Is it good to drink a lot of water after intense exercise? Three principles for healthy drinking water

In the hot summer, drinking water in moderation is good for your health, but doctors remind patients with poor kidney function or dialysis to limit their water intake. Also, do not drink too much water after exercise to avoid acute water poisoning. The correct way to drink water is to master the three principles of drinking water: "small amounts, multiple times, and slow drinking."

Dr. Zheng Xiangtai from the Department of Family Medicine pointed out that as the temperature gets higher and higher in summer, the amount of sweating by the human body increases significantly. Drinking water has become the most important "health lesson" in summer. However, don't underestimate the fact that replenishing water is just a very common thing. If you don't drink it in the correct and appropriate way, it will not only be of no benefit to the body, but may sometimes even affect your health.

Drink water in moderation and be careful of water poisoning

Under normal physical conditions, to develop so-called water intoxication (i.e., hypotonic hyponatremia), one must drink more than 10 liters of water per day. However, patients with poor renal function or those undergoing dialysis need to pay special attention to the amount of water they drink. Due to poor kidney function, excessive water and salt cannot be excreted, which can easily lead to water poisoning. "Drinking a lot" after intense exercise can also cause "acute water intoxication (exercise-induced hyponatremia)", which can easily lead to convulsions, vomiting, and even death. People should not take it lightly.

In addition, it is important to drink water in moderation and not wait until you are thirsty to drink. Especially for children, who are very active and sweat easily, they should be reminded to drink water frequently. For people over 50, even if they are dehydrated, they are not easily thirsty due to the degeneration of the central nervous system. Therefore, they should adhere to the principle of "the sooner the better" and remind themselves to replenish water regularly.

Drink slowly and in small amounts frequently

Dr. Zheng Xiangtai emphasized that many people do not know how to drink water correctly and safely. The only way to drink water in a healthy way is to follow the principle of "slow rather than fast" and drink in small amounts, multiple times and slowly. It is recommended to drink 2000cc to 3000cc of water every day, which is an average of 8 large 350cc mugs a day. However, you should not drink enough water at one time. Instead, you should replenish as much as you need.

"Small amounts, multiple times, and slow drinking" means drinking in small sips, no more than 3000cc, holding it in your mouth and then swallowing it. This not only prevents you from taking in too much air and causing bloating by drinking in large gulps, but also allows your mouth to enjoy the taste of water more and keeps the oral mucosa fully moisturized. This is the best way to drink water to solve your thirst.

Drinking water can help you lose weight and increase your sense of satisfaction

In addition, drinking water every day can not only increase the body's metabolic rate, but also slightly increase the stomach's sense of fullness before meals. For a 50kg person, the total recommended daily water intake is a little more than 2000cc, at 2100cc, and it should be consumed in 6 times; 30 minutes before each of the three meals, 500cc of water, for a total of 1500cc, and between the two meals at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., 300cc of water each, for a total of 600cc.

People are reminded not to drink ice water too often in summer as it can irritate the stomach and intestines. Adhering to the principle of "warm rather than cold", it is best to drink cold water close to room temperature. In addition, it is not advisable to drink water after dinner to prevent nocturia from affecting sleep quality. If you are really thirsty, you can take a small sip of water or wet your lips with water. However, if you have a history of heart, lung, liver, kidney or other diseases, you must follow your doctor's advice on the amount of water you drink and this method of drinking water to lose weight is not suitable.