What Happens When You Don't Drink Water?
By Sara Butler
Drinking enough water is included in almost every article you can read about health, wellness, and fitness -- and for good reason! Not to sound like a broken record, but water is vital to your continued good health. In fact, your body is made of about 60 percent water, so not getting enough of it means your system can’t function optimally. Here are a few reasons you should make sure that you get enough water to maintain your health.
Energy Loss
If you don’t drink enough water throughout the day, it can cause a drastic drop in your energy levels. If you start to feel tired in the afternoon, don’t reach for caffeine, reach for water instead. Even being slightly dehydrated can drain energy and make you feel blah.
Loss of Focus
Water has quite literally been the foundation of great ideas for, well, forever. Your brain is comprised of about 80 percent water, which means even being slightly dehydrated can make it work less efficiently and impact your ability to focus. If you can add enough water to your day, then you can improve your mental flexibility -- and maybe come up with that next big idea!
You Get Cranky
If you’re feeling cranky, then you may not be hangry -- it might be thirngry. Or angirst. Well, some witty combination of thirst and anger, anyway. Not getting enough water can impact your mood, causing headaches and fatigue that just make you feel cranky.
You Feel Hungry
Speaking of being hangry, being dehydrated can also cause you to feel as if you’re hungry when you’re not. Anytime you feel your stomach growl you should drink a glass of water before reaching for anything else. Then wait 20 minutes to see if you still feel hungry. If you do, then it wasn’t thirst in disguise, but real hunger!
You Get Headaches
Remember, since your brain is comprised of so much water, not getting enough of it can cause your head to hurt! If you have a headache, then try a glass of water before reaching for some over-the-counter pain relievers. The problem might be that you just need more water.
Water is incredibly important to your health and wellness, so make sure you’re having enough. The National Institutes of Health recommends you drink half of your weight in ounces of water -- so get sipping!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Cincinnati, Ohio.