When it comes to good health, your Santa Barabara chiropractor knows it is crucial for you to drink a sufficient amount of water each day. The chant is “Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!” Water, second only to air, is an essential requirement for human survival. Therefore, one would suppose that drinking enough water would be as instinctual as breathing in enough air, but a shocking 75% of individuals in this country have mild, constant dehydration. (Most individuals are not breathing enough either, but let’s talk about why staying well-hydrated is so important.) You have no foundation for good health without drinking enough water. Every cell, tissue, organ and system in the human body relies on the water you drink to function properly. Your saliva, and the fluids surrounding your joints, are fundamentally water. Water balances the temperature and metabolism of the body, and keeps the blood circulating. Drinking plenty of water daily has been shown to improve nutrient absorption and toxin removal, and to reduce heartburn, hypertension, exhaustion, and headaches.
Athletes are particularly at risk when it comes to problems created by dehydration. “Physiologically, their core body temperature could be higher than it should have been if they were hydrated. Their heart rate will be higher, and they’re going to perceive that they’re working harder than they actually are,” said Susan Yeargin, assistant professor of athletic training in Indiana State’s College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services. According to researchers at Indiana State University, a high percentage of collegiate and professional athletes begin the season dehydrated, putting their health at risk even before they begin strenuous workouts. In fact, Pre-season physical examinations, in fact, found that 80 percent of football players exhibited dehydration.
Confused about how much water is enough water? Chiropractors, like almost all health care professionals, advise at least eight, 8-ounce glasses of water daily for quite a few of our patients, but for our patients who are athletes, or for individuals who are overweight or exercise or work in a hot environment, we propose even more. How can you be sure if you, personally, are drinking an adequate amount of water? Your urine color is a good indicator. You’re well-hydrated if it is a light, pale yellow!