Why You Should Drink Enough Water While Fasting in Ramadan

Water intake is important for our bodies to work in a smooth way. Human body needs a good amount of water to maintain the daily routine. Normally we drink water after waking up in the morning and consume enough water throughout the day. But in Ramadan the all day smooth consumption of water gets disturbed and we need to take special care to keep ourselves hydrated.

Dangers of reduced water intake in Ramadan

The water you drink at Sehri time cannot keep you hydrated for the rest of the day. You may feel thirsty, tired and exhausted by the afternoon. This long break of having no water can cause serious damage to your health; this means you need a proper plan to drink enough water in Ramadan. Drinking water at the time of Iftar and Sehr is not enough. If you think that filling yourself with water at Sehri time will not make you feel thirsty, you may be wrong as it is not about how much water you consume but at the same time it is also about when you are drinking water and at what intervals.

Imagine that 60 to 70% of our body is made up of water and decreased intake may result in dehydration.

How to know you are dehydrated

If you are thirsty and you think you are dehydrated, you may be right but this is not a true indicator of being dehydrated. A more reliable indicator is the dark yellow color of your urine. This can act as a sign of warning as dehydration brings along discomfort, headache, exhaustion, dry mouth, dry skin, constipation and dizziness. If the dehydration level is low it can be cured by increasing the water intake in the time when you are not fasting. But serious dehydration may cause health issues and need medical assistance.

Prefer water over other drinks in Ramadan

Fizzy drinks and artificial juices have sweeteners and artificial colors which are not good for health if consumed daily. They might add in extra calories in your daily diet resulting in an obvious weight gain in Ramadan. Tea and coffee should be avoided as they tend to make you feel thirsty. On the other hand Water helps in flushing the toxins and reducing the feeling of hunger.

Thirst prevention in Ramadan

Not just the consumption of water but the food intake also plays an important part in preventing thirst in Ramadan. Summers and Ramadan means you need at least eight glasses of water daily. Continue to sip water after iftar till Sehri and aim for 8 to 10 glasses of water.

At sehri time try to avoid oily and spicy food as this will increase the chances of being thirsty soon. A heavy meal in Sehri is not a good idea. Besides this salty foods increase the need of water for the body resulting in making you feel thirsty. To prevent thirst while fasting, try to increase the intake of vegetables and fruits that are rich in water and fiber. Remember, drinking large quantity of water won’t help, instead take small quantity during your meal and in between iftar and sehri.

Add soups in your Ramadan diet as they help in keeping you hydrated for long and preventing you from being thirsty. We all know that not just refraining from food but water intake is also not allowed during the fast. But we can use water in some other way and another solution to stay cool in Summer Ramadan is to take shower and stay fresh. This also helps in thirst prevention as suggested by many who have tried this.

What we learned from the article

If we summarize the article in few lines, the most important point discussed is to fulfill the target of 8 to 10 glasses of water during Ramadan. Gulping water at once is not an ideal way, instead small quantity at regular intervals after breaking the fast till Sehri time will be more helpful. Besides this we have learned the symptoms of dehydration and ways to prevent thirst in Ramadan. I Hope the article will help you in planning your water intake in the holy month of Ramadan. SO, DON’T FORGET TO DRINK ENOUGH WATER IN RAMADAN