Drinking water can protect your health, improve your concentration and even prevent depression. Kate Hilpern reports on the dangers of dehydration (обез­во­жи­ва­ние).

1.  Practically the only time I drink water is when I'm working out at the gym and can feel my body crying out for it. Like millions of people, the rest of the time I prefer some flavour to my drink. Insufficient consumption of water is a serious problem, according to scientists, who claim that anyone drinking less than eight glasses of pure water per day is at risk of dehydration. The consequences, they say, include poor performance at work, depression, allergies and even some cancers. Adding to the problem of getting this message across to the public is the fact that recent studies show drinking too much water can also do harm to your health, causing 'acute water intoxication'. Salt in the blood is weakened in its effect, depriving the brain, heart and muscles of the amounts they need to function properly.

2.  One recent poll (опрос) suggests that only one in 10 of us drinks the right amount to meet the body's needs. And it's not only adults who are affected. A quarter of children drink no water during the school day and their performance is affected as a result. Indeed, thirst can cause mental performance to drop by at least 10 percent. Studies of primary schools have found that test results significantly improve when pupils are encouraged to drink water throughout the day.

3.  Fizzy drinks (га­зи­ро­ван­ные на­пит­ки) are four and a half times more popular than water among children. "But soft drinks, including fizzy drinks and fruit juices, contain high levels of sugar," says Barrie Clarke of Water UK, the umbrella organization for water suppliers. This means they are absorbed much more slowly than water so they don't hydrate the brain as quickly." Really high sugar drinks cause a rapid rise in blood sugar level, followed by a sudden drop, which can cause lack of concentration. "Most people know that drinking water is good for you but few realise the huge range of risks that can affect us every day, t lack of concentration, fatigue and irritability," he adds. Then there's your appearance to think of. Lack of water leads to dry and tired looking skin as well as ageing.

4.  Recognizing that dehydration is a major health problem, primary schools in one region are taking action by providing water coolers. For every cooler installed in a school, the regional water authority gives away refillable water bottles which children can take into classes with them. "There is still a lot of work to be done around explaining to teachers about the importance of drinking water," said Abusin. 'So part of our campaign is getting them not only to allow children to have water bottles on their desks, but to encourage them to drink from them before they get thirsty."