Is Drinking Water DEHYDRATING You? More Important Than Water to Hydrate
Dr Livingood
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Could drinking water be the thing that’s actually dehydrating you?
Several years ago, I was drinking tons of water, above the recommended amount of half my body weight in ounces each day.
Then I had some microscopic blood work done and found out that I wasn’t actually absorbing any of the water into my cells.
I had some lymph node backup because of this, which meant my thirst mechanism was broken.
I’m going to break down how you can tell if you could have a water absorption issue without having to get microscopic blood work done, and what you can do about it if you do have an issue.
Symptoms of Not Absorbing Water
Fatigue
Muscle weakness
Scaly skin
Rashes on tongue
Bruising easily
Swollen hands and feet
Accelerated heartbeat
If you’re drinking a lot of water and you’re experiencing these symptoms, these are signs you’re not absorbing that water.
I was pouring water into my body constantly, and my body didn’t have enough time to absorb it.
You should always try to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water on a daily basis, but there’s a right and a wrong way to do it.
Retrain Your Thirst Mechanism
I believe the best way to fix and retrain your thirst mechanism is by giving it light rains, not downpours.
That means frequently drinking smaller amounts of water, rather than chugging a lot of water all at once.
This can actually retrain the part of your brain that controls your being thirsty. If you’re not thirsty, you don’t want to pour water in.
One method you can try is setting a timer for 15 minutes and taking a sip every time it goes off.
Watch Your Nutrition
Another issue I had is that even though I was drinking a lot of water, I wasn’t watching my nutrition enough.
Sugar actually takes water out of your cells, which creates inflammation, dehydrates you, and prevents the body from absorbing water.
Other things such as alcohol, which turns into sugar, can cause the same problem.
A lot of sports drinks are going to do the same thing because they can have 56-76 grams of sugar in a 32-ounce bottle.
If you get the sugar-free version, it’s even worse because of the toxicity that’s coming in.
It’s important to clean up our nutrition if we want to help our bodies absorb water.
The Importance of Electrolytes
The biggest key to absorbing the water that you drink are electrolytes. Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium chloride all drive water into the cells.
When you sweat and can taste the salt on your skin, those are electrolytes. Without those, water can’t get properly absorbed.
I started adding in more salts, electrolytes, and hydrating foods like green foods, cucumbers, celery, and even berries.
A cucumber is 96% water, so when you’re eating foods like these, it’s driving water into the cells, and you’re getting water in the purest form.
I started eating more of these foods on a daily basis, and I even added a greens powder to my daily routine so I could give my body the hydrating nutrients and antioxidants that help drive water into the cells.
Summary
I got retested a year later, and I had 100% improvement in the hydration of the cells and the backup of my lymph system.
My body had repaired itself before I had even really noticed that something was wrong.
But I found that I had way less fatigue, my skin was healthier, my thoughts were clearer, and I wasn’t having dry lips.
You may be drinking a lot of water, but the question is, are you absorbing it?
