Staying hydrated during Ramadan
The month of Ramadan gives Muslims all over the world the opportunity to spiritually cleanse themselves by engaging in good deeds and fasting. However, our day-today activities tend to put a toll on most of us; especially when it comes to thirst, as we live in such a hot and humid climate. As staying hydrated is absolutely essential to staying healthy, Dr. Aisha Adama of Nisa Hospital, Abuja, shares some tips on how to stay hydrated throughout the holy month.
Don’t drink juice to break your fast: Juice of course is quite rich in water, but then nothing is better than water itself. It serves a better purpose for hydration and is essential for the body to function properly. But if you must, go for fresh juices with fruits high in water content such as watermelon and pineapple.
Ensure you drink enough water at suhoor: Suhoor is perhaps the most crucial meal before the start of a day of fasting, which is why everything you put in your body at that time counts. Ideally, you should consume at least two glasses of water during suhoor to keep the thirst at bay during the day.
Sip water all through the night: The daily amount of water for an adult is eight glasses and there’s no way you can drink that much between breaking your fast and suhoor since you’ll be asleep through most of that period. So make the effort to wake up and drink or sip as much water as you can throughout the night.
Incorporate foods with high water content: Fruits and vegetables are very rich in water and help in keeping you hydrated. Salads with tomatoes and cucumbers or fruit salads are a great choice. Also, soups are a good option as well.
Stay out of the heat: Seeing as we live in a climate that is quite humid and hot, try your best to stay indoors or in places with shade to minimise the sweat you produce. Sweating makes you lose the water in your body thereby dehydrating and making you thirsty much faster.
Lay off the exercise: Exercising while fasting isn’t a good idea unless you want to seriously dehydrate before its time for you to break your fast. If you’re worried about staying in shape, simply regulate what you eat while breaking your fast and delay your gym sessions until after you’re well fed and watered.
Staying hydrated is essential in order to avoid the health risks associated with dehydration, which include heat stroke, kidney injury, electrolyte disorders, neurological injury and others. Extra fluid intake is required in certain ailments with fluid loss such as gastroenteritis. Be sure to approach your healthcare provider for evaluation if you feel you might be dehydrated or start to feel ill while fasting.