Hydration is not about water
And why you must eat your water
If anything ever comes close to living up to the title of panacea, it is water. Got a headache? Drink some water. Feeling constipated? Down a glass of clear liquid. Feeling anxious? Up your fluid intake. Browse through the list of reasons for your ailment and you are likely to stumble upon the water is a likely cure-it-all. It is touted as the most important tip by every athlete, nutritionist, and health nut.
This is not surprising given that about 60% of you is water which does make it the most essential nutrient for the human body. It is not, however, the only nutrient your body needs. Drinking water can reverse your health woes but it cannot banish all of them. It might even lead to causing some of them in the first place.
What can cure you can kill you just as well. It is all down to balance, as with everything else. An elixir is a poison in excess and a poison is a medicine in the right amounts. We are so obsessed with water and dehydration, that it feels wrong to say water is not suitable but drink too much and your body will have to put up a fight.
Dehydration == Overhydration
These are the symptoms of overhydration:
nausea and vomiting
headache
confusion or disorientation
muscle weakness, spasms, or cramps
seizures
unconsciousness
coma
dry throat and mouth
And these are the symptoms of dehydration:
Thirst
Dry or sticky mouth
Not peeing very much or having dark yellow pee
Dry, cool skin
Headache
Muscle cramps
Dizziness
Sleepiness or lack of energy
Confusion or irritability
Fainting
These two sets of symptoms have been taken from two different medical websites. Notice how they seem alike. Notice how dehydration seems a lot like overhydration.
While you are far more likely to suffer from dehydration than overhydration and easily recognize the subtle differences between the two (covered ahead), it is overhydration i.e. water poisoning that is far more dangerous and can lead to seizures and even coma when left unchecked.
Have your water but just enough. Do not mindlessly drink water assuming that it brings no harm. What cures you, kills you. It’s all about balance in the end.
Balance is key
Although hydration is synonymous with water, that is not the case. Hydration is about more than water; it is defined as “the process of causing something to absorb water”. Hydration, therefore, is water and electrolytes.
This is why overhydration and dehydration resemble each other because both lead to an imbalance of electrolytes. While one causes saturation, the other leads to a deficiency.
A sliver of light allows you to see shadows while enough gives you visibility. Too much of it, however, leaves you as blind as being in the darkness. Hydration, therefore, goes beyond merely chugging or refraining from water. Hydration, like light and life, is balance done right.
Thirst, you could doubt
Your body comes with an inbuilt mechanism to indicate the need for water consumption. It is an apt system to regulate the need for water if it is working alright.
Like all systems, it is subject to malfunction. Like all systems which require voluntary action and manual intervention, it is subject to us. When systems are left to human action, they have a higher propensity to go awry.
Thirst, if judged by the dryness of your throat, can lead you astray because several causes lead to dryness of the throat, especially anxiety. That is not to say that you should dismiss your thirst; consider it but do not always believe it. There is a far better indicator at which you can peep.
But pee, you can trust
The state of the liquid you expel is the best indicator of the condition of the liquid that you ingest. Your urine does a far better job than any other at indicating your hydration levels (as long as you are going easy on the pigmented foods, medications and do not suffer from medical conditions).
Pee production being an autonomous process is free from your intervention and assessment. True, it is subject to malfunction, like all other systems, but not as much as thirst.
Consider the quantity and quality (read color) of your urine to help you assess your hydration. The volume is directly proportional to the amount of water in the body; less volume out is less volume going on. So if you are peeing less, then it is time to drink more. Color is a little more complex which is why I will let the visualization above do the work.
So the next time you are confused about the state of your hydration, you don’t need to look within, look out (and down).
How and when to drink
It feels almost ridiculous to write down this part of the essay. I really should not be writing down how to engage in the simple act of drinking the most innocuous of liquids but here I am. Such is our species though, we can navigate the cosmos and traverse the oceans but struggle to lock in on how best to pour a clear liquid down our throats. Anyway here it goes:
Have water first thing in the morning because every single one of us wakes up dehydrated
Always have your water in a relaxed manner (ideally sitting down) because even the consumption of water requires work on part of the body. It may not seem like it but it takes effort from your body to make that water a part of you and no one likes to be uncomfortable when performing a task. Respect your body, take a pause and sip that liquid
Have a tiny sip now and then till your pee retains color
Do not have water during meals. Have a sip, if needed, 30 minutes before and a sip (or two), if needed, 90 minutes after.
Eat your water
A more efficient and easier way to ensure that the water you drink becomes you, is to eat your water instead of drinking it. Water that comes from the food that you eat is more likely to become part of you than the water that you drink.
This is especially true for all the foods that nature herself packs with water i.e. fruits and vegetables. This can also hold for dry foods like grains and seeds that have been cooked in water. A bowl of oatmeal will hydrate you from inside but a cup of granola will have standing with an open mouth under a waterfall.
This is because the water inside these foods is structured or packed within the foods and is absorbed slowly allowing your body time and space to slurp it all up. Some even refer to water inside fruits and vegetables as “living water” claiming it to be different from regular water but that is as much fact as it is fiction. Regardless of the classification, this water is superior to regular water as it comes packed with nutrients, minerals, and other electrolytes which hydrate you just right. So gobble down your water but watch out for these expellers while you are at it.
Summary
Water is not a panacea; it is an elixir and poison all at once
Hydration, or the lack of it, is not only about water. It is, as is everything else, about balance; the 8-glass a-day recommendation is a myth.
Have a sip now and then.
Consume water based on your environment, activity (mental and physical), and eating habits.
Be guided by your throat but do not follow it.
When in doubt, look at the toilet bowl instead.
Eat your water instead of drinking it.