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Drink to Your Health
Adequate Water Intake for Hydration
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
The reported signs and symptoms of dehydration are not statistical results gathered by a scientist in a lab. They are what can happen if an adequate amount of water is not consumed daily, and they affect thousands of people each and every day. Sandy Cummins, a mom from Australia says, "I drink heaps of water every day because dehydration is a trigger for headaches for me. If I don't drink enough I get a headache – if I drink way too little it could be a migraine."
Water does more than quenches thirst. As water is needed for various body functions, ensuring an adequate amount of water consumption for both adults and children is one way to work toward optimum health. "Water intake is important for lots of reasons," Levine says. "Water helps convert food into energy, carries nutrients and oxygen to all cells in the body, regulates body temperature, protects and cushions vital organs and moistens oxygen for breathing."
Dehydration is not an "adult only" condition. Children can feel the affects of inadequate water intake as well, regardless of age. In addition, as children are quite active, they may require more frequent breaks for water to prevent the effects of dehydration from becoming apparent.
"My teenage daughters are dancers, and they never leave for a workout without a bottle of water," says Dawn Williams, a mom from Batavia, Ill. "I simply make sure there are plenty of water bottles available and the older girls help themselves, especially when they're dancing. My 2-year-old also seems to enjoy drinking from sports bottles with the little squirt top. I make a game of it if she's esistant."
