The effects of dehydration on your sleep, skin & energy
Aiman Nisar
As we all know, water is essential for our bodies to function properly. As the human body is made up of about 60% water, staying hydrated throughout the day can offer a variety of health benefits, yet many of us fail to hit our daily recommended intake of water.
A study into water consumption highlighted how 62% of Brits failed to hit the recommended 2-2.5 litres of water per day [i]. This can be concerning, especially as being dehydrated can have some negative effects on your health, and in some instances, severe dehydration/ moderate dehydration can lead to serious complications to our health.
In this blog, we'll explore the importance of fluid intake and its many benefits, as well as tips and strategies for staying hydrated throughout the day and avoiding extreme thirst. Whether you're an athlete looking to optimise performance or simply someone who wants to feel their best, staying hydrated is key to a healthy lifestyle.
Hydration benefits: from better mood to clearer skin
Drinking water is fundamentally one of the core building blocks of our overall health and wellness. Keeping hydrated can improve our sleep, skin, athletic performance, energy levels, immunity, and so much more.
As our body requires water to function, we are constantly losing fluids throughout the day, be that through extreme sweating, being in hot weather, or simply going about our daily activities. It's therefore important to drink throughout the day.
Water intake can lead to feeling more energised, whereas being dehydrated can lead to feeling more fatigued.
Nourished - Man drinking water, hydration
The link between sleep and dehydration
Some of the symptoms of a lack of fluids can include dehydration headaches, dry mouth, discomfort in the nasal passages, muscle cramps, tension headaches and more, all of which can negatively impact sleep [iii].
This can then have a knock-on effect because poor sleep can lead to being more at risk of headaches and dehydration [i], creating this ongoing cycle unless fixed through drinking water.
On the other end of the spectrum, excess hydration can also negatively impact sleep, as this may result in waking up for more frequent trips to the bathroom [ii].
After you wake up, as the body hasn't consumed any fluids for around 7-9 hours, you are likely to feel extreme thirst and dehydrated [xvii]. It is therefore advised to drink water as soon as you wake to replenish the fluid lost and prevent dehydration further in the body.
The relation between enough fluids and energy levels
As the body loses water, our energy levels can fall victim. Even mild dehydration can negatively impact our daily life and put our physical activity at a higher risk.
Drinking enough fluids is also essential for many bodily functions, including the transportation of oxygen and nutrients to our cells through the blood vessels, a factor that can improve energy levels throughout the day [v].
As well as being hydrated, you can also help to increase your energy levels by incorporating some natural ingredients into your diet, such as maca powder (which improves energy [vi]), iron and vitamin B12 (which can reduce fatigue [vii] [viii]).
All of the above ingredients can be added to your very own gummy nutrient stack here at Nourished. You can learn more here.
Skin health and dehydration
Our skin can become dehydrated through not drinking enough water, exercising and being exposed to hot weather, which can lead to damaging skin cells [ix].
This is important as skin elasticity is linked to having well-hydrated skin, with lower elasticity levels meaning that your skin isn't protecting you as well as it should [x].
A 2017 study also highlighted how vitamin C could play a vital role in keeping the skin hydrated and improve skin health [xvi].
Selenium can aid the maintenance of healthy hair, skin and nails [xi], whilst silica may help anti-ageing through collagen production [xii].
Weight maintenance's links to dehydration
A 2016 study found that increased water intake was linked to a loss in fat [xiii]. It does this by aiding lipolysis production, which has the function of metabolising stored fat and carbohydrates.
When we are dehydrated, the feeling can also be commonly mistaken for hunger too, meaning that we are more likely to eat more food and be at a higher risk of overeating.
Cognitive function and dehydration headache
Another symptom of dehydration can be how it affects our cognitive function, as well as causing dehydration headaches [xiv].
Drinking water can act as somewhat of a headache relief, given its ability to reduce the symptoms of dehydration headaches, which is one of the early indicators that your body is lacking enough water [xviii]. This can cause significant discomfort as well as impair your cognitive ability.
Another study also found that dehydration can negatively impair our memory, making it harder to concentrate and take in new information [xv].
You can learn more about how to remedy dehydration headaches on the link here or how natural ingredients can aid cognitive function, such as ashwagandha and C0Q10 here.
How much water should you drink every day to avoid dehydration?
The amount of fluid consumed on a daily basis will depend on some factors, such as the amount you participate in physical activity, and how much fluid you lose.
Water isn't only consumed when you simply drink fluids though, as foods also contain liquids (with different foods containing varying levels of water).
A good rule to abide by is to aim for 6-8 glasses of drinking water per day on top of any fluid-rich food you eat (which is about 1.2 litres) [iv].
If meeting your water goals proves to be a struggle, then another tip that could help is to use a clear, reusable water bottle which indicates how much water you should have drunk by certain times of the day.
How to get your own Nourished nutrient gummies
Staying hydrated is only one factor in improving our overall health. Balancing this with a healthy diet and regular exercise is the overall key.
At Nourished, we have the perfect solution to supporting a healthy diet and lifestyle with our nutrient gummies.
Whether you are looking for ways to prevent dehydration, improve energy levels, aid athletic performance, enhance your self-care routine or support symptoms from health conditions such as the menopause; then we have a custom solution for you.
At Nourished, we use cutting-edge 3D printers to create bespoke nutrient gummies. Our intelligent algorithmic quiz enables you to take a short online consultation and then receive a personalised recommendation of 7 scientifically-backed ingredients, all inside a single, convenient gummy stack.
You can even create your own stack directly from our 'Lab'. With a selection of over 35 ingredients, 9 delicious flavours and 2 coatings to choose from, the possibilities are almost endless!
Our daily gummies are freshly 3D-printed and delivered directly to your door. If you would like to learn more about why we 3D print out gummies, then you can read more on the link here.
To learn more about what stack is suited to your lifestyle, self-care goals and body, then you can take the Nourished quiz now.
Want to learn more about Nourished and the symptoms of dehydration?
[ix] LINK
[xii] LINK
Like this project
Posted Feb 16, 2024
I wrote several articles for Nourished (a supplement company). It is one of them.
