by Kristen Troy
Water is a necessity of life. It makes up more than half of an adult’s body composition and helps the body function! The better you stay hydrated, the better your body will function and the better you will feel. You should all ask yourself, “do I drink enough water?”
According to Dr. Anne Marie Helmenstine, the body uses water in many essential ways: to build cells, regulate body temperature, lubricate joints, flush waste, remove toxins, dissolve minerals, vitamins, and nutrients, and carry oxygen and nutrients to cells, all of which are necessary for you throughout your day.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know if you are drinking enough water and staying hydrated. Let’s explore the importance of staying hydrated and how to keep up with our fluids.
Less than Hydrated
The cause of dehydration is a net loss of fluids in the body. Not consuming enough water will leave your body working harder to compensate. There are many reasons why people may not consume enough water and become dehydrated.
Some causes are:
- prescription medicines
- illness
- stress
- sweating
- exercise
- alcohol consumption
- lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet
- burns
- not having access to water
- being “too busy”
Dr. Charles Patrick Davis reports that not drinking enough water can cause fatigue, thirst, dry mouth, bad breath, headache, and muscle cramps.
Staying hydrated seems easy to do, but with your life being busy, it can sometimes slip your mind to take a sip of water. There are many products on the market that could help you make sure you are consuming enough water. These products range from smart water bottles and apps to simple visual reminders.
Smart Devices
The smart water bottle trend is growing and there are a few significant players. Take a look:
The Hidrate Spark water bottle will light up to remind you to drink to stay on track with your daily water intake goal. The data is tracked and syncs with Hidrate Spark app and other fitness trackers such as Fitbit, Apple Watch, Google Fit, Under Armor Record, and Nokia Health Mate.
Ulla is a device that can attach to any bottle or drinking receptacle that you already own. If you do not take a sip once an hour, Ulla will blink to let you know you need to take a sip.
HydroCoach water bottle monitors total water consumption, calculates a personal hydration goal, tracks consumption, calculates the amount of water consumed with each sip, and displays the time elapsed for pacing consumption.
The Thermos Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid calculates a hydration goal based on personal data entered in the app, measures your water intake, and provides temperature readings of your beverage! The bottle connects to a Thermos Smart Lid app and syncs with Fitbit trackers.
Basic Options
If you aren’t looking for a high-tech hydration reminder, there are still options. The App Store and Google Play have free apps for tracking water intake, like Daily Water and Water Logged. Or if you already have a fitness tracker app such as a Fitbit, you could use the app to manually enter how much water you consume throughout the day.
For a no-tech option, you could use a water bottle that has markings on the outside for a visual reminder of how much water you still need to drink. And if phone reminders are your thing, you could also set reminders to go off every 40-60 minutes to remind you to drink.
When you start to drink more water, you may notice you have more energy, your skin is more elastic, you have reduced acne, better digestion, a more balanced mood, more consistent weight loss, and better temperature control, says Christina Sarich. Plus, drinking water just feels good!
