Are You Getting The Water You Need?

Muscle cramps. Headaches. Fatigue. What sounds like a mild flu is oftentimes something even more ordinary. Dehydration. Most people need at least eight glasses of water daily. But many don't drink nearly that much, and that bad habit may be harming their health.

Water replenishes and cleanses
An apple a day gets all the press, but drinking plenty of water provides many health benefits:

• Improved weight control. Many people eat, rather than drink, when they feel thirsty. Drinking water helps curb your appetite and your thirst.
  
• Better bladder and bowel functioning. Fluids speed the elimination of feces from the colon and urine from the bladder, helping to prevent and treat constipation and urinary tract infections.
  
• Reduced cancer risk. Fluids may cut the risk of cancer by flushing out or diluting carcinogens in the bladder and colon.
  
• Less chance of kidney stones. Drinking plenty of water helps prevent kidney stones from developing or recurring.
  
• Better respiratory health. Dehydration dries the mucus membranes, thereby possibly increasing a person's susceptibility to colds and other respiratory infections. It also decreases the lung function of asthmatic individuals.
  
• A healthier mouth. Drinking water increases saliva, which neutralizes cavity-causing acids in the mouth, washes away food particles and inhibits gum disease and other oral problems.
  

How much do I need to drink?
The body is constantly losing water, and the more you weigh, the more water you lose everyday. On a cool, inactive day, the average man loses about 12 eight-ounce cups of water, but only consumes about nine cups of water (about half of that from the water in fruits, vegetables and other solid foods).

To avoid even mild dehydration, take this simple test to calculate the minimum daily amount of water you should be getting from all sources:

1. Enter your weight: = _______ pounds
   
2. Multiply your weight by .04: = ________ pounds of water lost
   
3. Multiply line two by 2: = ________ cups of water (one cup = 8 oz.) needed daily from beverages and food
   

The following factors increase the amount of water you should consume:

• Exercise. Drink 1 cup of water before exercising, an additional � cup every 20 minutes during exercise, and another cup within a half hour of finishing.
  
• High elevations, heat and humidity. Consume an extra 1 or 2 cups of water a day when elevation exceeds 5,000 feet, the temperature exceeds 80 F or the humidity is unusually low.
  
• Pregnancy and breast-feeding. Drink an extra cup of water every day if you're pregnant, and 3 to 4 cups extra if you're breast-feeding.
  
• Caffeine and alcohol. Consume an extra � cup of water for every cup of caffeinated or alcoholic beverages you drink.
  
• Diarrhea or fever. Consume an extra 8 to 12 cups of water per day when you have diarrhea, and an extra cup for every degree of fever.
  

To stay hydrated, drink steadily over the course of the day. You're getting enough fluid if your urine is clear or very pale yellow and virtually odorless. Get the water you need from a combination of beverages and food such as 100 percent fruit juice, low-fat milk, soup, fruits and vegetables. But drink at least five 8-ounce cups of water itself everyday.

Dehydration is a particular concern for the elderly, who often don't drink enough liquids because of a weakened sense of thirst. Older people should set regular times throughout the day to drink, regardless of thirst, to prevent complications from dehydration such as stroke, heart problems and disorientation.