The Challenge of Staying Hydrated–Tips for Making It Easier

Common sense would dictate that the essential process of drinking water be as easy and natural as breathing—but life doesn’t make it so.

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The Challenge of Staying Hydrated–Tips for Making It Easier — (Alter-ego/Shutterstock)

By Conan Milner

3/6/2024

Updated:

3/12/2024

0:00

Organic beings of all shapes and sizes require water to survive. For humans, a common recommendation is to drink between two to three liters per day (68 ounces to 100 ounces).

This may seem like a lot, but that’s just a maintenance dose, a general estimate of the amount necessary to replace all of the water you’re constantly losing through sweat, waste, and breath.

Some people need more water than others. Diet, habits, environment, and activity levels all affect how much water your body loses per day. Whatever that loss is for you, it’s essential to replace it as fast as you lose it. Failure to meet this goal leads to dehydration.

Effects of Dehydration

Mild dehydration can lead to health issues such as headaches and constipation. It can also affect your cognition, according to Trista Best, a registered dietitian, who pointed to studies showing that even mild dehydration of 1 percent to 3 percent can impair brain function.

“This includes mood, energy, concentration, and memory,” Ms. Best said. “Slight dehydration can create feelings of anxiety and increase headaches.”

As dehydration becomes more severe, you can become fatigued and irritable. Continue to dry out and the heart rate rises, while blood pressure plummets. You may also experience dizziness, muscle cramps, and heart palpitations.

As dehydration wears on, organ failure can follow. In the UK, 20 percent of emergency hospital admittees have acute kidney injury caused by dehydration, according to data from the Office of National Statistics cited by the Hydration Foundation.

Why Don’t We Just Drink?

A study published in a 2022 edition of the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society journal found several common lifestyle obstacles that kept people from drinking more water. People reported that they were too busy or had poor access to water or bathrooms during the day.

Physician assistant Carlos da Silva sees the same obstacles with his patients. They see it as a low priority and give it little attention.

“If regularly drinking water isn’t an established habit, it’s a very easy thing to overlook in your day-to-day life,” Mr. da Silva said.

Dehydrating Habits

Many people intuitively know that they should drink more water but just don’t want to be bothered by the hassle involved. It takes time and energy to drink all that liquid, just to expel it later on. If a job limits bathroom breaks, for example, workers just learn to avoid drinking during their shift.

“On top of this, many people have everyday habits that dehydrate them, and [that] means they should be drinking even more water to compensate,” Mr. da Silva said.

Exercise is a clear example of a dehydrating activity. While working out, you noticeably breathe harder and sweat more, substantially increasing the amount of water leaving your body.

One example of dehydration that may not be so clear is that some of our favorite drinks may actually dry us out. Alcohol, in particular, can deplete you of water through diuresis—a process in which your kidneys are stimulated to increase the amount of fluid they filter.

It only takes a little alcohol to see this principle in action. One study found a 12 percent greater diuresis after drinking a single beer containing 4 percent alcohol compared with the same volume of a nonalcoholic control beer.

Smoking can also dry you out because of the smoke and some of the ingredients in cigarettes and vaping products. Someone who drinks alcohol and smokes daily faces an uphill battle to achieve and maintain proper hydration because they are actively dehydrating their body, according to Mr. da Silva.

“The same is true of people who drink three or more cups of coffee a day, who regularly consume sugary drinks like soda, or who eat predominantly processed foods,” he said. “Processed food tends to contain less natural water than whole fruits and vegetables, as well as typically being high in sodium and other compounds that can contribute to water retention and dehydration.”

Clearing the Hurdle

If you don’t particularly like water, then properly hydrating can seem even more like a burdensome chore. Another common obstacle to hydration is that many find water tasteless and kind of boring.

However, hydration doesn’t have to be so grueling. We’re often told that water is the pinnacle of hydrating beverages—but that may not be true.

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers looked at 13 different commonly consumed drinks, tracking urine output and fluid balance, and compared them with those drinking plain water. This process allowed researchers to assign each type of drink a beverage hydration index (BHI).

Milk and orange juice both had a better BHI than water, suggesting that these beverages promote longer-term fluid retention and maintenance of fluid balance for prolonged periods. Researchers suggested that the presence of nutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) contributed to the hydrating effect of these higher BHI beverages.

Another component that can make a beverage more hydrating than plain water is electrolytes. Electrolytes are essential minerals that our body needs a steady supply of in order to function properly. We lose electrolytes through the same avenues that we lose fluid.

Many people don’t realize that water requires electrolytes, specifically sodium, to transport its molecules through your cell walls, according to Dan Gallagher, a registered dietitian.

“Water intake is important, yes, but electrolytes are just as important,” he said.

Eat Your Water

Because liquid combined with nutrients and minerals can make for a more hydrating combination, consider eating some of your daily water intake. Although it’s not often stated, those official hydration recommendations also take into account water in your food as part of your daily intake. Water-rich foods primarily consist of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Ms. Best recommends eating vegetables such as celery and cucumber as part of your daily snack routine to boost your hydration.

“Cucumbers are 95 percent water, making them an easy and inexpensive way to hydrate through food,” she said.

While much of the focus on hydration falls on how much water you can drink, the food that you eat can count considerably when calculating your daily needs. Health experts estimate that Americans get about 22 percent of their water from food intake. This estimate is believed to be much higher in countries with a higher intake of fruits and vegetables and much lower for those who eat more processed foods.

More Tips for Staying Hydrated

Lack of awareness of proper hydration is one of the biggest obstacles to overcome. You can start by paying attention to thirst signals, and keep in mind that once you start feeling thirsty, you’re probably already dehydrated.

If thirst doesn’t grab your attention, try making note of your urine’s color, as darker urine is a sign of dehydration.

Next, move toward making hydration part of a daily habit.

“I recommend two strategies,” said Catherine Rall, a certified nutritionist. “First, drink a big glass of water first thing in the morning. This will let you get a good start on your hydration goals and also boost your metabolism.”

Ms. Rall’s other strategy is to start carrying a water bottle. Take a sip when you have a moment. Refill it as needed.

Water is often the least expensive and easiest-to-obtain drink available. For those who find plain water boring, Mr. da Silva recommends that his patients flavor their water.

“You can make your own flavored waters by squeezing lemon juice into your cup, soaking herbs, or adding vegetables like cucumber slices in a water jug in your fridge overnight then drinking it throughout the day. You could also buy flavoring powders or liquids to put into your water that give it a more appealing taste and encourage you to drink more,” he said.