"You're Not Sick, You're Just Thirsty": How Hydration is the Key to Feeling Better

Yes, I know, you're constantly being bombarded by magazine articles, social media lifestyle gurus, and probably your overly health-conscious friend that you should be drinking more water than you are. Yes, it definitely could be true that you're currently more dehydrated than you think -- are you drinking half your body weight in oz of water each day, plus 16 oz for a) each 45 minutes you exercise, and b) each caffeinated beverage you drink? If not, then you're probably dehydrated.

The average male has ~60% of his body weight made up of water, and the average female has ~55% of her body weight made up of water (source: http://www.anaesthesiamcq.com/FluidBook/fl2_1.php). Now granted there are person-to-person variations of these figures that depend entirely on your body composition (more muscle mass = higher water content, more fat = lower water content), but the big picture is that being properly hydrated is incredibly important. Our body uses water to remove waste and bring nutrients to our tissues and organ systems (hello detox and optimal organ performance!), allows our kidneys and bladder to work properly (decreases the amount of bacterial infections because water flushes away harmful bacteria), and allows 18 of the body's 20 hormones be secreted properly, efficiently, and go to where they're needed (reproductive hormones, hormones that regulate metabolism, stress hormones, blood sugar regulation hormones, gut hormones, growth hormones, and hormones that control calcium levels in your body).

You're Not Sick, You're Just Thirsty
Water is essential for our body and brain to perform at its very best. Take a look at the following list of benefits of being hydrated...if you're feeling "meh" day after day, maybe dehydration is the reason why.

Withstand Fatigue -- The big one that most people struggle with daily. As mentioned above, adequate water intake helps the body clear out waste products and deliver hormones, most importantly in the brain, thyroid, gut, pancreas, and adrenal glands (they sit on top of your kidneys like little hats). First, water gets rid of metabolic waste in all tissues and organ systems and excretes the waste products through the bowel and bladder. Then water increases blood volume and allows the pancreas to control blood sugar by secreting insulin (decreases blood sugar after a meal) or glucagon (secreted by the liver to increase blood sugar during periods of fasting), which is dumped into the bloodstream and sent to the body's tissues, most important of which is the brain. (fun fact: the brain uses roughly 75% of the amount of glucose the liver produces). With the brain now happy, the thyroid is able to release thyroxine which controls the body's metabolism, and the adrenal glands are able to release their stress hormones: cortisol (involved in weight control, the body's ability to fight an infection, heart function, and the quality of skin and bones), aldosterone (maintains body's salt and water balance), and epinephrine (regulates your brain and body's fight or flight response).

Decrease High Blood Pressure -- Blood is made up of red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), plasma (mostly made up of water), and platelets. When you're dehydrated: the amount of plasma in you blood is lower --> your blood volume thereby decreases --> your blood becomes thicker and more viscous and concentrated --> blood encounters increased resistance flowing through the body's arteries --> increased blood pressure. When you're properly hydrated: the body uses the water to increase plasma and blood volume --> blood resistance decreases --> decreased blood pressure.

Reduce Digestive Problems -- Water helps to move waste quickly through the digestive tract, thereby reducing constipation and allowing the body to better excrete toxins and metabolic wastes. If you're dehydrated, your body will hold onto all that nastiness because there's no water to push it along and out of your body, and nobody wants that. Proper hydration also decreases the abdominal pain, straining, and trouble passing stool associated with constipation.

Speed Up Joint Repair -- The cartilage in our joints is made up of two components: water and matrix (collagen/elastin fibers and chondrocytes). When we're dehydrated, our body begins to pull water from non-vital tissues such as our joint cartilage. This in turn makes cartilage lose its nice smooth, low-friction and wear-resistant characteristics and allows it to become damaged. Since cartilage doesn't have its own blood supply (it receives nutrients via diffusion from nearby blood vessels), it takes a LONG time for the damage to repair. Plus, with dehydration, there is less blood volume to send blood through the body to clear away wastes and send nutrients, so you've got a double-whammy on your hands as to why your joints are aching.

Put an End to Gaining Unwanted Weight -- When you're dehydrated, your cells aren't able to create the energy they need in order to function because the hormones are not able to get to where they need to go (see the hormone explanation above), especially those that control blood sugar. Your cells signal to your brain "hey, we need some more sugar down here in order to create some energy!" so your brain signals that you're hungry, causing you to eat more so your cells have more resources available to them to create energy. Whatever your cells don't use you store away as fatty tissue, causing you to gain weight.

Stop Chronic Pain -- Chronic headaches, joint pain, and GI distress can be hallmark symptoms of dehydration. Your body needs water to carry away acidic waste metabolites from your tissues. When you're dehydrated, those waste products sit in your tissues, build up, and disrupts your nerve conduction because your nerves start interpreting the acidic waste buildup as pain.

All Water is Not Created Equal
Keep in mind that the water you consume should be purified and filtered, especially if you're drinking tap water. Tap water in the good old U.S. of A. is chlorinated to kill germs and disinfect the water. Among other things, chlorine is a skin irritant, increases free-radicals in the body, and kills friendly gut bacteria and stomach acid. However, local tap water is regulated by the EPA, and the EPA is required to send an annual water quality report to its residents disclosing this information. To decrease chlorination at home, use a water filter that fits in the fridge (we use a Brita one) or one that installs on your sink, and when out and about seek out a water fountain with a filter connected to a water bottle refill feature. Prepackaged bottled water has WAY less regulation than tap water does and is (the FDA does not require disclosure of water sources, treatment processes, and any contaminant reports).

Never consider coffee, tea, soft drinks, sweetened juices, energy drinks, alcoholic beverages, or sports drinks (unless you're vigorously exercising in heat) to be substitutes for water. These drinks either contain a lot of caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, or some combination of these three substances. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, meaning they expel water from your body (thereby dehydrating you more), and refined sugar is detrimental to basically every organ system in your body. In moderation all of these drinks are fine, but they should not be consumed every day. If you really need your morning/afternoon caffeine fix, just chase that cup of coffee or Diet Coke with at least 16 oz of water. Going out for drinks with friends later? With every alcoholic beverage you consume, order (and drink!) a large glass of water (fun fact: your hangover the next morning is because you're extremely dehydrated from the alcohol the night before).

Overhydration -- Too Much of a Good Thing Isn't Always a Good Thing
We often think that if some is good, then more is even better. With water consumption, not so much. To figure out how much water your body needs per day, take your body weight and divide it by 2. That's the amount, in ounces, of water you should be drinking per day. Add 16 ounces of water for a) every caffeinated or alcoholic beverage you consume, and b) every 45 minutes you exercise. That's it.

Overhydration, or hyponatremia, is a thing, and it's extremely dangerous and fatal in extreme enough cases. The increased amount of consumed water starts to dilute the electrolyte balance (mainly salt) in your body, which in turn affects cell signaling to and from your muscles and vital organs. Signs/symptoms such as muscle cramps and twitching, inability to think, paralysis on one side of the body, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, rapid breathing, sudden weight gain, poor coordination, and weakness can occur. Keep in mind that some of these can be similar to signs/symptoms of dehydration, so don't go overboard with water consumption unless you really are a large human being (>250 lbs) or are an elite athlete who sweats in a day more than what most people weigh.

Tips to Increase Your Water Intake
--Carry a water bottle around with you, sip from it throughout the day, and refill it as is necessary based on your body weight
--Track your water consumption throughout the day in the Fitness Tracker app of your choice
--Add berries, cucumbers, mint leaves, or citrus fruit to your water for a different taste and an antioxidant boost
--Eat more fruits and vegetables...they contain water, too!
--Mix it up and change out still tap water for sparkling or mineral water occasionally; maybe even add a splash of fruit juice/syrup, and/or fresh fruit