What’s in it for me to be hydrated?

Photo of Two Women Holding Their Water Bottles and Yoga Mats. Both are wearing active wear with their hair up. One women has Down syndrome.

Staying hydrated is gravely important to our body. Around 60% of the human body is made of water. We lose fluid constantly through skin (perspiring), urine, and stool. We even lose through respiration. Bodies that lack hydration are at an increased risk for many illnesses. Getting less than the required fluid intake can also increase the risk of kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and plainly lower your physical and mental performance.

What else does hydration impact?

Hydration is crucial for a vast array of reasons; here are just a few:

Regulate body temperature
Aid in joint lubrication
Deliver of nutrients to the body’s cells
Maintain proper functioning of body organs
Improve quality of sleep
Boost cognition and your mood
Keep your skin plump and soft
Flush body waste
Produce salvia for easy digestion, and all parts of digestion through the gastrointestinal tract

Understand that plain water isn’t the only way to get fluids. Consider hydrating with water that’s flavored with fruit or vegetables, such as a glass of ice water with cucumber, oranges slices, berries, lemons, or whatever your preferred taste. Foods can help with hydration as well. If you are a person who isn’t fond of just drinking water, there are some options that can help you get the needed amount of hydration. Think about adding these to your diet: popsicles, Jell-O, fruits or vegetables with high water content, such as watermelon, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

Warnings & Recommendations

It is best to avoid sugar-sweetened drinks when trying to stay hydrated. A professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Walter Willett, says that Americans are “conditioned to expect high levels of sweetness in everything…. You might say we are malyhydrated, because we drink so much soda and fruit juice and other sugar-sweetened beverages, and by that, I mean we drink beverages that harm our health”. (1)

It can be very confusing considering how much fluid a person should get and in what form. As per Nebraska Medicine University Health Center, “about 20% of our daily fluid intake comes form the food we eat and the rest for the liquids we drink”. (2) Staying hydrated depends on your sex. “According to the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, men should drink 3.7 liter (about 16 cups) and women 2.7 liter (about 11 cups) of fluid per day”. * (2)

Here are some tips for staying hydrated:

Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning to get your metabolism started and a much-needed energy boost. Drinking fluids right before bedtime can cause you to be up during the night with urgency of needing to get up to urinate. Plan ahead with drinking.

Be alert of your body’s signals. Mindfully be aware of when you are thirsty to be sure to hydrate. Sometimes the body is thirsty, but we overeat because we mistake thirst for hunger.

Before a meal, drink a glass of water. The fluid will help the body not only feel fuller, but also will assist with digestion.

Watch those sugary drinks. Fluids with an abundant amount of sugar, whether pop, juice, coffee, or other sugary beverage, can make the body dehydrated. It has everything to do with blood sugar. This spike in blood sugar after eating or drinking something sugary will increase thirst as the body works to use the rise in sugar, store it as fat, or eliminate it through the kidneys.

One very important sign of dehydration is the color of urine. Our body’s waste in the blood is filtered out through the kidneys. Urine should be a clear, straw color. When you are dehydrated, urine may become dark. Kidney health depends on hydration, so keep up the fluids.

What are some things we can do to increase our fluid intake?

Get a fancy water bottle as a reminder to drink up.
Use alarms to remind you to drink up.
Create a challenge with friends or people you support and see who can drink the necessary fluids most often in a week.

Remember dehydration is one of the “The Fatal Five.” Therefore, it needs to be carefully assessed and treated proactively.

Keep in mind if you are going to change your fluid intake, you need to check with your physician. For people who may have heart or kidney disease, this is especially important.