How much water we need to drink? The British Dietetic Association guidelines state that an average adult should consume 2.5 litres of water per day. This intake needs to be increased during periods of hot weather or during and after periods of physical activity.

If loss of body water is not replenished then water content of body is reduced which will result in dehydration. Even slight dehydration can cause serious risk to infants and older persons. If the amount of water in your body decreases by just 1%, you’ll feel very thirsty. A 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory loss. A 3% loss of water will cause fatigue and lethargy which will reduce a person’s ability work by 20%. Prolonged dehydration may result in damage to functioning of vital organs like brain, kidney. liver, heart and nervous system. Aute and severe dehydration may cause death.

Avoid drinks containing caffeine such as tea, coffee, cola, alcohol, chocolate etc. because they contain dehydrating agents, which not only eliminate water contained in them but also eliminate water from the body’s reserve by promoting urine formation in body.

Make habit of drinking of water. However, do not make it obsession by drink water all the times on each and every opportunity resulting in over-hydration. Over-hydration can cause problems similar to dehydration.

Always remember: “Too much is not good i.e.  excess of every thing is bad.”