Chronic Dehydration; Why it affects so many of us and how to reverse it.
We all know that hydration is vital. Many of us have experienced feeling off, exhausted, sick, parched, stiff or head-achey when we haven’t had enough water. If you’ve ever been unlucky enough to suffer from heat stroke, you know it’s no joke!
Many of us feel dehydrated, even if we drink copious amount of water. What many people don’t realise is that the quantity of water consumed is only one of three important considerations when it comes to hydration. Of course it’s vital to consume enough water, but equally important are the quality of the water we’re drinking plus our body’s ability to efficiently metabolise and absorb that water. In this article I’m going to explain why these things are important, plus give you tips on how you can optimise your ability to process and absorb water.
Drinking ‘Wild Water’ from a stream.
How much water should I drink?
Let’s start with one of the most frequently asked questions in the clinic; how much water should I drink per day? As a baseline, I recommend drinking 1-2 L per day, but if the weather is hot, or you’ve been stressed or have been speaking or singing in public your water needs might increase. Obviously, if you’ve been excersing or sweating for any reason, it’s vital to increase your water intake.
What is good quality water?
Before the advent of modern plumbing all our water came from natural sources. Water found in nature or ‘wild water’ as I like to call it is dynamic; it’s undergoing constant movement, flow and change. It has Qi, or energy potential. Think of a mountain stream. The water is in constant movement, meaning it has a negative ionic charge which is extremely beneficial to human life. It has also tumbled over rocks or maybe moved through underground rivers where it has picked up trace minerals and electrolytes that are vital to many of our physiological processes, including the hydration or all our tissues and organs and waste removal. This is the kind of water our ancestors would have sought out – clean, safe and full of life potential.
Is tap water good for me?
As wonderful as plumbed water has been for our safety and convenience, tap water has lost something it once had when it was wild. It has lost its Qi; it is energetically dead and mildly poisonous. For safety reasons tap water is heavily filtered to remove pollutants and bacteria, but this also strips the water of essential minerals and trace elements. Then, chlorine is added to kill any remaining bacteria, which unfortunately impacts our beneficial gut bacteria. A non-bio-available form of fluoride is also added, which the body recognises as a toxin and stores in the bones. Flouride also competes with iodine for binding at the thyroid gland and can contribute to thyroid-related fatigue.
Bringing tap water back to life.
As not many of us have access to pure, wild water, we need to put life back into our tap water so that it will truly contribute to vital health, and hydrate us at a deep level. Here’s how to revitalise your tap water:
Step 1:
Filter your water to remove chlorine, fluoride and other contaminants.
Step 2:
Add minerals and electrolytes. Many companies make electrolyte drops and some water filters also come with a remineralization cartridge, combining step one and two together for ease. Here are a few of our favourite products:
Aussie Trace Minerals Complete Liquid Electrolytes - Sourced from Australian sea water.
Ancient Lakes Natural Liquid Magnesium - Sourced from Lake Deborah, Australia.
Waters Co Water Filters
www.waterscoaustralia.com.au/collections/water-filter-range
How can I tell if I’m absorbing water well?
Here are some signs and symptoms that suggest your body isn’t absorbing water well:
Stiff and sore muscles
Tiredness
Dry skin and hair, or hair loss
Restless sleep
Getting easily overheated
Dark coloured urine
Having an insatiable thirst for water
Drinking large volumes of water, but still feeling parched and dry
Immediately needing to pee after drinking water
Having no desire to drink water
Feeling heavy or sloshy after drinking
How do I optimize my water absorption?
If you’re drinking enough good quality water, but still show symptoms of dehydration, some help from acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine might be a good idea. According to Chinese medicine theory, there are a few factors that can contribute to long term dehydration:
Yang deficiency
In Chinese medicine, Yang refers to metabolic power, or our ability to process, transform and absorb all the fuel and fluid we feed our bodies. The yang of the digestive system and the urinary system are both very important for processing and absorbing water and sending fluids to the muscles, organs and tissues. Without sufficient yang, we can become dehydrated over time, even if we drink adequate amounts of water because our bodies cannot transport water to the cells where it is needed most. We can also accumulate excess fluid which we refer to as ‘damp’ in Chinese medicine. Damp can cause symptoms such as oedema, swelling, or phlegm and mucous accumulation.
Fire and wind
If there is an excess of fire or wind in the body, fluids may be consumed or dried up as quickly as we replenish them.
Yin and blood deficiency
If you have been dehydrated for a long time, body fluids and blood may have started to wither and may need to be revitalized. If you’ve had an illness with a high fever, a hemorrage or another substantial blood or fluid loss, or if you’re an athlete, soldier or dancer you may also need help with deep yin and blood recovery.
Luckily, there are Chinese medicine treatment strategies for boosting the yang, quenching fire, stilling wind and nourishing the yin and blood, and we’d be happy to help you out if you need it.
What else can I do to keep my tissues well hydrated?
Here are my top diet and lifestyle tips for keeping well hydrated in any season:
If you don’t often feel thirsty, or feel bloated after drinking water, try drinking warm water. Warm water takes less energy to process as the stomach doesn’t have to use its own yang (metabolic power) to heat it up to body temperature. This is especially helpful in winter.
Avoid dehydrating foods and drinks. This includes alcohol, coffee, tea, and large amounts of hot spices. If (like most of us!) you’re not ready to quit caffeine and alcohol altogether, just decreasing your daily intake will be very beneficial.
In hot weather, coconut water or watermelon juice can be very helpful to replenish electrolytes lost through sweat.
Did you know that your foods choices can dramatically increase you hydration levels? Eat lots of vegetables. Veggies have a high water content and also contain essential electrolytes and minerals.
Steam your veggies and grains for light, hydrating and easy to digest meals.
Hydrating dishes such as broth, porridge, congee, soup, stew, casserole, mild curries and tagines should be a staple in all of our diets. If you are chronically dehydrated or exhausted, have two warm, hydrating meals per day to help you rebuild. Having a freezer full of broths and stocks is a great way to make hydrating meals fast and easy. A slow cooker is also a great help if you’re time poor.
Avoid eating dry food in large quantities. The stomach uses its precious digestive juices to reconstitute dry food – this is dehydrating over time. Avoid large quantities of chips, crackers, nuts, dried fruit and toast.
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