How Dehydration Impacts Your Health

Our bodies are made of up to 60% water. More than half of our body content is water! With this information alone it should be no surprise that when we deprive our bodies of adequate water intake we can experience a myriad of symptoms… However, we so often overlook such a simple solution to our ailments.

How can dehydration affect you? Let’s take a look at some of the key roles water plays in our health.

Digestive health

Water's role in digestion

• Lubricates the mucous membranes in the gastrointestinal tract to allow for proper absorption of nutrients

• Acts as a medium for proper metabolism(enzymatic & chemical reactions) such as the production of energy. Enzymes are more efficient in low viscosity environments.

• Aids in proper transportation of nutrients to nourish all cells.

Without proper absorption, transportation, and metabolism we can begin to experience deficiencies and inefficiencies within our cells leading to a myriad of symptoms. You may first feel the decrease in energy production as fatigue.

Detoxification

• As water helps to transport oxygen and nutrients throughout the body it also helps to transport our toxins and waste products out of our body.

• Water aids in decreasing bowel transit time. Without proper hydration our waste and its harmful components hang out longer in our colons where they can damage our mucous membranes and increase our risk for colorectal cancers.

Without adequate water we can increase toxicity within our body, damaging detox organs such as our kidneys and wreaking havoc on the rest of our cells.

Immunity

Water aids in

• Transporting our immune cells to infected areas.

• Removing harmful bacterial and viral threats.

Compromised immune function can lead to inefficient wound healing and decrease protection against harmful threats.

Temperature regulation

• Water acts as our bodies coolant, regulating our temperatures during exposure to intense heat, exercise, and fever.

Overheating is no fun and can be life threatening when our body temp is climbing to or above 104 degrees.

Above are just some of the examples of the importance of hydration in health. Water plays a role in every cell and organ in our body. It protects every organ and tissue, controls heart rate and blood pressure.

When we deprive our bodies of water, they adapt by regulating the distribution of available water. Over time inadequate water stores can lead to inefficient functioning and even the loss of some functions within our cells. Yes, our bodies are extremely adaptive. Yet, it is important to understand adapting does not necessarily mean proper function and health. Adaptation could in the short term mean developing symptoms, and in the long term result in developing disease.

Fill up your cups and live a happy and healthy life in hydration!