It is a very common advice that we must drink sufficient amount of water every day to keep our body
hydrated and ward off many illnesses. There are also many myths regarding what kind of water to drink,
how much water is required, when to drink and even on the position we take while drinking water.
There are many people who drink almost a liter of water at once when they are excessively thirsty. But
this alters the normal electrolyte balance of sodium and potassium in our body, which is essential for
maintaining the pH of blood. Only by maintaining the blood sodium level will our muscles work well.
Drinking a lot of water at once will cause imbalance in the electrolytes and lower the sodium leading to
muscle pains and body aches.
People are often seen to drink a large amount of water at once when tired after exercise or some
strenuous job, but this would cause sodium imbalance and resultant muscle pains and cramps. Hence, it
is advisable to drink 1 liter of water over a period of 1 hour.
Some people drink 1 liter of water as soon as they wake in the morning. It is good to drink water
immediately after waking in the morning as it helps the movement of our digestive juices and motility of
the intestines, thereby preventing constipation, however, 1 or 2 glasses of water would be sufficient.
Drinking 1 liter of water on empty stomach in the morning may cause gastric irritation and indigestion of
the next meal. Also, drinking excess amount of water may cause problems in water reabsorption and
result in loose motions.
The amount of water required by a person depends on the body weight. 1 liter of water is required for
every 25 kg of body weight. So a person weighing 50 kg must drink 2 liters of water a day.
Beverages like tea, coffee, colas and alcohol are often opted for when we are hungry or in hot climate.
Some people may even prefer a cool beer when it is very hot and sweaty. But all these beverages cause
dehydration in the body and work as diuretics. This results in fatigue, weakness and body pain. So, if you
drink any of these beverages, you must also drink a glass of water soon after.
Adding any of the so-called energy drink powders to water is seen to be harmful due to the color and
sweeteners added to them. Long term use of such drinks may lead to type II diabetes and even cancer.
So, better options are to drink water as it is or add natural tastemakers such as cumin, cardamom,
cinnamon, dry ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, etc. We may also add pieces of fruit like lemon or
orange in the jar of water to flavor it.
There are many misconceptions and myths regarding drinking water along with food. In reality, there
are no health risks if an individual drinks water with food, but while having high protein food like meat,
fish, egg, peas, gram, lentils, etc., excess amount of water intake may cause gassiness in some people,
especially in the 50s and who are diabetic, obese or have problems of indigestion and gas trouble.
So, the right time to drink water is before or after food in case you have a gassy abdomen. However,
people who have good digestion can drink water at their own convenience.
The water that is obtained from a public tap must not be consumed directly as it is often mixed with
disinfectants like chlorine to prevent multiplication of bacteria. So, if this water is consumed directly, the
chlorine enters our body beyond the permissible limit and may cause problems like hairfall, skin
complaints, organ disorders, etc. The tap water must be stored in glass bottles or buckets where it is
exposed to air for at least 10 minutes, whereby the chlorine is evaporated. The best method is to use
boiled water for drinking. This would also prevent any water-borne diseases.
Drinking very cold water regularly is not advisable to people who have acidity and gas troubles. Drinking
cold water will irritate their vagus nerve and aggravate their gas troubles and would lead to swollen
flatulent abdomen. It is always better to drink water 3 to 4 degrees less than the normal temperature.
With the advent of all kinds of lifestyle illnesses, there are a variety of tablets people consume as part of
their daily routine. It must be made sure that enough water is taken with the tablet to help it reach the
stomach.
Having just a mouthful of water to swallow the tablet is not enough. Drinking larger amount
of water will help quick digestion and absorption of the tablet in the body. Also, the water-soluble
vitamin tablets are absorbed well if taken with sufficient amount of water.
It must be noted that the mineral water bottles that are labelled as number “1” indicate that they must
be used only once and then destroyed. These bottles must not be used to store water in the fridges in
the house or left in warm or hot places like the car as the water would be unfit for drinking later as the
chemical bisphenol A (BPA) present in the plastic of these bottles would dissolve in the water, which can
cause a variety of problems in the body. The water bottles used to store water must be of number “2” or
“5” marking, which indicates that they are reusable.