19 May Hydration
Let’s face it, life can be busy. From juggling work, errands, school, kids, extracurriculars, and the occasional time for ourselves, we often forget one of the most basic things: staying hydrated. Hydration is the key to staying in check so that we can run around just a little bit more while staying happy and healthy. Though many of us know that we should drink water, we often are unaware of the vast benefits proper hydration has to offer or how to properly hydrate.
Without receiving enough water, you might become dehydrated which can have a wide range of adverse effects on the human body. Insufficient fluid levels can lead to decrements in physical performance including limited endurance, an increase in fatigue and perceived effort, and reduced motivation (Barley et. al, 2018). Additionally, dehydration can affect cognitive functions such as decision making and mood, especially in older populations (Bethancourt, 2019). Hydration is also beneficial for digestion and alleviating gastrointestinal issues such as constipation by aiding in the breakdown of foods, providing water to stool, and establishing water balance in the body (Perrier, 2017).
It is important that we listen to the natural signals our body sends us and respond to them in order to stay in balance. Hydration is no different, when we feel parched it is important to drink water to replenish the lost fluids, however in order to maintain hydration we should frequently sip water throughout the day, even when we don’t feel thirsty (NIH, 2019). According to The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the adequate intake (AI) for water a day is recommended at 3.7 L and 2.7L per day, for men and women respectively (USDA, 2005). This is a sizable amount and can be quite hard to achieve, but luckily there are other ways of getting fluids to stay replenished than just drinking large quantities of water. The NIH suggests that drinking fat-free and low-fat milk or other drinks without added sugars can be beneficial in improving fluid intake. Additionally, limiting the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed can help combat dehydration. Even foods have shown to help in hydration, with an estimated 20% of water intake being attributed to food (Guelinckx, 2016).
References
Barley OR, Iredale F, Chapman DW, Hopper A, Abbiss CR. Repeat Effort Performance Is Reduced 24 Hours After Acute Dehydration in Mixed Martial Arts Athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2018;32(9). https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2018/09000/Repeat_Effort_Performance_Is_Reduced_24_Hours.17.aspx.
Bethancourt HJ, Kenney WL, Almeida DM, Rosinger AY. Cognitive performance in relation to hydration status and water intake among older adults, NHANES 2011–2014. Eur J Nutr. 2019. doi:10.1007/s00394-019-02152-9
Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. doi:10.17226/10925
Getting Enough Fluids. National Institute of Health. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/getting-enough-fluids. Published April 30, 2019. Accessed March 8, 2020.
Guelinckx I, Tavoularis G, König J, Morin C, Gharbi H, Gandy J. Contribution of Water from Food and Fluids to Total Water Intake: Analysis of a French and UK Population Surveys. Nutrients. 2016;8(10):630. Published 2016 Oct 14. doi:10.3390/nu8100630
Perrier ET. Shifting Focus: From Hydration for Performance to Hydration for Health. Ann Nutr Metab. 2017;70(suppl 1)(Suppl. 1):4-12. doi:10.1159/000462996
