Dehydration occurs when the body is lacking in sufficient water and salts. This often occurs from diarrhea, vomiting and consuming alcohol. However, most people are unaware that the recommended 2 liters, or 6-8 glasses of water per day, is not enough to keep your body properly hydrated. Even a 1% decrease in your body’s water requirements will make you dehydrated.
Most people think they don’t need to drink until they are thirsty. In fact, they’ve already lost a considerable amount of water at this point. A good indicator of being hydrated is to look at the color of your urine. If it is light in color then you are hydrated and your body is eliminating excess water. However, if it is a dark color then your body needs lots more water.
Our Need for Water
Our body is composed mostly of water. Depending on our age and gender, the percentage of water ranges from 60% – 80%. Our brain is made up of 83% water and our lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water.
Our blood is also made up of mostly water, which is essential for efficiently transporting nutrients, helping to eliminate waste, and control body temperature. Research now suggests that to keep our body properly hydrated we need to drink 1 liter for every 30 pounds of body weight. So a 9 stone woman should be consuming about 4 liters of healthy water.
Drinking enough water is not the only requirement to keep hydrated but so is the type of water you drink. Most of our water is now polluted due to environmental toxins and chemicals. This causes it to be acidic which is not healthy for our body. Drinking alkaline water is highly recommended – particularly one that has a ph of 8.0 – 9.5 or higher.
Eat the Right Foods
The foods that we eat will determine how much water we get. There are two types of foods – acidic and alkaline. Acidic foods are mostly processed and most fruits and vegetables are alkaline. Acidic foods will dehydrate our body whereas alkaline foods will hydrate our body as they are made up mostly of water.
Caffeine and Juices
Caffeine is a diuretic and can cause the body to lose water at a rapid rate. Coffee, tea and soda all contain caffeine which is a known diuretic and will actually accelerate fluid loss.
Fruit juices are more concentrated in sugar than our body’s fluids and so the body will attempt to dilute them in the gut thereby causing a loss of water from other areas of the body.
Coffee, tea, sodas and other beverages should not be substitutes for water. It is true that you get liquid from these drinks, but you also get chemicals, dyes and empty calories that do not promote health. Sodas, not only are high in calories, but are also high in phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid draws calcium from bones and is the main reason more people are suffering from osteoporosis.
Consequences of Dehydration
If we don’t consume enough water to sustain our vital organs it can be detrimental to our health. Not drinking enough water is the number one reason we suffer from daytime fatigue. When the brain suffers from poor hydration, mental fogginess, poor short term memory, headaches, dizziness, and poor balance occurs. Not to mention skin problems too.
Dehydration triggers a reaction in histamine production. This is dangerous for asthmatics as water is needed in the lungs to keep the tissues moist, but each time we exhale, we expel moisture from our lungs. When properly hydrated the moisture is replaced very quickly. However, in a dehydrated state, the tissues inside the lungs become coated with mucus to prevent drying – triggering an asthmatic attack.
This is also the case for all allergies, including eczema.
Not drinking enough water also has an adverse affect on our body’s ability to regulate its temperature. This change causes our body to hold on to fat. This is just one of the many ways the body ensures its survival. Lack of water can also lead to over eating as our brain does not differentiate between hunger and thirst.
This is also very bad for our skin – particularly in today’s image concsious society – it makes it look old, leathery, and full of premature wrinkles.
Increase Water Intake
Dehydration can be debilitating and life threatening. By increasing our consumption of water we can relieve many of today’s ailments, including allergies and skin disorders like eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, and acne.
Keeping the skin hydrated both externally and internally also delays the signs of aging and helps maintain healthy looking skin – especially for people already having dry or maturing skin.
Overall, it will enhance our wellbeing and make us feel more energetic and alive.
