It’s getting warmer again in Germany. It is particularly important to drink a lot. Just not every drink, as experts explain.
In the warm months it is important to drink enough water. The choice of drinks also plays a role.
It is said that it is better to avoid coffee and tea in summer. But is there really any truth to this advice?
This is how much you should drink at high temperatures
The official rule is to drink at least three liters a day when temperatures are high. Since the loss of fluid can quickly increase two to three times, it is important to increase the normal requirement. If you do additional exercise, your fluid requirement increases accordingly.
High temperatures: are coffee and tea really unhealthy?
Two liquids that many people love in everyday life are considered bad choices in summer: coffee and tea. Supposedly they are not intended to increase fluid intake but, on the contrary, actually dehydrate the body.
But that has long been refuted by science. Coffee and certain types of tea have a diuretic effect, but do not remove any fluid from the body. This is proven, among other things, by a study by Loughborough University in England.
If you follow the recommendation of the German Nutrition Society (DGE) and drink no more than four cups of coffee daily, coffee consumption is irrelevant for the body’s water balance.
Particular caution should be exercised when drinking too much alcohol
By the way, alcoholic drinks are a no-go at high temperatures, at least in excess. On normal days, these only cause a slight hangover at best. But if you drink too much of it at high temperatures, you can easily slip into a severe dehydration phase.
What are the symptoms of dehydration?
You can tell whether you are dehydrated through various signals from your body. For example, if you observe the following symptoms, you should urgently drink regularly and a lot. In the long term, further signs may emerge. These include cracked, chapped lips, discolored urine and dry, itchy skin.
Signs of too little fluid in the body:
Thirst, dry mouth and dry tongue, headache, problems concentrating, fatigue, weakness, dizziness
Sources: Harvard Medical School, BestLife
By Dana Neumann