How to stay hydrated during Ramadan
Water is one of the vital ingredients for life. Nearly all of our body’s major systems depend on water to function and survive. About 60 to 70 per cent of the human body is made up of water, which carries oxygen and vital nutrients to our cells. That’s why any reduction in water intake can affect body’s cells and nerves from functioning properly. It is absolutely essential to compensate the loss of water in daily life, especially during the month of Ramadan. The holy month is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm). They abstain from eating any food and drinking any liquids during fast from dawn to sunset. The first meal at dawn is called Sehri and the evening meal for breaking the fast is known as Iftar.
Water is absolutely the best drink to deal with thirst during Ramadan. Though, most people do not realize the importance of water as they prefer soft drinks or sugary drinks and little bit of water at Iftar and with the food, then ignore it until the next day. The minimum intake of water should be half of your body weight in ounces. However, when fasting, even more water is beneficial. According to the new recommendations by the United States-based Institute of Medicine, men and women should drink 3.7 liters and 2.7 liters of water respectively per day.
In the Holy Month of Ramadan, it is necessary to drink plenty of fluids, especially water because of the long period of fasting and specially in high temperatures. Eating fluid-rich foods, such as fruit, vegetables, soups, yoghurt and milk products are beneficial to replace fluids lost during fasting and to ensure starting the next day of fasting well hydrated.
Some people eat snacks and very spicy things in iftar and then go to sleep, without consuming enough water skipping suhoor and staying hungry until the next iftar, this type of life style may cause serious problems like low blood sugar, weakness and dehydration.
The person who is fasting should remember to keep drinking water outside of fasting hours.
It is advisable not to drink large quantities of water all at once or a lot during a meal because human body won’t be able to absorb it all. Cold water and warm water both are useful cold water will rehydrate and refresh. Warm water on the other hand will make less thirsty and will help with digestion.
Proper intake of water is so important that deficiency of even one percent of water can present signs of dysfunctions in human body. Slightly more dehydration, may lead to more health risks. Water maintains the balance of electrolytes within the body and it is necessary for absorption of many nutrients as water also provides a suitable environment for a lot of chemical reactions within the body.
Dehydration is the biggest physical challenge of fasting, but even when you're not fasting, water
is essential to stay hydrated. Dehydration can cause undesirable side effects such as: headache, dizziness, tiredness, nausea constipation, and dry skin. Dehydration can also cause numerous other health issues including high or low blood pressure, heart palpitations, irregular heart rhythm, poor blood circulation, increased toxins in the body, Kidney problems and joint pain due to a lack of lubrication in the joints.
However, dehydration does not affect everyone in the same way. Each person will have a different tolerance level to dehydration and may be able to survive without water for longer or shorter periods than someone else.
After couple of days of fasting, thirst becomes a normal feeling, so try to notice other, obvious signs of dehydration: cracked lips, flushed skin, color of urine if it is very dark yellow, that's a sign you may need to drink more water.
If the weather is warm during the month of Ramadan, then try your best to stay indoors wherever possible as being in direct sunlight causes sweat, which, in turn, causes loss of body fluid. Cold showers help in many ways to rehydrate you during the month of Ramadan. The person who is fasting should avoid daily activities that can dehydrate body, especially during hot summer days.