Water.
The enabler of life. Humans can take a liter an hour in the hottest places, or die.
To get minerals. In nature, pure water doesn't exist. There's almost always something in it.
Q- What water to drink?
Electrolytes!
When we say water, we aren't talking pure H2O. While we can drink pure water, we need salt and minerals. Without them, we may eventually get water poisoning - the normal electrolytic balance is disrupted and the brain is most sensitive to it.
I found during the half-marathon just how much electrolytes are necessary before, during and after the race. I started off drinking 3 or 4 cups of water with 1 sports drink to go. At the turn-around point, I found that my vision became brighter and glare-y. Switching completely to sports drink helped things back to normal, except the sugar was causing small sugar crashes soon after. There wasn't a work-around to this issue. The sports drink also felt rather diluted. Perhaps I should bring my own rehydration salts and next time.
Coconut water is great stuff, with similar composition to blood plasma. I could drink nothing except coconuts in Vietnam and Malaysia. I didn't feel any different after drinking and sweating.
Fluoride
I did a 6 month long experiment soon due to end. I drank only distilled or non-fluoridated water, and no drinks. From the start of 2013, I hauled bottled water back home and to dormitory ever few days. I alternated between mineral water and distilled water, depending on which was on sale. I made drinks whenever possible.
The result?
My mind became clearer. I felt smarter. Reading novels, I could see clearly everything so exquisitely described by the finely chosen words.
Reduced sleep requirement. I woke up from clearly defined dreams every morning. The details could so good that for a short moment, I forgot it was a dream and reacted like the waking me.
I could very easily pull all-nighters. If I was fully engaged, it didn't feel any different whatever the time was. I could work fully until 4am and still wake before 9am the next day. Of course, I only did that twice, knowing the long-term consequences.
While logical reasoning did not become clearer, I found my visualizations form clearer images. This is very interesting and under-researched, because this means there are actual high-level effects, with effects over entire populations.
However, I could work longer without fatigue. It was as if my mind felt lighter and more agile. I was able to focus greater effort at my interests, and less able to force myself to do anything. It wasn't that I was more willing, just that it was easier.
I also found a difference between remineralized and distilled water. Distilled water did not feel as hydrating as mineralized water - my mouth would still feel dry and furry after distilled water.
Mineral water comes in many different forms. Some charge a big premium over where they are from, branding, texture and taste. Watson's (the mineral type with blue-caps) are good enough for hydration purposes, though to my tastes, even Chinese purified water tasted better. The greater cost is not worth it - it's cheaper to add a powdered drink of your choice.
So am I going back? Not a chance. I attempted a withdrawal, which resulted in a significant loss of productivity and mental clarity (mental fog) I'd rather not experience again.
Temperature
Based simply on feeling, this should be obvious. Since we are warm bodies, warm water is the natural choice. Warm drinks give a relaxing, cozy experience. I can also drink more warm water than cold water, with the warm water being absorbed faster than the cold water.
There is also evidence that warm drinks help digestion, and that seems to make scientific sense too. Enzymes work optimally at specific temperatures. Fats are more fluid in warmer liquids.
Q- When to drink?
The best time to hydrate is immediately after getting up. If you're like me and weened off air-conditioning for sleeping at night, eight hours of sleep is also eight hours of drying up and using up energy. The body is in great demand for water and food.
The second best time to hydrate is steadily throughout the day. Water is consistently gained and lost through all sorts of processes. To stay balanced, replenish as soon as it is lost.
If having a water source near you all day isn't possible or not your style, the best time to drink is an hour before meals. That's when you'll be feeling hungry and sometimes, that feeling doesn't mean you need food. Water can delay the response until you can get a meal. It will helps digestion too.
Q- How much?
It is entirely true that one can go with not drinking water at all. We get water from food and other drinks all the time.
I'm not concerned with minimums. I consider "getting enough water" to mean that urine is always clear and the mind/body are feeling great.
Based on my water bottle estimates, I was drinking 1.5L average for winter days and 2L as summer heat sets in. And this is just for mineralized water/mixed drinks. There is no way my urine could be entirely clear with just a liter of water a day.
For a half-day (~5-6 hour) summer hike, I need about 2L to feel as if I was sitting in an air-conditioned room. I just used up 1L playing 3 hours of tennis outdoors in the hot afternoon. That's not including pre- and post- hydration, which are just as important.
Conclusion
- Drink water with electrolytes, excluding fluoride & other pollutants.
- Good water is a nutrient - it makes you feel better.
- You need more than a liter of clean water a day. 2 Liters is very reasonable if you're not big on drinks.
- Replenish fluids as/before you lose it - not afterwards.
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