DRINKING PROBLEM: THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF WATER

A loss of just 2% of your body’s water content can impair brain functions.

IMAGINE THE HUMAN BODY AS A WELL-CALIBRATED MACHINE, WITH countless moving parts working together to keep you happy and heathy. The oil that keeps this machine happy is water. And you need lots of it.

Your body as a whole is composed of about 60% water, with some parts, like cartilage and muscles, about 80%. And each drop is vital. Water creates synovial fluid that lubricates and cushions all of your joints. It transports nutrients throughout the body, acting as a delivery vehicle for functions that keep your systems humming. A loss of just 2% of your body’s water content can cause fatigue, alter body temperature, and impair brain functions that are vital for working memory.

And that’s just the top of water’s resume. Its most important mission occurs within your cells, where your body stores two-thirds of its water. In fact, when you become dehydrated, your body will triage its water supply and expel water outside of your cells first. If dehydration worsens, your cells will undergo “osmotic stress”, a process that causes them to shrink possibly damaging your DNA. According to a Skaggs School of Pharmacy study in the journal Biomolecular Concepts, osmotic stress may be one of the most common causes of inflammation. It’s suspected to exacerbate, and even trigger, a slew of autoimmune diseases.

To say the least, it’s important to stay hydrated. But that can be harder than it sounds. Our ability to sense thirst can degrade with age. Research shows that the body becomes gradually worse over time at alerting us to dehydration. That’s why so many older adults have problems staying hydrated and why we all need to be vigilant about our water consumption.

Thankfully, even if your sense of thirst disappears, there are ways to tell if you need a glass or two. Muscle cramps, especially during the hot days, are a surefire sign of water loss. So is rough and flaky skin. Bad breath can be caused by a lack of saliva, and constipation or an elevated heart rate can be signs of general dehydration. Finally, there are some classic telltale signs. Dark urine is always a good sign that you need to hydrate. So are headaches. Research suggests that 40% of people suffer headaches after losing only 2% of their bodies’ water. So don’t delay: drink up!