What factors affect fluid needs?
Various factors can increase or decrease the amount of fluid your body needs to function at its best.
sex at birth
Compared to people born female, those born male generally need more fluids to support their higher body mass, lower average body fat, and higher calorie burn each day.
Body weight
Hydration needs are influenced by body surface area, metabolic rate, and body weight, according to a article published in July 2016 annals of family medicine. As a result, as body weight increases, fluid needs also increase, notes the University of Missouri System.
Stage of life
Similarly, when someone is pregnant, they need extra fluids to maintain amniotic fluid levels and the baby to grow steadily, such as PennState discusses If you’re breastfeeding a growing baby, you’ll need to drink more fluids so your body can make enough milk, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Diet quality
As the Mayo Clinic notes, the foods you eat will also affect your hydration and the amount of fluid you’ll need to drink. For example, if you get plenty of fruits and vegetables every day (both are full of moisturizing fluid)you won’t need to swallow as much water.
Soup is another fluid-rich food and can help you meet your target water intake.
If you eat a lot of these foods every day, you won’t need to drink as much. But if your fruit and vegetable intake is low on any given day, a few extra glasses of water will make up for the fluid you’ll lose.
activity level
when you sweat during exercise or on a hot summer day, you’ll need to replenish the fluids you’ve lost by drinking more HtwoOr. Like the American College of Sports Medicine points out, the intensity and duration of exercise affect the amount of sweat and subsequent fluid needs. according to a study published in Sports medicine in March 2017genetics and how used you are to a certain climate can also influence the volume of sweat.
Unfortunately, calculating exact hydration losses from physical activity is tricky, because people sweat at drastically different rates, depending on the American College of Sports Medicine. In other words, even under exactly the same conditions, two people of the same sex, weight, and on similar diets will sweat differently and therefore require different amounts of fluid.
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The importance of staying hydrated
While water intake needs vary, one thing is for sure: meeting your personal hydration needs each day will have a huge health benefit.
In fact, like the Harvard School of Public Health points out, good hydration keeps the body working properly, lubricates joints and regulates body temperature. The university also notes that good hydration helps you sleep better, think more clearly, and even puts you in a better mood.
One last thing: don’t flood your entire system at once
It is important to drink water gradually throughout the day. Too much water at one time can increase the risk of a condition called hyponatremia, which occurs when electrolytes in the body are depleted. As the Mayo Clinic states, hyponatremia can be life-threatening.
