Dehydration

I don’t know about you, but I am terrible about making sure that I drink enough water in a day. I start off with good intentions. When I get up in the morning, I drink a big glass of water, have a cup of tea with breakfast and then somewhere throughout the day I get busy and forget to take a drink of water until I am so thirsty I can “chug” a huge glass.

It is good for me to review how important water is for our bodies and how many people are actually somewhat dehydrated. Our bodies are made up of mostly water (which our cell processes require) with nerve cells containing 85% water.

Here are some symptoms to watch for to make sure that you are not getting dehydrated.

• a headache
• dizziness
• constipation
• dry skin or mouth
• tiredness
• muscle cramps
• few tears
• very yellow urine
• low amounts of urine

Some experts feel that dehydration is at the root of conditions/diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s (here). Interestingly, the people most prone to dehydration are children and the elderly. It is especially common among elderly with dementia. Their bodies literally forget to consume water. Others that are prone to dehydration are nursing mothers, those that work out in the hot sun, those at high elevations, and those that are more active.

Have you ever heard you should drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day? This can be much higher for some individuals. It’s important to drink when your body says it is thirsty. For some individuals, this urge doesn’t exist (or maybe has been ignored in the past). Here are some tips to make sure you are getting enough water:

1. Start the day with a large glass of water.
2. Make water readily available and keep it in sight throughout the day, especially for small children. Bring water with you when you are out and about.
3. Consume raw foods. Cooking depletes some of the water that is in raw foods. Foods high in water include melons, cucumbers, carrots, pineapple, and citrus.
4. Limit drinks that deplete your water. Drinks containing caffeine (soda, tea, coffee), alcohol and sugar do not quench thirst, so make sure you drink a glass of water per each glass you consume of these types of drinks.
5. Set up intentional water breaks throughout the day, especially if you are very busy or have a physically demanding job.
6. Don’t go to bed thirsty by making sure you are drinking enough in the early evening hours.
7. Consume enough salt (Pink Himalayan salt or Celtic salt) as being deficient in it can mess with our hydration levels.

Drinking plenty of good quality water is necessary every day all year, not just on hot summer days. We use a Big Berkey Water Filter that removes harmful contaminants while keeping good trace minerals. Here is a link below for more information.