23 Mar Dehydration: The Silent Killer, and How to Kick Its Butt

There is a silent and growing epidemic of chronic dehydration in the world. So many suffer from it, yet are simply unaware of the symptoms.

Are you one of them?

Here are 9 ways dehydration slowly wreaks havoc on your body:

Fatigue

Water is the most vital source of energy in the body. Dehydration causes enzymatic activity in the body to slow down, resulting in tiredness and fatigue.

Digestive Disorders

A shortage of water and alkaline minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, can lead to a number of digestive disorders, including ulcers, gastritis and acid reflux.

Constipation

When short of water, the colon is one of the primary regions the body draws water from in order to provide fluids for other critical body functions. Without adequate water, wastes move through the large intestines much more slowly or sometimes not at all, resulting in constipation.

Joint pain or stiffness

All joints have cartilage padding, which is composed mainly of water. When the body is dehydrated, cartilage is weakened and joint repair is slow, resulting in pain and discomfort.

Weight gain

When dehydrated, cells are depleted of energy which causes them to signal our brain. As a result, people tend to eat more for energy, when in reality the body is thirsty.

Skin disorders

Dehydration impairs the elimination of toxins through the skin and makes it more vulnerable to all types of skin disorders, including dermatitis/eczema, psoriasis, as well as premature wrinkling and discoloration.

Asthma and allergies

When dehydrated, your body will restrict airways as a means to conserve water. In fact, the rate of histamine produced by the body increases exponentially as the body loses more and more water.

High cholesterol

When the body is dehydrated, it will produce more cholesterol to prevent water loss from the cells.

Premature aging

When chronically dehydrated, the body’s organs, including its largest organ – the skin – begin to wrinkle and wither prematurely.

The MOST BASIC thing you can do to IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH is to increase the amount of good quality water you consume everyday.

We’re not suggesting that everyone is dehydrated (even though it is estimated that 75% of Americans are living in dehydrated bodies).

But chances are that even those who make a conscious effort to drink water throughout the day could drink MORE life-giving water, and feel even better.

The average adult loses about 10 cups of water every day, simply by breathing, sweating, urinating and eliminating waste. In order to make up for this loss, and function optimally, experts recommend that you drink half your body weight in ounces (e.g. If you weigh 150 lbs., that’s 75 ounces of water per day).

In addition to that, there are some factors that require increased water consumption (typically 10-15 additional ounces each). These are: exercise, stressful environments, illness, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

One fantastic strategy that’s currently being spread around is to drink a massive glass (16 ounces) of water FIRST THING IN THE MORNING immediately upon waking.

Here are 5 reasons to consider adopting this life-changing 2-minute habit:

1. It fires up your metabolism. Drinking a large, cool glass of water after you wake up has been shown to fire up your metabolism by a whopping 24% for 90 minutes!
2. You’re dehydrated when you wake up. You just went 7-8 hours without drinking any water! Even if your body isn’t telling you that it’s thirsty, it is.
3. Water helps your body flush out toxins. “Your kidneys do an amazing job of cleansing and ridding your body of toxins as long as your intake of fluids is adequate,” according to Kenneth Ellner, an Atlanta-based dermatologist. Getting fluids into your body right after your wake up will help your body flush out toxins first thing in the morning, so you can start your day feeling fresh.
4. Your brain tissue is 75% water. When you’re not properly hydrated, your brain operates on less fuel, and you can feel drained, or experience fatigue or mood fluctuations.
5. You’ll eat less. One study showed that people who drink a glass of water before every meal lost 4.5 pounds over a three-month period, because “it fills up the stomach with a substance that has zero calories”, and people “feel full as a result”. And if you eat a big breakfast, drinking a lot of water in the morning can also help you avoid the temptation of snacking before lunch.

If this doesn’t make you thirsty, we don’t know what will!

Have some more hydration-inspiration for us? Share it by commenting below!