Could Not Drinking Enough Water be Impacting Your Mood?

Did you know water makes up 55-60% of your total body mass and it’s the most important nutrient in the body? While daily water recommendations are highly individualized, it’s important to make sure that you are drinking enough for you. ⁠Some important functions of water in the body include: 

-Improved oxygen delivery to cells

-Transports nutrients

-Enables cellular hydration

-Moistens oxygen for better breathing

-Absorbs shocks to joints and organs

-Regulates body temperature

-Removes waste and flushes toxins 

-Cushions bones and joints

-Improves cell to cell communications 

-Maintains normal electrical properties of cells

-Enables the digestive process

Let’s take a deeper look at some of the roles:

When we are properly hydrated the above roles function well. However, the majority of Americans are living in a state of dehydration. Once de􏰌hydration occurs, we start to see a variety of problems.

Early signs of dehydration include: thirst, fatigue, dry mouth. darker urine, cravings, muscle cramps, anxiety, headaches/migraines, decrease in memory and focus.

Chronic signs of de􏰌hydration include: heartburn, joint pain, back pain, constipation, colitis and exercise asthma.

So, what is the adequate intake for daily water? The answer is, it’s bio-individual and relies on a variety of factors, like exercise, climate, etc… According to the Nutritional Therapy Association, a good starting point for females ages of 19+ is 77 ounces per day.

So now that we know how important water is in the body for the numerous roles it plays, let’s talk a little bit more about sourcing quality water. Feel free to reach out if you need help finding a good quality water source. Some great places to start are local water stores, getting a filter installed in your home, or bottling and drinking your own spring water. It can be fun to start to make educated and empowered decisions about the most important nutrient in your body.

Some tips to help with hydration:

-Get a big water bottle that you love and make sure you are drinking out of it throughout the day. 

-If the taste of water isn’t your favorite, get creative and add fruits🍊🥒🍋, herbs (like mint, and cilantro) and other flavor enhancers to your drink to make it extra refreshing. 

-Make sure that you’re getting adequate electrolytes in your water. Great ways to do this include, trace mineral drops, coconut water, and adding a pinch of unrefined salt to your water. I also love LMNT electrolyte powders.