Let’s Talk About Water
It's time we talked about hydration. It's something that we all know we should be doing, but often neglect to do so. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of our day-to-day lives, not realizing how much hydration will affect us on both a mental and physical level.
In this article, I'll discuss hydration basics and why it's important to drink more water every day!
Water is essential for human life. Our brain, heart, skin, lungs and muscles all contain a high percentage of water. When we're hydrated, our organs and cells work better - when we're not hydrated, they don't. Dehydration can lead to decreased mental clarity, fatigue and even health problems.
When it comes to hydration there are two groups that are affected most due to dehydration. Children and the elderly, but that doesn't mean adults also don't get dehydrated. They're/we're just better at being able to adapt to the lack of water and its not without consequence.
The elderly are more susceptible to dehydration because they have a decreased ability to feel thirst and typically their kidneys don't function as well. They're also more likely to take medications that can increase the risk of dehydration. Children, on the other hand, lose water through increased activity and sweating, which can lead to serious health problems if not addressed. Also due to the fact that children are growing, literally growing new cells in every part of the body and those cells are mainly water, dehydration negatively impacts children more.
In a study looking at dehydration in school children they found that the majority, 54%, of children show up to school dehydrated. Dehydration alone is going to negatively affect their.
Concentration
Problem Solving
Energy
When you're a kid trying to learn showing up dehydrated means learning is going to be a harder, grades are going to suffer, and mental health is going to suffer as well.
The same is largely true for elderly adults. In fact one the top ten reasons for hospitalization for elderly and kids is dehydration.
So what are the effects of dehydration on the elderly?
Mental Effects: Poor concentration and decision making, feeling confused and disorientated.
Physical Effects: Feeling weak, dizzy and lightheaded and headaches.
Dehydration negatively affects both kids and the elderly but how does it effect the average adult?
Well, if you're like most adults, you probably don't drink as much water as you should. You might not feel the affects of dehydration until it's too late. Adults are better at being able to adapt to the lack of water in their system but that doesn't mean they don't experience any consequences.
When we're dehydrated our blood volume decreases and this can lead to a decrease in heart function. Our cells don’t work as well when we're dehydrated and this can cause problems with how our body processes food and absorbs nutrients. We can also get constipated from dehydration which will make us feel bloated and uncomfortable. And let's not forget about the ever-popular headache, fatigue, and confusion.
Another study.
To look at just how much increasing your water intake can positively affect you let us look at a study done in 2014.
The study wanted to find out if you took two groups of people (Group A, high drinkers, who drank more than 2 liters of water a day and Group B, low drinkers, who drank less than 1.2 liter of water a day) and drastically changed their water intake how it would affect them.
They took Group A and had them restrict their water intake, going from drinking more than 2 liters a day to 1 liter a day, half of their normal water intake.
They took Group B and had them increase their water intake going from drinking 1.2 liters to over 2.5 liters a day, doubling the amount of water they consumed.
How did this change in water consumption change them?
Group A, the group that went from drinking 2 liters to 1.2, had many negative effects due to the decrease in water.
Less Content
Less Calm
Less Positive Emotions
Fatigue Increased
Vigor Decreased
Less Emotional Stability
Decreased Alertness
Worse Mood Upon Waking Up
Group B, the group that went from drinking less than 1 liter a day to over 2.5 liters a day had quite the opposite effect of Group A.
Effects of increasing water for group B
Less Fatigue
Less Confusion
Less Thirst
More Energy
Overall, the group that increased their water intake felt a lot better and the group that decreased the amount of water they were drinking felt significantly worse.
So what does this mean for you? Well, it means that if you want to feel better, have more energy, be less confused and fatigued, and have a better mood drink more water. It might seem like common sense but sometimes we need scientific proof to really drive the point home. And don't forget about those kids and elderly adults, they need our help staying hydrated so they can learn and thrive.
Some more tips for a certain amount of water to shoot for everyday.
Take your body weight and divide it by 2 and that is approximately the amount of water you should consume everyday in ounces.
For a 200 pound individual they should be getting close to 100 ounces of water a day. If you're someone that sweats more or is active you should increase that amount.
Another way to monitor your hydration is to look at your pee. It's a great indicator of how hydrated we are. The more yellow and dark the more dehydrated we are. The more clear the more hydrated we are. Check out the picture on the right for a better explanation.
In conclusion, dehydration negatively affects everyone but is most severely felt by kids and the elderly. Adults are able to somewhat compensate for the lack of hydration in their system but still experience negative consequences. Increasing your water intake will make you feel better overall both physically and mentally.
So drink up!
