1 in 3 Americans doesn't follow the recommended daily serving of water.
Last year, I wrote a blog about how and why our bodies are naturally dehydrated. In it, I explained that we shouldn’t overdo anything and that water is the best friend we can have when it comes to staying hydrated and overall feeling good.
And yet, here we are, at the end of this post, the average person will only take around one cup of fluids a day (or maybe less) if he’s not already suffering from any medical conditions like blood pressure or diabetes.
It seems like a lot! When people think of dehydration, they always picture something bad like diarrhea, vomiting, or constipation. But what many forget to realize is how important water is for the body to function properly so it can continue to perform its functions as well as possible.
So before you go trying to detox yourself by drinking lots of herbal teas or ingesting fenugreek seeds, I want to explain some things you may not be aware of, which make up the majority of water-related diseases. It’s a topic that very few people are talking about. Even when you find out someone did indeed suffer from dehydration, you may think to yourself “oh I don’t have time”. Well, trust me, it is time. My advice would be to get into it now as soon as you understand these facts about fluid intake.
The human body loses roughly 40% of fluids every hour through urine and sweat, in addition to other bodily fluids. So if we cut out half of this 40%. Now you can easily imagine how much water you’d lose just because your bladder isn’t getting enough liquid, or how much water it takes to maintain our vital organs because they’re functioning so hard. This really isn’t ideal at all. We are losing nearly 5 gallons per day and it’s only going to keep increasing unless we start taking care of our bodies.
Many parts of us rely on water for a myriad of reasons. These include absorbing calcium, regulating pH levels, producing electrolytes, balancing salt and mineral content, promoting bowel movements, sustaining osmotic pressure, and assisting with the removal of waste, among many other functional uses. Simply put, water is essential to ensure proper cellular health and optimal nutrient uptake. The body has made thousands of cell membranes made of water. If all those cells are not being replaced each hour, we could be headed towards a serious disease known as hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is caused by excessive loss of water through sweat or urine. Due to the fact that water is required to help produce minerals in the blood, especially potassium, a number of diseases can arise due to this, including the ones mentioned above.
So even though you may feel thirsty, you are still hydrating correctly. Your brain is already working overtime to let your mind know you need more water. As a result, even if you are thirsty, you’re actually thirsty due to the amount being lost through urine and sweat. Or maybe you’ve had an extra glass of tea and thought you were a little bit dehydrated, but now you realize that you are actually hydrating properly. Not to mention, after those first couple of glasses you started to notice a change in your energy levels. You become less tired which leads to the possibility that you will also eventually sleep better. That’s right. Water is the main culprit for sleep deprivation. After a long day at work, you might not be able to make it home and your bed and sometimes your own self might feel exhausted, but you aren’t dehydrated as a result of it. You’re not sleeping poorly either because you’re sleeping the rest of the night. On the contrary. Because you’re hydrating properly, your brain knows that you need a shot of extra water.
So for anyone struggling with their metabolism or looking for ways to get rid of symptoms, there is no need to worry about it. Just stop taking in the excess that causes dehydration. Water is so crucial to the systems that we should just give it a break and try to drink a glass of water instead. Maybe even fill up a reusable plastic bottle with some water and place it next to your desk instead of watching Netflix. It’ll be easier on your wallet as well as your sanity. There is nothing worse than feeling completely drained and like nothing will be worth standing up for. It feels like you need a drink to wake up again. That way, you can avoid all future headaches and problems down the road.
