A study conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Survey concluded that almost 54% of children and young adults between the ages of 6 and 19 years suffer from dehydration. Due to the seriousness and dangers of dehydration, these are severely alarming rates.
Why is staying hydrated important?
What happens when I am dehydrated?
How do I know I am dehydrated?
How long does it take to rehydrate?
These must be the questions crossing your mind right now. This article covers all the facets of hydration and dehydration, so keep reading to find out the answers to your questions.
Keeping yourself hydrated is extremely important especially for those who are mostly outdoors and remain very active. Dehydration can occur easily due to many factors, especially due to extreme weather conditions such as scorching heat.
Here are a few reasons for you to stay hydrated at all times.
The human body is made up of about 60% water. Therefore, you can imagine how important water is for humans to survive. Replenishing your body is important to ensure the smooth functioning of its systems including your digestive system and waste disposal processes. Moreover, every cell, muscle, and tissue within your body requires hydration in order to run at peak performance.
Remaining hydrated improves your overall wellness. A well-hydrated body is one that performs at its optimal level. This includes having high energy levels, increased focus and brain performance and well, clear skin. Moreover, if you plan to engage in physical activity, it is vital for you to remain properly hydrated.
When you don’t consume enough water or drink too much alcohol, have diarrhea, vomit or sweat, your body’s essential fluid storage begins depleting. This makes it really difficult for your body’s systems to function effectively. Some of the minor dehydration symptoms you can experience are headaches, cramps or feeling lightheaded.
Another detrimental impact of dehydration is that your body’s production of blood reduces significantly. Therefore, there is insufficient blood circulation within your body. This can cause some other health issues, including decreased blood pressure, dizziness and headaches.
Moreover, there are some long-term effects of dehydration. Some researches revealed that dehydration can impair mental performance and impact psychomotor and memory skills by 1-2%. Other studies also suggested the prolonged fluid deficit can decrease your overall body performance. This includes headaches, sleepiness, irritability and an increased respiratory rate. Moreover, dehydration can also increase the temperature levels of children. Another research also found that dehydration impairs muscle endurance and plays a role in decreasing muscle strength.
During the early stages of dehydration, your body tries to reabsorb the available fluids within your body in order to power your organs. Moreover, if your body fluids deplete more than 8%, it could result in death. This is because once all the fluids within your body deplete, there will be nothing left to absorb. Therefore, your body will be extremely dehydrated. This can cause you to go into shock and result in eventual death.
Keeping yourself hydrated isn’t that difficult. However, it’s important for you to know when you are getting dehydrated so that you can take immediate action.
Here are a few indicators that will help tell you if your body is dehydrated.
One of the most common and obvious signs of dehydration is extreme thirst. This is one of the earliest signs of dehydration that indicates that you need to start drinking water before the situation gets more serious. All other signs are secondary and occur at a later stage of dehydration.
One of the most important signs of dehydration is dry mouth. If your mouth is completely parched, this means that you are on the brink of dehydration. When you are hydrated, you will notice that your mouth is well-moisturized with saliva. Moreover, having a dry mouth has its own level of discomfort. All in all, if you feel like the inside of your mouth is drying up and getting sticky, you should drink at least a glass or two of water to rehydrate your body.
Dehydration often leads to severe fatigue. Since your body’s muscles are made out of almost 75% water, it is important that you constantly give them the hydration they need to function properly. A dehydrated body can cause your muscles to weaken, making you feel tired, sleepy, and too lethargic to perform any activities.
When your body is well-hydrated, you feel the need to go to the washroom again and again. This is a good sign as it indicates that all the excess waste from your body is being discharged. On the other hand, when your body is dehydrated, you excrete almost little to no urine. Moreover, even if you do excrete urine, it’s usually a dark amber color. An important thing to know is that the darker the urine color, the more dehydrated you are.
Now that we have discussed why hydration is important and how you can determine you are dehydrated, let’s discuss the last question, how long does it take to rehydrate?
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you feel lightly dehydrated, don’t worry too much. It takes only a few minutes to rehydrate your body.
The Journal of Strength and Conditioning suggested that it can take about 45 minutes to an hour for your body to rehydrate if it is severely dehydrated. You will only require a 600ml bottle to go from completely dehydrated to fully hydrated.
The time to rehydrate your body can vary. This is because different bodily processes take different times to actually absorb water. For instance, if you drink water on an empty stomach, the water will enter your bloodstream considerably faster. This is because your body will not be busy digesting anything.
However, if your body is in the process of digesting food and you drink water, it might take a while to rehydrate. This is because your stomach will first prioritize digesting your food and then proceed towards other activities. Considering both these cases, it is safe to assume that it can take anywhere between five minutes to 2 hours for your body to absorb the water and hydrate you.
Moreover, you don’t need to consume any super-fancy liquids or substances like ginseng root or Gatorade to get your body rehydrated again. Just simple, plain water will suffice to get you back to your natural condition. However, yes, at times, certain drinks that are packed with electrolytes can work considerably faster to replenish your body.
All in all, dehydration isn’t pretty. It manifests in various ways and causes a lot of health problems for you. Hence, it is important to know when your body is getting dehydrated so that you can replenish your system!
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Coronavirus, also known as the COVID-19, is a global pandemic. Starting from the city of Wuhan, China, this respiratory disease has spread to all parts of the world, disrupting peoples’ lives, businesses, and entire economies.
This article covers the symptoms of coronavirus and indicates how water can help shield your body against this deadly virus.
The symptoms of coronavirus can range in severity. While most cases reported are typically mild, there’s no denying that this virus can be pretty deadly. The symptoms of COVID-19 don’t typically reveal themselves until after 2-14 days of being exposed to it.
Here are a few symptoms that you will manifest if you have the coronavirus.
When an individual loses more fluids than they consume, their body is dehydrated. The human body is made of up of almost two-thirds of water, making water an essential part of our daily life. Water contributes incredibly to the smooth functioning of our bodily functions. From facilitating digestion to lubricating joints and getting rid of toxins from the body—water does it all!
When your body loses its water content, you can expect to experience a ton of negative effects. This impact usually manifests itself in the form of various dehydration symptoms. Lack of fluids can make you feel thirsty, sleepy, hungry and even give you a mild headache. Moreover, it can dry out your mouth, giving you bad breath, and cause muscle cramps.
Most importantly, the most deadly consequence of prolonged dehydration is that it weakens your immune system, making your body susceptible to a variety of illnesses, including the coronavirus.
Even in this crucial time, people don’t refrain from putting out all sorts of false information. A popular myth circulating on social media states that drinking water every 15 minutes can flush the virus from your system. This myth has encouraged people to believe that staying hydrated at all times is the solution to the virus. However, that is not the case. There is still no cure for this virus.
So, you must be wondering, “What is the actual connection between staying hydrated and protecting yourself from the coronavirus?” Let’s discuss that in detail below.
Well, coronavirus is extremely contagious and can be transferred from one person to another when the infected person’s respiratory droplets enter the uninfected person’s mouth or nose. Furthermore, the person may even contract the virus within seconds if they come into contact with an object that a COVID-19 patient has touched and then touches their eyes, mouth or nose with the infected hands. While the symptoms of this threatening disease can range in severity, those with weak immune systems tend to suffer the most. A research study revealed that those with pre-existing illnesses or weakened immune symptoms develop the most serious symptoms of the coronavirus like bronchitis or pneumonia. One of the most common reasons for a weak immune system is dehydration.
Since the human body is made of 60% water, the importance of water in our daily lives comes as no surprise even during this pandemic. Keeping your body hydrated is a major step in remaining healthy while ensuring that all your body functions operate efficiently and smoothly without any issues. Moreover, hydration not only helps you lose weight and maintain healthy hair and skin but it also considerably boosts your immunity.
So, consuming ample amounts of water to keep your body hydrated acts as your body’s first line of defense against the deadly coronavirus. Consuming ample water is not a cure for the coronavirus and does not guarantee that you will not contract the virus. However, by boosting your immune system, water does reduce the chances of getting infected by the virus and the severity of the virus if you do get infected.
People around the world are in self-quarantine for quite a while now to protect themselves from catching this virus. While a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is in the pipeline, staying as healthy as possible is the best and probably the only way to keep this infection at bay.
Experts suggest that in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, people should focus on maintaining top-notch personal hygiene. This includes washing your hands properly, multiple times a day, especially after you touch any object or surface and covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. Furthermore, experts recommend that individuals should follow a healthy and balanced diet, avoiding smoking and drinking, and most importantly, stay hydrated.
Staying hydrated not only boosts your immune system but also ensures that in case you catch this deadly virus, your body has everything it requires to fight it!
Here are a few ways in which staying hydrated can help you avoid the coronavirus.
Consuming ample water helps in the oxygenation of your body cells. When your body cells have enough oxygen, they function at their optimal level, protecting your body from any foreign bodies that might try to enter. Moreover, if on the off chance foreign bodies do enter your body, well-oxygenated cells will fight them
One of the most important symptoms of coronavirus is fever. Keeping your body well-hydrated regulates your body temperature. Hence, if you do come down with a fever, whether it is because of the coronavirus or any other illness, consuming enough water is extremely crucial.
Consuming enough water is imperative for improving cognitive functioning. While a pandemic like this can wreak havoc on people’s minds and affect their decision-making abilities, staying hydrated will make you more aware of your behavior. Moreover, it will help you make safer and healthier decisions.
A report by HarvardHealth suggests that keeping your body hydrated is imperative for a number of reasons. One of the most important reasons is reducing the risk of infections. A well-hydrated body is a well-functioning one. Hydration helps transmit nutrients to almost all parts of the body, keeping all body functions running at their optimal level.
When an individual contracts an illness such as flu or fever, they tend to lose water from their body in the form of mucus. This is your body’s way of eliminating any germs that cause diseases. So, by consuming enough water and keeping your body hydrated, you increase the production of mucus, hence, expelling any disease-causing germs.
Consuming lots of fluids and water will increase your visits to the restroom. This means that you will also be washing your hands more regularly, and that is something that the doctors and experts highly recommend.
During this time, the important thing is that you need to keep your body hydrated at all times by consuming different fluids. While keeping hydrated cannot completely prevent you from falling prey to this novel virus, it sure can help strengthen your immune system.
Until any vaccine for the coronavirus is out, make sure you wash your hands, maintain a healthy lifestyle, remain hydrated and well, stay safe in your homes!
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Electrolytes are chemicals that conduct electricity when dissolved in water. They are essential for our cells, organs, and body to work properly. We get them from what we eat and drink. Electrolyte levels are measured via blood tests, and their levels must remain in a small range; otherwise, serious problems may arise.
They are responsible for:
Common electrolytes found in your body are:
When you don’t have enough electrolytes in your system, you can catch a ‘Keto Flu.’
When you are on a ketogenic diet, you eliminate carbs almost entirely from your diet, which means your body is producing less insulin and glycogen stores are emptied. This makes your body excrete more water through urine, sweat, and breath instead of retaining it. That is why many Keto beginners have to use the bathroom quite often. You also lose a lot of water weight and feel less bloated. While this is a good thing, your body is also expelling essential vitamins and minerals along with the water. This causes an electrolyte imbalance in your body. However, these symptoms are temporary and usually resolve after your body adapts to the low carb diet.
In some cases, Keto flu can take longer to subside and fix some of the side effects you can replenish your electrolytes through food and supplements.
There are certain vitamins and minerals you should add to your diet to reduce the symptoms of Keto Flu.
Sodium is an important electrolyte and mineral that helps retain water in the body. It is vital for muscle and nerve function. Lack of sodium in the body leads to the following symptoms
Course of Action
Many Keto dieters can replenish sodium by adding Himalayan sea salt to their diet or drinking bone broth, especially in the first week. You can also make your own drink with sugar-free coconut water mixed with sea salt.
Potassium is important for regulating heart rate, maintaining healthy blood pressure levels, and proper fluid balance in the body. Low potassium levels result in:
Course of Action
To replenish potassium levels, including the following foods in your diet
Calcium is another essential electrolyte that plays a crucial role in your body. It includes building strong bones, blood clotting, regulating nerve function, and ensuring proper muscle contraction.
Course of Action
Keto-friendly food sources with calcium include
Magnesium is important for helping your body maintain a healthy immune system, nerve and muscle function, normal heart rhythm, and other biochemical reactions. Like calcium, you need it for building strong bones.
Course of Action
The decision to take mineral supplements should be based on how you feel. Sometimes, incorporating electrolyte-rich foods in your diet is not enough to curb the imbalance. You may choose to take supplements if you are unable to meet your needs through diet alone. Below is a list of supplements you can take to help restore your electrolytes
Daily requirement: 3000-4700 mg (3-4.7g)
Daily requirement: 400 mg
Daily requirement: 500 mg
Daily requirement: 1000 IU
While electrolyte replenishment is important during a Keto diet, so is drinking plenty of water. Water makes up more than 50 percent of the body and is the most important necessity in life. A low-carb diet naturally leads to loss of water in the body. So, you need to replenish your body for it to perform at its best.
The amount of water you drink depends on your physical activity levels, the climate you live in, and the food you eat. A good way to determine whether your water intake is sufficient or not is by looking at the color of your urine. If it is light yellow or clear, then you are good. If it is dark yellow, then it is a sign of dehydration.
However, do not consume so much water that you end up flushing out your electrolytes, making it harmful. Instead, learn to listen to your body, eat foods with high contents, and drink water throughout the day.
Have you ever walked down the sports drink aisle at the drug store hoping to find a single drink with no sugar in it, only to be disappointed? Well, there is a scientific reason behind that. Many of these drinks contain sugar because it provides glucose for replenishing energy stores. People whose bodies are used to using carbs for energy find extra sugar intake during heavy exercise very helpful. However, Keto dieters need to avoid added sugar. If you are on a Keto diet, you can make your own sugar free electrolyte drink at home with natural ingredients.
Ingredients
Instructions
If making an electrolyte drink at home every day is not something you prefer, then you should try the BalaEnzyme blend powder for quick electrolyte replenishment. Its natural ingredients and enzymes work together to provide effective hydration without sugar. It comes with added benefits that help with muscle recovery and joint function. The formula was specially designed to facilitate hyper-rehydration through electrolytes that are carried across small intestinal microvilli via specific amino acids at specific doses and ratios that function similarly to sugar. We have a product that contains accelerated hydration properties that help with the microenvironment in the small intestine to speed up the movement of the key ingredients into the bloodstream.
Sources:
https://ketogenic.com/importance-electrolytes-ketogenic-diet/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153188#causes
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-keto-supplements#section8
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/supplements
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-make-a-sugar-free-sports-drink-2241684
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Regular exercise is one of the most important steps toward leading a healthier lifestyle. However, it can be easy to forget that regular exercise puts your muscles under stress and can take a toll on your health if you do not take measures to recover properly after every workout session. Luckily, there are several ways that you can adopt to recover, and one of them is hydration.
Below we will outline seven dehydration solutions that you should include in your exercise routine:
This should come as no surprise that water is the ultimate solution to post-workout dehydration. You lose fluids during exercise. To replenish lost fluids, sip water during and after your workout. The color of your urine is a great indicator of dehydration; if it is clear, then you’re hydration levels are alright, but if it is dark, it means you are dehydrated.
A perfect concoction to help with dehydration would contain a good amount of carbohydrates and proteins, and chocolate milk provides just that. It is readily available at grocery stores, or you can make some at home by adding a chocolate bar to warm milk.
Nuts will immediately boost your protein and magnesium levels. However, we recommend walnuts, as they contain high amounts of healthy fats as well as Omega-3 fatty acids. These two properties are instrumental in recovering from dehydration and reducing inflammation.
This fruit is so high in water content that it can be described as water in melon form. Additionally, it is rich in amino acids, helps with the blood flow, and boosts metabolism. If eaten after a workout, this fruit can clean out your system and help relieve all the toxins from your body.
There are many benefits to drinking coconut water. There are high levels of nutrients and antioxidants, which is why it is the perfect beverage for post-workout dehydration. Because it contains electrolytes such as magnesium and potassium, it works best for replenishment.
Juices with antioxidants, such as cherry juice, aid in muscle recovery, and reduce inflammation as well as prevent strength loss.
Just like cherry juice, black and green tea possesses antioxidant properties, which greatly helps reduce muscle soreness and provide relaxation post-workout.
If the hydration solutions mentioned above do not appeal to you, you can take BalaEnzyme. This enzyme blend powder has natural ingredients — bromelain, papain, and turmeric. These three powerful anti-inflammatory agents reduce inflammation in the digestive tracts, and the amino acids it contains to support the recovery and rehydration process post-workout.
Sources
https://www.medicinenet.com/dehydration/article.htm
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086
Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than your intake. Dehydration can become especially dangerous for older adults and young children. The most common cause of dehydration in older adults is the intake of certain medications, and the already lower levels of water in their body increase the risk of dehydration. Dehydration commonly occurs in younger children due to severe diarrhea or vomiting. Our body loses water regularly due to the reasons below:
Being thirsty is often not a reliable symptom of dehydration, particularly in older adults, because they do not feel thirsty until it is too late. That is why you need to consume more water in the hot summer days or when you are unwell. The most common causes of dehydration are:
The very first symptoms of dehydration are dark-colored urine, increased thirst, and a decrease in urine
production. In fact, the color of your urine is the best indicator of the level of dehydration. The darker
the color, the more dehydrated you are. Below are the symptoms of dehydration:
The symptoms of severe dehydration, i.e., 10- 15 % loss of water content in the body, are listed below:
To prevent dehydration, you should try eating foods that contain high water content and increase your daily fluid intake.
If you are not fond of drinking plain water and want to meet your body’s daily fluid intake, there are
seven sure-fire ways of rehydration.
Turn your plain water into a drink that is full of flavor by adding slices of fruits or vegetables. Cucumber
or a sprig of mint works well, or a few lemon slices will give it a real boost in taste.
Instead of drinking plain water, you can opt for bubbly water drinks. Some people prefer to quench their thirst with readily available options such as sparkling water.
Squeeze in a bit of natural orange juice in your water. Keep in mind that while store-bought juices can count towards your water intake, they come with extra calories and sugar.
Instead of drinking buckets of plain water, blend in some fruits or vegetables that are high in water content. For example, cucumber juice is a great way of rehydrating yourself.
Whether you choose a clear chicken soup or some gazpacho, you will get the same hydration as water. You can mix in a variety of flavors and condiments to make things interesting.
Although caffeine is a diuretic, drinking a cup or two of tea or coffee will increase the level of fluid intake for healthy people. Go for the decaf option to be safe.
Milk is a great source of hydration and comes with protein, calcium, and vitamin D. However, if you are lactose intolerant or cannot consume milk for some reason, there are milk-alternatives such as soy milk, coconut milk, and almond milk that are packed with nutrients and help you hydrate.
For a quick rehydration solution, take Bala Recovery Drink. Its natural ingredients and enzymes work together to provide effective hydration without sugar. It comes with added benefits that help with joint function and muscle recovery. In addition, the formula was created to facilitate hyper-rehydration through electrolytes that are carried across small intestinal microvilli via specific amino acids at specific doses and ratios that function similarly to sugar.
Now, we have a product that contains accelerated hydration properties that help with the microenvironment in the small intestine to speed up the movement of the key ingredients into the bloodstream.
Sources
https://www.medicinenet.com/dehydration/article.htm
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153363.php#causes
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dehydration/
https://www.emedicinehealth.com/dehydration_in_adults/article_em.htm