
11 Apr 2016
How to prevent Chronic Dehydration
It is very easy to prevent chronic dehydration by making a few alterations in our daily lifestyle.
- Make conscious efforts to consume 2 to 2.5 litres of fluids in the day. This includes water, tea, coffee, buttermilk and other beverages also. Our total intake of fluids should not exceed 3.7 litres/day, as this would then put excess pressure on our kidneys.
- Increase intake of Fruits and Vegetables in our regular diet. Fruits and vegetables are known to have a higher water content than other foods; eating them can help in keeping us adequately hydrated.
- Avoid Sugary drinks, cold drinks and other carbonated beverages. We have a thirst for fluids which can be quenched by plain water. Whenever thirsty always try to drink plain water rather than sugary and carbonated beverages.
- Avoid drinking excess coffee. Coffee has caffeine which is a known diuretic [chemical, which increases urine output]. Hence by avoiding excess coffee, we can prevent excessive loss of water from the body.
- Alcohol consumption also causes similar effects as caffeine and hence must be avoided as much as possible.
- Drink sufficient water before and after exercise to prevent dehydration.