Is mild dehydration giving you anxiety, causing mood swings, and making you fat and constipated? Maybe...

We all know that we need to drink water, especially in the hot summer months, but what actually happens to our bodies if we don’t get enough? How important is it? In our Medisys July newsletter http://blog.medisys.ca/newsletter-subscribe we described some of the health implications of insufficient daily water intake, which include:

Some of the health implications of insufficient water intake:

Fatigue: Research demonstrates that even mild levels of dehydration leads to fatigue 1 – so if you are constantly feeling tired or low energy, the solution may be as easy as drinking more water!

Mood and Cognitive Disturbances: Research has shown that even mild levels of dehydration impairs cognitive functioning and increases levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. The cognitive impacts of insufficient water intake include decreases in concentration and short-term memory, as well as significantly increased feelings of anxiousness and anxiety. Studies have also shown that increased water intake supports improvements in attention and memory 2 .

Slowed Metabolism: Sufficient hydration can help regulate hunger but the link between water and weight maintenance doesn’t stop there. Metabolism is directly linked to water consumption. Carbohydrates are broken into their component molecules by water through a process called hydrolysis – therefore, insufficient water intake can result in slowed metabolism, leading to weight gain. In fact, one study found that drinking more water helped boost healthy men and women’s metabolic rate by 30% 3 .

Constipation: “Drinking enough water is key to preventing constipation,” explains registered dietitian Leslie Beck, based out of the Medisys Clinic in Toronto. “The fibre in foods absorbs water and, in so doing, increases stool bulk and increases gut motility, preventing constipation” Beck adds.

6 ways to ensure healthy hydration this summer:

1. Avoid sugary beverages. Energy drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, pop and other beverages containing high amounts of sugar and low amounts of fibre. A glass of 100%-all-natural fruit juice can contain the equivalent of TWO TIMES your daily recommended limit of free sugars and about the same amount of sugar as pop! If you love fruit, that’s great, eat fruit – but skip the fruit juice and drink pure water instead.

2. Limit alcohol and caffeine. Caffeinated beverages and alcohol are both diuretics4 – meaning that instead of hydrating you they have the exact opposite effect. The more coffee and alcohol you consume, the more water you need to drink to help counterbalance the dehydrating effect. Diuretic substances dehydrate you by increasing the body’s production of urine. For example, consuming the equivalent of 50 grams of pure alcohol through drinking beer, wine, or mixed drinks results in the elimination from the body of about 1 litre of water as urine. This happens because alcohol blocks the release of the hormone needed for water reabsorption (antidiuretic hormone) – when you consume alcohol, instead of the kidneys reabsorbing the water, they excrete it. Caffeine has a similar diuretic effect so it’s important to consume caffeine in moderation as well.

3. Make water part of your daily routine. Get in the habit of having a glass of water when you wake up and at each meal – keep a refillable water bottle with you at work and in the car to sip on throughout the day. If drinking plain water sounds like a bore to you, shake things up a bit. Add sliced lemon, fresh herbs, cucumber, ginger, or frozen fruit to still or sparkling water. Try an iced herbal tea like peppermint, lavender, or hibiscus to quench your thirst. Keeping your water interesting and making water-drinking part of your daily routine are the best ways to make sure you stay hydrated this summer.

4. Use the colour test. Not sure if you’re drinking enough water? Our kidneys react directly to our body’s water content – the colour of your urine is a good indicator for whether or not you are hydrated. If your urine is pale yellow, you are probably properly hydrated, but if your urine is bright, cloudy or dark yellow, drink up!

1. Armstrong, L. E., Et. Al (2012). Mild dehydration affects mood in healthy young women. The Journal of nutrition, 142(2), 382-388. 2. Benton, D. (2011). Dehydration influences mood and cognition: a plausible hypothesis?. Nutrients, 3(5), 555-573. 3. Boschmann, M, Et. Al (2003). Water-induced thermogenesis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 88(12), 6015-6019. 4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3984246/