Health Matters: Staying Hydrated All Year Round

With the summer heat, staying hydrated is something that should be on everybody’s mind.
 
Water is a powerful thing.

From high blood pressure to fatigue, dehydration can be a serious medical issue.

If you’re not a water guzzler, we do have a few suggestions to staying hydrated all year long.
 
“There’s no magic number but our bodies are mostly made up of water so when we’re dehydrated it affects everything,” says Essentia Health registered dietician, Jenny Bednar.
 
We all know drinking water is important especially in the heat, but many don’t realize just how important.
 
“It can affect all of your different organs because our vital organs are made up of water too so they won’t work quite as well as they should when they don’t have that water in them,” says Bednar.
 
Whether you’re on the field or in the office, sipping water all day long is doctor’s orders.

If not, you may start to notice it.
 
“They don’t know it and a lot of their symptoms they think might be due to something else but a lot of times you drink that water and you feel that much better,” says Bednar.
 
Bednar says drinking water is especially important for people with diabetes.
 
“Harder to release toxins and with blood pressure it makes your blood thicker so it doesn’t flow as fast,” says Bednar.
 
She says if your blood is thicker, it’s more concentrated in sugar.

But if you’re not a water fan, don’t worry.

Bednar has some advice.
 
“You can put fruit in it. There are also different phone apps where you can track the amount of water you’re taking in too,” says Bednar.
 
If you’re sweating or in the sun, drinking water is even that more vital.
 
“When you’re sweating you’re losing some of your body’s natural waters so you need to replace that,” says Bednar.
 
Bednar also says drinking water can help you lose weight.

She says if you’re craving a snack but it’s not time to eat, try drinking an 8 ounce glass of water.

Often, that hunger will go away.