Dehydration is a situation that signifies deficiency of water in the body. There are many routine activities that lead to water loss from the human body such as excessive sweating and urination. Here are the myths attached to dehydration.
Dehydration is relatively rare.The common myth associated with dehydration is that it is very rare and it can occur only when the body is deprived of water for several days. However, low grade dehydration is a widespread, chronic problem and most people suffer from it. Chronic dehydration can also lead to various other types of digestive ailments as your body gets only a limited supply of water for producing digestive juices. Mild dehydration affects energy, immunity and vitality of your body in an adverse manner. The bottom line is that there is a very good chance that you can be somewhat dehydrated if you are not actively focusing on the water requirements of your body throughout the day. Even this mild dehydration can have adverse effects on your energy, immunity and vitality. Try to drink water throughout the day and you will immediately feel the difference in your well being.All beverages are equal when it comes to hydrating.Apparently, it appears to be true, but the fact is that non water beverages can actually set you back by dehydrating your body. These non water beverages include caffeinated, alcoholic and sweetened drinks. Caffeine found in black tea, coffee and soft drinks is a diuretic that elevates the blood pressure because of which the rate of production and elimination of urine increases. This adversely affects your body’s water stores because the water which you are drinking is useful for the body only if it enters into the blood stream from where it can move on to the intracellular environment. However, the ingredients in these drinks do not allow this to happen. As soon as water from these drinks enters into the bloodstream, the kidney, under the influence of the ingredients present, removes a portion of the liquid and eliminates it. This process demands a significant amount of fluid other than that provided by the beverage. Therefore, limit the consumption of these beverages to a moderate level and drink water to hydrate.Hydrating is all about water.Rather than relying completely on water, your body’s hydrating needs depend upon a delicate balance of electrolytes, minerals and essential fatty acids. Studies have also shown that you can be dehydrated on a cellular level even when you are drinking lots of water throughout the day. This is mainly because of the fact that having enough water in the body is not sufficient. It is also necessary that water should properly hydrate your blood streams, cells and tissues. Minerals, electrolytes and essential fatty acids are required to manage this task. For maintaining the cellular equilibrium, electrolytes and trace minerals are very important. Minerals are required to transport water to the cells and they also play vital role in activating enzymes. From hormone secretion to digestion to cognition, every metabolic process inside your body is controlled by the enzymes which indirectly highlights the importance of minerals. The enzymes inside the body get sluggish without minerals. Similarly, fatty acids are also very important as they form the basis for cellular membrane. Without these essential fatty acids, cells cannot properly absorb and stabilize the water, which eventually results into dehydration.Drinking excess water leads to water retention.A number of factors like biochemical and hormonal imbalances, poor cardiovascular and cellular health, toxicity and dehydration are responsible for water retention in the body. Your body tends to retain water if you are not drinking enough water. The most common symptom of this type of water retention is a general lack of energy. We will recommend seeking professional help for identifying the root problem. Depending on diuretics or water avoidance is not going to solve your problem because both of these approaches are going to make the situation worse.Thirst is an indication of dehydration.Many people believe that by the time you get thirsty, you are already dehydrated. However, thirst is just an indication of the fact that your body requires water. The thirst mechanism is triggered when the concentration of solids in the blood rises by 2%. This is just mild dehydration, which has no serious effects on your body. It is only when the concentration of the blood solids rises by 5%, then the serious symptoms of dehydration arise. The bottom line is that you may get relegated to being less than optimally hydrated if you are in the habit of drinking water only when you are thirsty, but that is not a big deal. Dehydration occurs only when you are deprived of water for quite a long time. However, constantly gulping or sipping carbonated beverages may land you into further trouble, so it is better to stay the course with water.Healthy urine is always clear.This myth can be claimed to be partially true. The yellow tint in the urine is a measure of the concentration of solid particles such as sodium, nitrogen, chloride and potassium in your blood. Thus, urine color can be directly linked to hydration status. Darker urine indicates less water in your body. However, very clear urine is not a mandatory requirement. Light-to-medium yellow urine is also fine. In fact, very clear urine may indicate that the minerals in your body are too diluted.You can’t drink too much water.This opinion can be claimed to be true only in extreme conditions. The amount of water which is not required by the body is flushed out in normal conditions. However, drinking excess water and exercising heavily can be dangerous. For instance, when you are exercising heavily or drinking 12 liters of water in a day, then the osmotic balance of your body is disrupted because of dilution and flushing out of large quantities of sodium. Sodium is essential as it balances the pressure of fluids inside the cells. When the osmotic pressure of the body is disrupted, then the cells bloat from the influx and may even burst. However, this condition is extremely rare. Under normal conditions, drinking water more than what you actually need is not going to harm you in any way.
