Water & Wellness
Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body: 2 glasses of water after waking up – helps activate internal organs, 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal – helps digestion, 1 glass of water before taking a bath – helps lower blood pressure, 1 glass of water before going to bed – avoids stroke or heart attack I can also add to this. Water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse. Taking magnesium along with full hydration prevents leg cramps.
In a market saturated with specialty coffees, soft drinks, sports drinks and energy boosters, plain water often loses its luster. As crucial as water is, it seems the majority of the population is in a dehydrated rut.
The need for water can hardly be overstated. As humans, we are composed of approximately 70 percent of the stuff and nearly every aspect of our body’s function calls for the fluid. Water makes up much of the medium that helps our cells communicate with each other. While it is a fact we can only survive a few days at best without water, is eight glasses a day really necessary? The answer depends on many factors, including:
What is the person general health status? Patients with chronic pain need to seriously evaluate their water intake. Clinically, patients have noticed improvements in treatments they were already pursuing, such as chiropractic work, acupuncture or massage, just by being better hydrated.
Is the person doing activities that increase water loss (sweating)? Is the person working out extensively, or do they have a job that frequently puts them outside in the heat?
Does the person drink a lot of coffee or soft drinks? Coffee can act as a diuretic, which means it may increase urination.
Drinking pure water every day is a key component of optimal health. Unfortunately, many make the mistake of forgoing water for other types of fluids, most of which have added ingredients that will not do your health any favors.
Kids are particularly prone to drinking sweet drinks like soda and fruit juice instead of plain water, and many teens tend to reach for sports and energy drinks instead.
According to a recent Harvard study,1,2,3 more than half of American children are dehydrated, which can have repercussions for their health and academic performance.
About one-quarter of children in the US do not drink water on a daily basis. Overall, boys were more than 75 percent more likely to be inadequately hydrated than girls.
This dovetails with previous studies 4 showing that boys drink more sugary beverages than girls. According to one 2011 analysis, about 70 percent of boys aged 2-19 drink sugary beverages daily.
These findings are significant because they highlight a potential health issue that has not been given a whole lot of attention in the past.
Even though for most of these kids this is not an immediate, dramatic health threat, this is an issue that could really be reducing quality of life and well-being for many, many children and youth.
Your Body Needs Water for Proper Functioning
Your body is comprised of about 65 percent water, which is needed for a number of physiological processes and biochemical reactions, including but not limited to:
Blood circulation
Metabolism
Regulation of body temperature
Waste removal and detoxification
Once your body has lost between one to two percent of its total water content, it will signal its needs by making you feel thirsty. Using thirst as a guide to how much water you need to drink is one obvious way to ensure your individual needs are met, day-by-day.
However, by the time your thirst mechanism actually kicks in, you are already in the early stages of dehydration, so you do not want to ignore the initial sensations of thirst.
Moreover, the thirst mechanism tends to be underdeveloped in children, making them more vulnerable to dehydration. The elderly are also at heightened risk.
Hunger/sugar cravings in particular can also be a sign that your body is crying for water, so as noted in the featured video, when you feel hungry, drink a glass of water first.
So, in addition to thirst, which is an obvious signal, other signals indicating you need to drink more water include:6,7
Fatigue and/or dizziness/Mood swings
Foggy thinking and poor concentration/Chills
Muscle cramps/Back or joint ache
Dull, dry skin and/or pronounced wrinkles/Constipation
Infrequent urination; dark, concentrated urine Headache
Bad breath/Sugar cravings.
Severe dehydration can be life threatening, but even mild dehydration can cause problems ranging from headaches and irritability to impaired cognition. It can also affect your sports performance, as noted in a recent CNN report:8
Even being slightly dehydrated affects your ability to put effort into your workout. A two percent dehydration level in your body causes a 10 percent decrease in athletic performance.
Water Preparedness Checklist
1) KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge is the most important key to being prepared. Remember that in an emergency you may be panicked and/or dehydrated, both of which can affect your memory and mental capacity. Print this ebook out so you can reference it if your power goes out.
2) BOTTLED WATER. A minimum of two-weeks supply of bottled water. You should have at least two quarts (half gallon) per person per day. This should be commercially produced bottled water, preferably a well-known brand name. Keep the bottles sealed and stored in a dark, cool area. Rotate the bottles out at least every twelve months.
3) STOVE & FUEL. A stove and fuel for boiling and/or distilling water during an emergency. You should have a stove that can use different types of fuel, including a simple wood fire.
4) A NON-ELECTRIC WATER DISTILLER. A non-electric water distiller is the best way to purify water in an emergency (see www.SurvivalStill.com).
5) Oregano Oil/Tea Tree Oil/bleach. Have a bottle of unopened non-scented, basic bleach that can be used to disinfect water supplies. Do not use scented bleaches, color safe bleaches or bleaches with added cleaners.
6) AN EMERGENCY FILTER. You could incorporate an emergency filter into your kit, for non-drinking water (hygiene, cooking, etc) or to filter some contaminants out prior to boiling or chlorinating your water, as long as you remember to then treat the filtered water with one of the Red Cross recommended methods (filters alone are not recommended by the Red Cross for water in an emergency).
7) PREPARE YOUR LOVED ONES. If you love them, educate them! Your friends and loves ones should be educated and prepared, so tell them to go to www.WaterInAnEmergency.com and download this book.
