Fluid balance in the body: why you need to pay special attention in summer

The most important points in brief

• Almost 60 percent of the adult human being consists of water.
• The fluid is stored in the cells and is the main component of our body fluids.
• Nutrients can only be transported in liquids, and water is also essential to regulate the temperature of the organism.
• We lose fluids every second, which we absolutely have to replace on a regular basis, and this is even more so in the summer.

The human body is an absolute marvel. Especially when you consider that water, that H2O is the main substance we are made of, we are talking about a proportion of up to 60 percent. Without this liquid, no life would be conceivable on the entire earth, and certainly not human life. Water is stored in the cells and transports the essential nutrients to where they are needed. As a regulator of body temperature, water is just as important.

We dry out without absorbing liquid

Against this background, it becomes clear that we can only survive a few days without water. Every second we lose body fluids just by breathing. In addition, humans perspire, especially when it is warm - and this also causes the fluid balance to become unbalanced unnoticed.

So we have to consume water, two liters a day is the minimum. If we take in too little fluid, the first consequences are still harmless; mild, worsening headaches are the beginning, but digestive problems can quickly follow. Fatigue and dizziness add to this. If you do not ingest fluids for too long, you risk heat strokes, cardiac arrhythmias and a collapse of the entire circulatory system.

When heated, liquid evaporates even faster

You don't have to be a scientist to understand that water evaporates faster at high temperatures than at low temperatures. But the loss of fluids is not the only imposition for our organism. Because valuable substances are lost with the water, for example electrolytes, salts and magnesium.

It is of course vitally important to reabsorb these elements, and the easiest way to do that is with liquid - it kind of kills two birds with one stone. Tea, diluted fruit juice, mineral water and vegetable broth are particularly productive here; they not only replenish the body's fluid level, but also give us at least some of the substances mentioned. It is important that the drinks do not contain a lot of sugar, which is an additional burden on the circulation at high temperatures. The same applies to alcohol.

Do not drink ice-cold liquids

Anyone who drinks at least three liters a day in summer is on the safe side and easily compensates for the loss of fluids and the loss of minerals, salts and electrolytes with this amount. When the temperatures rise, the desire to cool down naturally grows - but be careful: ice-cold drinks are not healthy in summer. The organism has to use a lot of energy to warm up the drinks in the body, this puts a strain on the circulation.

Admittedly: When the sun burns down, you have to force yourself to drink warm or at least lukewarm drinks such as tea. If we overcome this, our body will thank us by starting to sweat slightly. And we cool off from sweating. The loss of fluids caused by perspiration must of course be compensated for with water and the like - and everything starts all over again ...