The best tips for staying hydrated are to always have water available, and if necessary, make drinking water flavorful, and to be well informed about proper hydration. In addition, a person can sometimes curb hunger by drinking, because some studies show that people are known to confuse thirst for hunger. Dehydration is a serious problem that plagues millions even when clean water is readily available, but it is an easy problem to avoid.
One of the best tips for staying hydrated is to dispel myths about drinking water. Like magazines and studies say, drinking water is very important because it boosts energy levels, gives moisture to a person’s skin, and may even impact emotional states on top of numerous other benefits. Contrary to some beliefs, however, there is no set amount of water to drink because the optimal amount depends on a person’s activity levels, diet, and weight. In addition, there are such problems as drinking too much water, which leads to water poisoning and sometimes death.
If a person does not have water available to drink, chances are that they will not be drinking water. Always having water available in some form is key to staying hydrated, even if a person does not feel thirsty or cannot imagine feeling thirsty 30 minutes in the future. It can be useful to bring water along on car rides, walks, or when going anywhere that does not have easy access to water. For people with sedentary professions, keeping a glass of water on the desk is a reminder to drink. While people often get up to drink water if they are thirsty, a person might not if he or she is distracted.
To continue staying hydrated, people can make drinking water as attractive as possible. One way to achieve this is to consume carbonated seltzer water instead of plain water or use water flavoring ingredients to make regular water taste better. Sometimes people do not drink enough water because they want to drink something flavorful or fizzy. Drinking a form of water that fits this desire can alleviate that problem. It is usually best to still drink some plain water though, because flavored water can be full of added sugar, sugar substitutes, or other ingredients that are not healthy in excessive amounts.
Thirst is routinely mistaken for hunger, leading people to eat between meals or eat more food than they normally would. Many foods have heavy water content, so a person’s confused thirst can sometimes be partially abated by eating. This is usually considered a bad way to hydrate specifically because it can lead to eating more than necessary just to stop feeling hungry when the person is actually thirsty. To avoid this problem, a person can drink at least one glass of water when he or she begins to feel hungry. Sometimes drinking water before meals is used as a weight loss technique, but it is also a good technique to staying hydrated.
