Why you should drink more water
I ask each and every patient how much water they typically drink in a day. About 1/15 clients say that they drink enough water… Now, I’m not out here to shame these dehydrated folks - I am typically one of them. But lets take a deep dive into WHY it’s actually important to drink enough water.
Around 60% of our body is comprised of water. Every single cell in your body needs to utilize water for it’s functioning. In a general overview it helps:
Digestion - starting from forming saliva all the way to flushing food through your system
Allows basic cellular respiration - grow, reproduce and survive
Flushes body waste via urination and lymphatic flow
The brain produces neurotransmitters and hormones
Regulate body temperature
Shock absorber for the brain and spinal cord
Helps to deliver oxygen to the body
It affects quite literally ever single bodily function. Symptoms that you’re not getting enough water:
Fatigue (seriously, this is a big one for me. If I wake up drowsy I know I am dehydrated)
Hunger/ craving sweets
Increases in blood pressure due to viscosity of the blood (ew, who wants thick blood)
Headaches - we all know this, but it’s because the protective barrier has shrunk and your brain is quite literally bumping against your skull
Constipation
Bad breathe - your saliva fights bad bacteria and if you can’t produce it, you’re in trouble
Dry skin - especially dry, cracked lips
If we think about this even from a musculoskeletal system - those ‘myofascial’ connections that everyone is so focused on, NEED WATER. Fascia is not 1 layer, it’s hundreds upon hundreds of layers (especially in the low back). If we’re going to work on getting those fascial layers to ‘glide and slide’ the way they’re supposed to - you can imagine the difficulty if it doesn’t have the fluid between the layers to allow the glide.
So, if you want to come see me for myofascial release and all the ‘feel good’ stuff. You bet you need to increase your water intake to reap all of the benefits!
How do we drink more?
Buy a fun water bottle you LIKE drinking out of - make it functional (a straw) and pretty (something you almost flaunt)
Bring it everywhere with you - become attached to it. The more often you have it, the more you will drink
Draw lines on the water bottle to remind you to drink a certain amount by each time of the day
Add lemon and lime slices for flavor
Add a PINCH of low sodium salt to help you absorb the water rather than pee it all out
Drink half your bodyweight in ounces (140 lbs = 70 oz + 20 oz for every 30 mins of exercise)
Pro tips
Chugging water randomly throughout the day dehydrates you - you need to sip constantly throughout the day
If you have the sensation of thirst - you’re already dehydrated
Curious about how else water might be affecting your pain? Reach out and let’s chat!
