At first glance a few key statistics related to water intake and composition are important to note: the human body contains roughly 11 gallons of water broken down into these fractional parts: blood is 85% water, muscle is 80% water, brain is 75% water and bones are 25% water.<\/p>\n
With the value and percentage of water making up nearly 66% of the human body it plays a tremendously important role in normal physiological function(s).\u00a0 This is largely why dehydration, when present, can lead to a number of critical problems including: migraines, constipation and even kidney stones.1<\/small><\/sup> Lack of water in the body can also take a toll on the health of your BRAIN, affecting mood and overall cognitive and emotional function.\u00a0 When dehydrated a person may be more prone to feelings of fatigue, anxiety and irritability.<\/p>\n About three-quarters of your brain is water and when the body is dehydrated your brain volume actually decreases.\u00a0 It is this shrinking process to which medical researchers attribute dehydration headaches.\u00a0 Mild or temporary dehydration can alter the brains function and impact mood as shown in a 2013 British Medical Journal study.2<\/small><\/sup> 20 healthy women in their mid-20s were fluid deprived for 24 hours.\u00a0 While no clinical pathology was observed in the biological parameters such as urine, blood and saliva, thirst and heart rate did increase and urine output was drastically reduced.\u00a0 As expected, the urine also becomes darker in color.<\/p>\n The authors of the study noted this, about mood effects in their subjects:<\/p>\n \u201cThe significant effects of (fluid deprivation) on mood included decreased alertness and increased sleepiness, fatigue and confusion.\u00a0 The most consistent effects of mild dehydration on mood are on sleep\/wake parameters\u2026\u201d2<\/small><\/sup><\/p>\n The good news here is that within 20 minutes of drinking some water, effects such as those detailed above are reversed.\u00a0 Dehydration-induced headaches are also rapidly alleviated once you rehydrate.\u00a0 Interestingly, cold water absorbs 20% faster than room temperature water, so to increase the speed of recuperation it would seem prudent to have chilled water for this recovery process.<\/p>\n A study from Harvard University found more than half of American children are dehydrated, which can have serious consequences for their health and academic performance3, 4, 5<\/small><\/sup>.\u00a0 About a quarter of kids in the U.S. don\u2019t drink enough water, daily.\u00a0 Boys were 75% more likely to be low in hydration status as compared to girls. This apparent link shows that boys tended to select more sugary beverages than girls did.6<\/small><\/sup><\/p>\n When your cognitive functions take a hit and your ability to concentrate declines, there can be serious problems that result when a driver takes the wheel.\u00a0 Research from Loughborough University shows drivers that were dehydrated made twice the amount of errors during a two-hour drive compared to hydrated drivers, similar to driving drunk.7,8<\/small><\/sup>For these tests, hydrated drivers drank 6.7 ounces of water every hour, compared to dehydrated drivers who received only 25 mL per hour.<\/p>\n As reported by the Daily Mail:\u00a0 During normal hydration tests, there were 47 driving errors.\u00a0 That number rose to 101 when the men were dehydrated \u2013 the same mistake rate as when drivers were either sleep deprived or at the drink-drive limit.\u00a0 The researchers\u2026think dehydration leads to reduced brain activity as well as a drop in alertness and short-term memory\u2026\u201d9<\/small><\/sup><\/p>\n Dehydration is typically rated as mild, moderate or severe depending upon percentage of water loss the body experiences.\u00a0 There are quite a number of blood markers contained within our normal testing that can highlight this for you and your doctor.\u00a0 These include but are not limited to: RBC value variations (MCH, MCHC), electrolyte imbalances (Sodium, Potassium, etc.) and even changes in kidney panel values (BUN, Creatinine, etc.).<\/p>\n Other ways to evaluate your body for dehydration include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n An important note here is that medications and UTIs (urinary tract infections) can also change the color and odor of the urine.\u00a0 If you have an infection, urine may appear cloudy and\/or tinged with blood.\u00a0 An abnormally sweet odor from your urine may indicate that you have a high level of glucose in your urine from an uncontrolled diabetic state.\u00a0 Other conditions that affect urine\u2019s odor can include liver and gall bladder disorders.\u00a0 Therefore having an in-office dipstick urine test done annually is suggested for anyone interested in maintaining a watchful eye on their health.<\/p>\n How much water is recommended?\u00a0 There are various ways to calculate this daily intake to the ounce.\u00a0 One that Take2Healthcare staff uses is this, drink 1 quart of clean, filtered (reverse osmosis) water for every 50 pounds of body weight per day.\u00a0 Do not exceed 3 quarts of day, regardless of body weight.\u00a0 Athletes and those working outside during summer temperatures may require more daily water to satisfy urine color requirements.<\/p>\n Staying on top of dehydration can prevent unnecessary driving accidents, brain imbalances and even the need for hospitalization.\u00a0 Getting your blood and urine analyzed on an annual or semi-annual basis can also allow you to stave off major health problems before they start.<\/p>\n Contact us if you\u2019d like to learn more about what our testing (through board certified clinical nutritionists) can do for you\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n References:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n At first glance a few key statistics related to water intake and composition are important to note: the human body contains roughly 11 gallons of water broken down into these fractional parts: blood is 85% water, muscle is 80% water, brain is 75% water and bones are 25% water. With the value and percentage of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDehydration Shrinks Your Brain<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Impaired Driving Similar to Being Fatigued or Intoxicated<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n
The WHOLE BODY suffers when you\u2019re dehydrated<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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