughout the day. As in children, a small amount of fluids should be consumed practically all day long.
For adult women and men between 20 and 70 years of age, it is generally necessary to consume between 2 liters and 2.5 liters of water each day.
In addition, if you exercise or play sports, you should drink even more, since you will have to recover the amount proportional to the loss of water that such activity entails.
Finally, pregnant or breastfeeding women also have a much higher risk of dehydration than adults, so, according to EFSA, they should drink 300 ml more than adults between 20 and 70 years of age.
