Importance of Staying Hydrated
For young professionals, it would be easy for them to forget to drink enough water every day as they are healthy, and they could be not sensitive when their bodies are dehydrated. However, it is important for them to know the harm of dehydration. For example, if someone’s dehydrated when doing exercise, it could cause a higher risk of being injured; if someone’s dehydrated when doing brainwork, the working performance could be under expected as they are not energetic enough. Staying hydrated is not only important to our physical health, but also crucial to our mental health.
Physical Harm of Dehydration
- Muscle Cramps: Muscle tissue on your body relies on multiple kinds of chemicals, including minerals and electrolytes. Dehydration causes imbalance of minerals level and electrolytes level in muscles, which will increase the possibility of muscle cramp. Image your muscle suddenly cramps when you are doing sports, which could be risky and lead to injury.
- Low Blood Pressure: It is necessary for your body to maintain a proper blood volume in your blood vessel to support all the tissue in the body. When you are dehydrated to a certain level, the blood volume will decrease and cause low blood pressure, which could cause your body to function improperly.
- Constipation: When dehydrated, the large intestine will absorb more water from the food waste than hydrated, which makes the stool drier and harder and causes it more difficult to move in the large intestine, and result in constipation.
Mental Harm of Dehydration
- Fatigue: Low level of water in your body will lead to poor circulation and lower blood flow, causing the lack of water and oxygen in your brain, which is shown as not energetic and feeling sleepy from outside.
- Confusion: Around 60% of the human body is formed by water and keeping the brain running requires a high level of water. Dehydration will cause the cells in the body cannot transport oxygen and other chemicals properly, causing the brain to function improperly and lead to cognitive problems.
- Anxiety and Depression: Dehydration could cause the level of cortisol, a hormone that affects stress response, getting higher. If you do not take in enough water, you could feel more anxious and depressed, after the effects of dehydration on brain chemistry.
How To Stay Hydrated
- Drink A Lot of Water: It is always good to drink as much water as possible when there is no physical discomfort. As it said in the general rule of thumb, you should drink at least 8 ounces of water every hour to stay hydrated.
- Eat Food Rich in Water: Except for directly drinking water, eating food that contains a high level of water also helps your body take in water.
- Use Smart Hydration Devices: Using hydration devices integrated with smart technology such as a smart water bottle. With the built-in smart hydration tracker and reminder, it feels like you hire a hydration assistant that helps you stay hydrated, which makes you avoid being dehydrated because of low health-consciousness.
Caring For Your Hydration From Now!
After introducing the harm of dehydration, it is clear that stay hydrated is necessary for our health. If you haven’t paid attention to keep hydrated before, it would be great to start from now! Find yourself the best way to stay hydrated, drinking a lot of water every day, or getting a smart water bottle!
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/muscle-cramp
https://www.healthline.com/health/dehydration-and-blood-pressure#low-blood-pressure
https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/water-a-fluid-way-to-manage-constipation
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