Given how often we find ourselves saying to our participants “lots of water” as we send them out of our office and into the world after their check-ups, it should probably just be our email auto signature. But why are we always saying that? Why do we cry when we see your food journal and it says you’ve consumed 32 oz. of water each day? Honestly, there’s not enough time here to list all the reasons your hydration is so important, but here’s an easy to read list of just some of the reasons we’re constantly telling you to drink lots of water:
- According to the research, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
- One of the number one causes of headaches, including migraines, is chronic dehydration.
- Just a 5% drop in our body’s fluid levels can lead to a 25 to 35% drop in energy. Insufficient water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue.
- Water level in the body is so very important that when you get to a certain point of dehydration you actually start to damage your DNA.
- Blood is over 90% water. the blood system is used to transfer oxygen, nutrients, antibodies,
and waste removal as well. And, speaking of waste removal, the lymph fluid. So, if your lymph fluid is too thin because you’re dehydrated you’re just going to become like a walking, talking cesspool. Your body will start to build up metabolic waste products: toxins. - The disks in your back are nonvascular. That means the blood supply and the water channel getting there is not direct. It’s actually through a process of remote diffusion which cannot happen without sufficient levels of hydration.
- Your body uses water as a pathway to transmit neurotransmitters throughout your entire body. That’s about communication, including proper hormonal regulation.
- Mild dehydration slows the metabolism by as much as 3%. just a little bit of dehydration is going to slow down your ability to burn fat.
- Water is responsible for regulating your body temperature.
- 37% of Americans’ thirst is often mistaken for hunger because the thirst mechanism is so weak. Your hypothalamus is responsible for your thirst and hunger signals. Often, we mistake that thirst signal for hunger and then we’ll go and put more food in which is going to draw more water that we need to digest it. Because, we’re already dehydrated, we’re eating more food. We’re still thirsty and we’re going to eat more food and this is one of the big contributing factors to gaining excess weight.
Again, this is an abridged list for the sake of brevity and most people’s attention spans. It includes such profoundly important aspects of our bodily functions, though, that we help you’ll take this information to heart. For more information on the best type of water to be drinking, check out this post.