I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but it’s been quite hot for the past few weeks.  I know we all know that it’s important to stay hydrated in the heat, but do we really know what our body is using all that lovely water for?  This week, in a heatwave theme, I’m going to talk about ways we use water, that you might not have thought of.

Digestion and Nutrition

As well as helping your body to break down food during digestion, we also use water to transport nutrients around our body.  During digestion, vitamins, minerals and nutrients become water soluble and are taken where they’re needed via our blood plasma.  So, if we want to get the most out of our meals, we need to make sure we’re hydrated as well as eating healthily.

Immune System

As well as transporting nutrients, we also need water to fight infections.  Lymphatic fluid, which is made up mostly of water, is responsible for both transporting white blood cells (which fight infection) to where they are needed and also removing waste products from the bloodstream.  If you’re feeling under the weather, one of the easiest things you can do to help your body defend itself is to make sure your lymphatic system is able to function properly.

Aches and Pains

Water even plays a role in protecting our joints!  In between every joint in our body is a protective pad containing a substance called synovial fluid, as well as cartilage covering the tip of each bone.  Together, these prevent the two parts of the joint from grinding together when we move.  Keeping hydrated encourages production of both cartilage and synovial fluid, aiding in long term joint health and keeping us active for longer.

Brain Function

OK, so you probably already knew this one, but our brains are made of around 75% water, so it’s not really surprising that being even slightly dehydrated can seriously affect brain function.  We already know that feeling thirsty can make you tired, grumpy and confused, but studies have shown that even fluid loss of as little as 1% is enough to start affecting brain function.  A 2% reduction has been found to reduce our cognitive function by as much as 20%! 

How much water should we be drinking?

Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t a set amount of water we should be drinking each day.  The NHS advises aiming for 6-8 glasses of fluid, which is around 1.2 – 1.6 litres, per day.  This can come from water, but drinks like tea, coffee and a limited amount of fruit juice and sugar-free soft drinks also count towards it.  Our bodies also obtain water from our food, so upping your intake of fruits and vegetables, which generally have a high water content, can also help you keep hydrated.  

A final point to remember is that our body’s thirst mechanism isn’t very effective, and it becomes even less so as we age.  If you wait until you start to feel thirsty, your body has already become dehydrated.  The best way to ensure you’re drinking enough is to do it little and often throughout the day.  Buying a drinks bottle and aiming to need to refill it a set number of times throughout the day is an easy way of keeping track of how much you’re drinking.