Life. It’s thirsty work. We all know that staying hydrated is important, it’s regularly talked about on the news and written about in magazines. However, you might be surprised that despite the universally accepted benefits of drinking the right amount of water, most of us live our lives in a state of chronic dehydration. It’s been proven by many studies that across our lifetime most people are rarely hydrated to levels recommended by leading experts. Over the last three decades things have improved in the United States, however we still only drink 1.8 cups a day on average , which is much lower than the 10 cups recommended by the Institute of Medicine .
How dehydrated are we?
If we just take a look at the United States, according to a recent study 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration. Meaning the majority of us are not giving our body the right level of water it requires on a daily basis. It’s not just in the United States, this is a problem seen at varying degrees in Australia (80%) France (75%) and Germany (50%). These statistics may seem surprisingly high, and the reason that it’s so common is the fact that most don’t even realise when they’re dehydrated. Many are unaware that If you feel thirsty it actually means your body’s water supplies are already sub-optimal. Which is why so many of us experience this problem.
How can dehydration affect my body?
There are many negative physical and mental effects that dehydration can have on the human body. One of the most common is being tired, mentally and physically. Dehydration can also have a more severe effect on physical and mental performance when you look at more intensive exercise. This drop in ability can be as much as 25% during hot and dry conditions, which is a huge difference in someone’s ability to perform. Mentally the issues caused by dehydration can be very broad. Foggy memory, irritability and lowered cognitive ability can all be caused if your body does not have the optimum level of water. All these problems seem so unnecessary considering just how simple the symptoms of dehydration are to solve by simply drinking more.
How can I drink more water every day?
Simply drinking more fluids every day is a perfect way to start helping your body stay hydrated. It’s also good to know which types of fluids are best, as some do a better job at hydration that others. If you can, try to avoid Tea/Coffee, Milk, Soda Drinks and Alcohol as these are not the most optimal drinks to make sure your body avoids dehydration. Fruit juices are a great way to hydrate but are naturally high in sugar, which is why we recommend that you drink pure simple water to keep your body fuelled. You can even infuse pieces of fruit if you’d like to make a plain glass of water more interesting. Waterlogic have even put together a few recipes to get you started.
There are also various ways to can get into a hydration habit of drinking more water every day. Firstly, make it a morning ritual, at the start of each day keep your body hydrated with a glass of water. Although not the best hydrator, a couple of cups of coffee or tea every day will help. A great idea to start a healthy hydration habit is to purchase a reusable water bottle that you can refill every day. If your workplace has a bottleless water cooler you can re-fill your drink container to your heart and health’s content. As we’ve mentioned fruit infused water makes a tastier way to avoid dehydration. And finally why not eat some of your water? Fruit and vegetables all contain water that can hydrate you throughout the day.
With Waterlogic you’re on the path to a more hydrated life
In the United States where in most cases you’ll have access to clean drinkable water it seems crazy that up to 75% of us are dehydrated every day. Considering all the negative physical and mental side effects of this problem, drinking more water is a simple way to keep your body is its best shape. If you follow some of Waterlogic’s hydration tips in this article you’ll easily avoid dehydration each and every day.
Boschmann, M, Et. Al (2003). Water-induced thermogenesis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 88(12), 6015-6019.
Ganio, M. S., Armstrong, L. E., Et. Al (2011). Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance and mood of men. British journal of Nutrition, 106(10), 1535-1543.
Benton, D. (2011). Dehydration influences mood and cognition: a plausible hypothesis?. Nutrients, 3(5), 555-573.