Water is the primary driving force of energy production inside every cell in the human body, which is why fatigue, tiredness or low energy is one of the first signs of dehydration. Our bodies are dependent on water for virtually all functions and to maintain optimal health, which is why even a small loss of water can cause dehydration.
When we do not drink water as often as we should, we become dehydrated. It only takes a 1% loss of fluids to cause a 10% loss of energy, so even a very mild case of dehydration such as 2% to 3 % will cause between 20% and 30% loss of energy. A loss of even this small percentage of bodily fluids will create stress at the cellular level, suppressing your immune system, slowing down your metabolism, causing toxic build-up and various other health problems.
The Hidden Symptoms of Dehydration
The most common symptoms of dehydration are a dry mouth, thirst, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, dark and decreased urine, and constipation.
What is not such common knowledge though, are the hidden symptoms of dehydration, especially when dehydration becomes chronic. Various studies have revealed that dehydration is the cause of many symptoms of poor health, because it stresses out your body.
Dehydration caused by not drinking water as often or in the quantities that we should be doing lowers the immune function in our bodies. More important though, not drinking water regularly shuts down the body’s self-healing mechanisms; it also decreases the oxygen uptake by red blood cells, increases acidity, and suppresses many of the enzymatic reactions that are vital to cellular function. This also means that chronic dehydration speeds up the aging process.
Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, dehydration research pioneer, avers that studies show that many common health problems are symptoms of long-term dehydration:
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Anxiety
- Constipation
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Digestion problems
- Heartburn, Acid Reflux
- High blood pressure
- Insomnia and sleep problems
- Low back pain
- Migraine headaches
- Morning sickness
- Peptic ulcers
- Unexplained pains
- Water retention
- Weight Gain and many more
The reason that the above are termed “hidden symptoms of dehydration†is because most of the above symptoms are generally blamed on other causes. This can be proven in the case of allergies for instance – dehydration triggers the release of histamine, which is meant to regulate the thirst mechanism. Histamine is also meant to conserve the water in your body and to ration available water according to priority of function. Elevated histamine levels could lead to allergic reactions.
When you do not drink water often and you body becomes dehydrated, histamine levels become elevated and this leads to a release of the stress hormone cortisol, which suppresses the production of white blood cells. This will make you become more vulnerable to various allergens.
In order to ensure that you body does not get dehydrated, it is vital that you drink water regularly. It is also important that the water that you drink is pure and free of toxins. The best way to do this is to either invest in a water filter or purchase a water cooler.
Hire water coolers, water cooler accessories and natural spring water from Living-Water for your business.