What is an ambulance doing in front of my house? This is a question no mother wants to ask as she walks home from a long train ride from work. She rushes through the door just as her teenage daughter is being carried on a stretcher to the ambulance. Fortunately, her husband was home when he noticed how lethargic their daughter appeared and called the local EMS organization.

When Jenny left early that morning her daughter was already up and getting ready to go to school. Jenny inquired if she had breakfast and her daughter claimed she had no time and would grab something at school.

Jenny hopped into the ambulance hoping that she herself would not faint from hunger and tried to calm herself down as she looked at her daughter who was sleeping peacefully on the stretcher. At the hospital, the emergency room RN on call put the girl on a saline IV and low and behold she woke up and appeared fine.

“Simple dehydration”, diagnosed the ER physician and he then began asking simple questions such as what did the girl eat and drink that day and how many times she went to the restroom. The girl admitted that she was studying late the night before and neglected to eat or drink that morning as well. A simple case of dehydration was the verdict, something that could have been avoided frightening her parents.

Guilt, anger and compassion all rose up together in Jenny’s throat. How could her daughter be so careless to not put a morsel of food or a drink of water in her mouth for so many hours? She is usually a good eater and enjoys drinking as well. It does happen to teenagers that they either get overheated in sports or are too busy studying and forget to drink.

How Can Water Prevent Dehydration?

Surprisingly, our body weight is about 60% water regulating body temperature while keeping our liver and kidneys functioning efficiently. Our body washes out unneeded toxic matter through the liver and kidneys and water keeps these organs on track. Any deviation from the normal amount of water consumed can cause dehydration. All it can take is a decrease of fluid intake as small as 2% for dehydration signs to surface causing symptoms such as unexplained fatigue, lightheadedness and headaches. A child going to a school exam in such a condition will not be using their brain capacity properly as dehydration can decrease brain function.

According to The National Academy of Medicine, women should drink about 11.5 cups of water every day and men should drink 15.5 cups per day. There are foods such as tomatoes, potatoes and other water filled fruits and vegetables that can be counted in your daily water intake.

Should You Drink Water Before Going to Bed at Night?

There are different schools of thought as to when the best time is to drink water, morning, noon or night. Another question posed by experts is does it actually make a difference when you drink your daily water ration?

If you are one of the lucky people who have a healthy night’s sleep, you will be thirsty when you wake up in the morning. Some folks will keep a bottle of water on their nightstand so that they can begin their daily allotment of water as soon as they rise. Your body has been without water for eight hours straight. (Some of us do wake in the middle of the night for a drink as well.) and it will help you feel more invigorated and ready to tackle your morning routine whether going to school, work or staying at home when you begin to hydrate early.

To most nutritionists’ coffee and tea also count as water although too much caffeine is unhealthy and unnecessary if you get enough sleep. Unfortunately, some people forget to drink enough water throughout the day and remember about it right before bedding down. Is it beneficial to drink water right before bedtime?

Statistically, three out of four Americans do not drink enough water during the day nor get enough liquid energy from other foods to fill in the disparities. For those people who tend to get hot during the night and even sweaty, drinking water before bed is a good idea (even though they may have to wake up to go to the restroom disrupting their well needed sleep.) Those folks who keep turning over their pillows and tossing off their covers could benefit from pre-sleep water drinking. These people’s body temperatures rise and drinking water before bed will control that hot feeling and sweating.

Will Drinking Water Help With Weight Loss?

Weight loss diets generally require a specific amount of water consumption per day. Not only does drinking decrease the appetite but also increases trips to the restroom washing away excess salt. A decrease in salt is a big bonus to weight loss and combined with an increase in fluids is a sure way to get rid of those extra pounds. The only exception is for those who do extreme sports it is quite important to have adequate salt in your body. There is energy drinks geared specifically to post workouts that should be incorporated in an athlete’s diet. However, if you exercise normally a decrease in salt should not be a problem. Diet coaches will instruct you to ask yourself before you pick up a snack if you are truly hungry or just thirsty. A personal bottle of water may do the trick and avoid any unneeded calories

Some folks are particular about how they prepare their bottled water. Some like it cold and some do not and prefer it at room temperature. Other people must have a squeeze of lemon or lime which is fine. There is nothing as refreshing after a hot game of tennis than to open that freezing cold water bottle and drink it straight – no lemon, lime or any other flavoring. Simple hydrating of the body is so important after any activity and a sweet drink such as a can of soda will not do the trick as well as a bottle of cold water.

According to Bonnie Taub, RN, the author of Read It Before You Eat It, drinking water before a meal will decrease the appetite and eating less means losing more. In fact, a study concluded that folks who drank two cups of water thirty minutes before eating lost almost three pounds in twelve weeks.

How do the Elderly Tackle Drinking Their Water Quota?

Elderly individuals have an especially hard time drinking water. Their esophagus is sometimes narrow from age, and they cough from liquids. This is a vicious cycle that can develop where the individual will avoid drinking water and become dehydrated. Relatives may not realize why their parents are lethargic and will call the local EMT’s to check this person out.

Knowing how easy it is to become dehydrated even at a younger age will help these relatives to solve the problem without going to the emergency room. By encouraging the seniors to drink water, the family can avoid a dreaded visit to the hospital. For those people who find it difficult to drink plain water there are alternatives such as freeze pops, or apple sauce mixed with water.

It certainly would be advantageous to pay the extra price for higher quality freeze pops that taste much better than the off brands. Make sure to always have a range of different drinks and ice pops for your seniors.

Final Words

There are differences in opinion as to which time of day it is best to drink your daily water but all agree that it is crucial to the health and wellbeing of your body both physically and mentally. The most optimum way of drinking water is throughout the day, but this is sometimes not practical if you are not near a restroom or you cannot leave the room wherever you need to.

Some folks end up realizing before they go to bed that they have not consumed their daily quota of water. When this occurs, it is better to drink than not to drink especially if they will be sleeping soundly until morning. Without hydration you may wake up lightheaded and even dizzy. Then the hot shower will make you feel worse, and you may have to lay down again. By keeping a bottle of water handy on your nightstand you will avoid dehydration by taking a gulp as soon as you awaken.

Certain family members from young to old have difficulty meeting their daily water quota. For these individuals it is helpful to have a variety of options ranging from cold ice pops to hot drinks and soups. By giving your family healthy and varied alternatives you will stay confident in avoiding the scrooge of dehydration. Dehydration can come gradually or suddenly so be on the lookout for members of the family who seem lethargic and not themselves.