National Hydration Day Date in the current year: June 23, 2024

Water is an integral part of all life on Earth. It makes up more than 60% of the human body and is present in all organs and tissues. Your body is constantly losing water through sweating, urinating, and even breathing, and it is extremely important to replenish that water to prevent dehydration and its consequences. Mild dehydration can cause dizziness, extreme fatigue, cognitive impairment, headaches, and muscle cramps, while severe or chronic dehydration can lead to kidney problems, hypertension, UTIs, and other serious health issues.

To prevent dehydration, you need to make sure your body receives more water than it loses. The recommended daily amount of drinking water is 2-2.7 liters for women and 2.5-3.7 liters for men. However, it varies depending on one’s age, health, level of physical activity, and environment. It should be noted that all sugar-free drinks and liquid foods count into daily intake, not just water.

Here are a few practical tips for those who want to stay well-hydrated and healthy:

Drink water throughout the day even if you don’t feel thirsty. It’s better to be proactive about your water intake than to get dehydrated. While it is possible to drink too much water, the so-called water intoxication is extremely rare, so it is not advisable to limit your water intake if you are healthy.

Limit the consumption of dehydrating drinks. Even though alcohol and caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, energy drinks) do count as water sources, they also make you urinate more and lose water, so it is advisable to limit their intake or drink more water to counterbalance their effect.

Eat water-rich foods. Drinks and liquid foods are not the only source of water. Incorporating hydrating foods like fruit and vegetables into your diet will help increase your water intake.

Be mindful of the factors that increase the risk of dehydration. Physical activity, hot weather, medications that have a diuretic effect, and some other factors make your body lose more water, which means you need to increase your water intake when they are at play.

National Hydration Day was established in 2016 by SafeTGard, a manufacturer of athletic protective gear. Its date, June 23, was chosen to commemorate the death anniversary of Victor Hawkins, a youth and high school football coach who invented a mouthguard that helped players maintain their electrolyte balance on the field by slowly releasing electrolytes in their mouths. Determined to make his invention available to athletes everywhere, Hawkins teamed up with SafeTGard to produce FuelGard.

It should be noted that National Hydration Day is not just for athletes because everyone needs to stay hydrated on these hot summer days. Celebrate the holiday by researching the best ways to make sure you drink enough fluids during the day, sharing the information you’ve learned with others, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtag #NationalHydrationDay.