Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Luis Quintero on Unsplash Working out is hard work, and not just physically! There are specific nutrients and minerals your body needs in order to power through your workout and recover from it. Here’s what you need to know in order to give …
Your hydration strategy is just as important as your workout plan. Proper hydration can be the difference between a good workout and a painful one. Dehydration can impact numerous functions in your body, including your metabolism and your sweat rate. Your metabolism owes much of …
It’s 2:30pm and you feel your eyes closing. You have no energy to listen to your professor or continue working on that major assignment due to your boss at the end of the day. Your first reaction may be to reach for some caffeine, but what if we told you that getting that midday energy boost may be as simple as staying hydrated with water?
According to a recent survey by Quench Water, almost 80% of working Americans say they don’t drink enough water. Brad Thomas, MD, explains, “When you think about it, the brain is 85% water, so even the slightest amount of dehydration can change one’s mental performance.”
Water Helps to Maximize Physical Performance
According to a study published in the journal Sports Medicine, losing as little as 2% of your body’s water content can significantly impair physical performance. Researchers noted, “A critical review of the available literature suggests hypohydration limits strength, power and high intensity endurance and, therefore, is an important factor to consider when attempting to maximize muscular performance in athletic, military and industrial settings.”
Hydration Can Effect Energy Levels and Brain Function
Studies show that even mild dehydration (1-3% of body weight) can impair many aspects of brain function. In a study performed by the University of Connecticut‘s Human Performance Laboratory which focused on young women, fluid loss of 1.36% after exercise impaired both mood and concentration, and increased the frequency of headaches.
In a separate study performed by the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital‘s Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (which focused on young men), fluid loss of 1.59% was detrimental to working memory and increased feelings of anxiety and fatigue.
Staying Hydrated can Help Relieve Headaches
Researchers from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London have concluded that water-deprivation headache is common. In their small study of 34 subjects, total relief was felt within 30 minutes of drinking water in 22 of the subjects. Eleven of the subjects found relief within 1 to 3 hours.
Hydration May Benefit Weight Loss
In a small German study preformed by researchers at Humboldt University, drinking 500ml of water was shown to increase metabolic rate (metabolism) by 30%. The increase occurred within 10 minutes and reached a maximum after 30-40 minutes.
In another study, dieters who drank half a liter of water before meals lost 44% more weight over a period of 12 weeks.
Written Amanda Williams, MPH You’ve always been told to drink more fluids – in the summer when you’re sweating and by your doctor when you’re sick. But why is this so important to our health to stay hydrated? What is waters purpose in our bodies? …
Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash If you’ve been inside a Whole Foods, a Trader Joe’s, or any other health food store lately, then you’ve definitely seen coconut water on the shelves. Over the past few years, coconut water has gained a lot of popularity. …
When it’s hot outside, we sweat more. And when we sweat more, we lose more water, which makes us thirsty. Dehydration happens more often in the summer months, but what many people do not realize is that it is just as easy to become dehydrated in the winter! Because very few people recognize the signs of dehydration in the winter, it can be even more dangerous.
What’s important to note is that dehydration during any of the seasons can be very dangerous.The human body is made up of almost 70% water – it only takes a 2% decrease for dehydration to kick in! According to the Mayo Clinic, dehydration occurs when you use or lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. Anyone can become dehydrated by the condition is especially dangerous for young children and the elderly.
Staying hydrated is crucially important for many reasons. The main reason is that water is vital to maintain proper organ function, healthy blood pressure, and a steady oxygen flow throughout your body. Have you ever wondered why you felt a bit dizzy when you’re dehydrated? It’s probably because the lack of water caused your blood pressure to dip. Water also carries nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, controls blood pressure and lubricates the joints.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the most common cause of dehydration in young children is severe diarrhea and vomiting. Older adults may have conditions or take certain medications that can increase their risk.
The Mayo Clinic reports that serious complications can be brought on by dehydration, including heat injury, urinary and kidney problems, seizures, and low blood volume shock (hypovolemic shock). A heat injury can cause mild heat cramps to potentially threatening heatstroke’s. “Electrolytes, such as potassium and sodium, help carry electrical signals from cell-to-cell. If your electrolytes are out of balance, the normal electrical messages can become mixed up, which can lead to involuntary muscle contractions and sometimes a loss of consciousness.”
To stay hydrated, always make sure to drink enough fluids! Staying hydrated doesn’t always mean drinking water. Water-based drinks such as tea, coffee and juice count, too. Just be sure to keep the sugar content in mind. Also, eating water-rich fruits and vegetables are a good source of hydration, too. For infants, the Mayo Clinic, to use an “oral rehydration solution such as Pedialyte or Hydralyte, which contain water and salts in specific portions to replenish both fluids and electrolytes.”