Water makes up around 60 percent of the human body and is an essential element in maintaining metabolism.

It distributes the nutrients of what we eat, regulates body temperature, removes toxins through urine and feces and is a lubricant for the joints.

The Health Ministry suggests adults should drink a minimum eight glasses or two liters of water every day. But during the fasting month of Ramadhan, Muslims must limit their water intake.

It is common for those who are fasting to experience light dehydration, marked by thirst and a dry mouth. Sometimes, fasting can lead to severe dehydration where people can lose concentration, feel weak and experience digestion problems.

'€œEvery day, we lose around two liters of water and we need to replace the fluid by drinking that same amount,'€ Saptawati '€œTati'€ Bardosono, chairwoman of Indonesian Hydration Working Group, recently said.

'€œDuring fasting, our body experiences a change in eating patterns, and we should take this seriously to avoid dehydration and a lack of nutrition.'€

However, one should not stop consuming the proper amount of water, she said.

'€œWe can apply the 2-4-2 strategy during Ramadhan to keep ourselves hydrated.'€

Tati said that the strategy required people to drink two glasses of water during iftar, the meal eaten to break the fast in the early evening; four glasses over the next several hours before going to bed and another two during the sahur (pre-dawn meal).

'€œThere hasn'€™t been any study that regulates water intake during fasting, but in general, it is important to drink eight glasses of water each day. And that amount of water consumption can'€™t be replaced with other kinds of beverages, like sweet drinks, soda or caffeine-based drinks,'€ she said.

Quenching your thirst: '€œEvery day, we lose around two liters of water and we need to replace the fluid by drinking that same amount,'€ Saptawati '€œTati'€ Bardosono says. AFP/Denis Charlet

She said it was important to immediately drink water to break the fast to replace the loss of fluids during the day.

'€œBreak the fast with one glass of water before having a light meal, but choose food that is not too sweet, then drink another glass of water,'€ she said.

She added that consuming fruit and vegetables that contained lots of water, such as watermelon, mango, carrot and tomato, could also help balance the loss of fluid in the body.

Tati also said it was better to drink room-temperature water to break the fast, which should be closer to the body'€™s temperature, which usually increases during fasting.

'€œIf we have a cold drink, our stomachs will be uncomfortable, because they haven'€™t been fed for hours and our bodies'€™ heat has increased due to a lack of fluids,'€ Tati said.

Despite the benefits of wate, drinking too much in a short period of time can cause several health problems.

According to Air Bagi Kesehatan (Water for Health), a book written by a group of doctors, excessive water intake can cause hypernatremia, where the blood sodium levels drop below normal, which can lead to water intoxication.

In addition, drinking copious amounts of water can also reduce the liver'€™s ability to filter toxins and flush them out, causing the blood to be waterlogged.

'€œEight glasses or 2 liters for adults and seven glasses or around 1.2 to 1.7 liters for children is safe,'€ Tati said.

Danone Aqua health marketing director Pradono Handojo said it was also important to regularly check if one was properly hydrated or not, especially during Ramadhan.

'€œTo ensure we are hydrated, we can do urine color self-examinations regularly. If the urine looks dark yellow, that means we don'€™t drink enough water. If it looks clear, then we are properly hydrated,'€ he said.