The best way to hydrate isn’t always drinking water

It’s halfway through the workday and you’ve hit a wall. You feel groggy and distracted and stare blankly at your computer screen, struggling to concentrate on your work. 

“Caffeine!” you think to yourself, and you pour a tall cup of coffee or crack open a sugar-laced energy drink.

Your workday requires energy and concentration. While a steady stream of caffeine can help you power through the day, staying on top of your game requires paying attention to basic nutrition. Feeling drained may not indicate that you need another shot of espresso — it could be your body’s signal to hydrate.

Drinking water is one of the best ways to hydrate because it’s essential to nearly every bodily function, including your cognition and ability to focus on your workday. But water isn’t the only component of hydration. We’ll explore how you can stay on top of your hydration levels to enjoy more mental clarity and energy.

Why is hydration important?

Water makes up approximately 50–60% of your body weight. It’s essential to most bodily functions — including focus and concentration — and maintaining a healthy physical well-being. 

Here are 11 things water helps with to keep your body healthy:

1. Regulates your body temperature and prevents overheating
2. Lubricates your joints and tissues
3. Transports nutrients and oxygen to your cells
4. Flushes out waste 
5. Aids in digestion by dissolving nutrients and minerals
6. Maintains healthy blood vessels and blood flow
7. Replenishes water loss
8. Prevents constipation
9. Normalizes blood pressure
10. Maintains proper electrolyte balance
11. Promotes better sleep and waking up refreshed

Your body naturally loses water through breathing, sweating, and waste — and you need to replenish this loss. You can source water from moisture in food and drinks, but it’s normally not enough to fulfill your daily needs. Consuming plain water is essential to replenish your body’s supply.

10 symptoms of dehydration

When your body lacks water, you’ll likely feel the effects in the form of aches and pain or discomfort. Here are 10 common signs of mild dehydration:

1. Dry mouth
2. Physical or mental fatigue
3. Muscle cramps
4. Headaches
5. Excessive thirst
6. Dry skin
7. Lightheadedness
8. Tiredness
9. Sweating or urinating less than usual
10. Dark urine

Signs of severe dehydration

When you don’t catch the early signs of dehydration, it can become life-threatening. See a healthcare professional immediately if you think you’re experiencing severe dehydration.

Here are four signs of severe dehydration: 

1. Confusion 
2. Drop in blood pressure causing fainting
3. Lack of urination
4. Rapid breathing and heartbeat

Who’s most susceptible to dehydration?

Age, medical conditions, and physical activity can make people more vulnerable to dehydration. Here are five groups of people who should pay extra attention to proper hydration habits:

1. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding
2. If you live in a hot climate
3. If you exercise a lot
4. If you have an underlying medical condition, like cardiovascular or renal issues
5. If you use a medication that affects your water retention

What’s the best way to hydrate? 7 methods

Staying hydrated requires a balance of healthy habits and listening to your body’s signals.

BetterHealth notes the following about the body’s water intake: 

• The body can absorb 20% of its water requirements from solid foods
• Even foods that don’t appear to have high water content contain water your body can process
• Digestion produces water that represents another 10% of your body’s necessary water
• The remaining 70% of liquid needed for healthy hydration levels comes from liquids

Accounting for these restrictions, here are seven ways to stay hydrated. 

1. Water

Unsurprisingly, upping your water intake is the best way to stay hydrated. Unlike sugary drinks, which create fluctuations in glucose levels and tire you out from added sugar or calories, you can drink plain water without repercussions.

A general rule of thumb for healthy people is to drink eight glasses of water daily. But there’s no one-size-fits-all recommendation for everyone. If you lead a very active lifestyle or live in a high-temperature climate, you may need to increase your water intake. 

And if you have an underlying health concern, like thyroid disease or cardiovascular issues, or take medications that cause water retention, consult your healthcare professional to ensure you’re getting enough water.

2. Electrolytes

Cleveland Clinic defines electrolytes as minerals that control your body’s fluid balance. The three main ones are sodium (salt), potassium, and magnesium. You lose electrolytes anytime you expel liquid (sweat, waste, diarrhea), and you need to regain these electrolytes to remain hydrated.

You’ll find many electrolyte drinks or tablets at your local health store, and you can also add salt to your water after excessive sweating from heat or a workout. 

3. Coffee and tea

Although caffeine is a diuretic, drinking coffee or tea in moderation can hydrate you similarly to water and boost your energy. One study found that for regular coffee drinkers, 800 mL of coffee had similar hydrating effects to water and insignificant impacts on dehydration.

4. Milk

Milk is full of electrolytes that can help your body’s fluid balance. Research suggests that skim and low-fat dairy effectively rehydrate the body after intense exercise while also providing proteins needed for muscle repair.

5. Fruits and vegetables

Fresh fruits and vegetables are the foods that typically provide the highest water content. A diet heavy in fresh produce is a great way to stay hydrated. 

Here are some of the highest-water-content fruits and vegetables:

• Cucumber
• Iceberg and romaine lettuce
• Celery
• Radishes
• Tomatoes 
• Zucchini and summer squash
• Asparagus
• Bell pepper
• Cabbage
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Watermelon

Remember that food only provides roughly 20% of your daily water intake. While you should prioritize produce with high water content to stay hydrated, choose a balance of ingredients that fill your body with other essential nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and calcium, to name a few. 

Building healthy nutritional habits takes time. But as you find ways to give your body nutritious foods, they’ll become part of your intuitive eating routine. 

6. Oral rehydration solutions

One of the best ways to hydrate when sick is with an oral rehydration solution (like Pedialyte). Oral rehydration solutions are processed liquids full of glucose and electrolytes, like sodium, chloride, and magnesium.

And if you need to know how to hydrate fast, oral rehydration is usually the quickest solution. Your gastrointestinal tract quickly absorbs the glucose, replenishing the body’s water supply, carbohydrates, and electrolytes.

7. Other liquids

If drinking eight glasses of water sounds overwhelming, there are other liquids you can incorporate into your diet to stay hydrated. Coconut water is full of electrolytes, which makes it a healthier alternative to sugary sports drinks. Fresh juice is mostly water, and you might like the taste better so will drink more of it (although watch your intake here, as it’s high in sugar content).

6 tips for staying hydrated 

To safeguard yourself from dehydration’s harmful effects, it’s ideal to be proactive. Here are six ways to prevent dehydration:

1. Drink liquids all day: Thirst is your body’s warning that you need more fluids. Don’t wait until your mouth is dry or you feel dizzy to rehydrate. Drink water throughout the day, especially when doing lots of physical exercise or living in a temperate area. 

2. Practice discipline: Carrying a water bottle in your bag or always having it at your desk is a great way to visualize your daily water intake. And if you need to build more willpower to choose water over sodas, energy drinks, or excessive coffee, always having water handy is a great way to teach yourself to make better decisions and accomplish your hydration goals.

3. Flavor your water: If you need an extra flavor boost to encourage you to get in your liquids, mix your water with fresh fruit, flavor pouches, or fruit juice. Making large batches ahead of time is a great way to stock your fridge to maintain healthy habits, even on days when you’re really busy.

4. Snack on fresh fruit and vegetables: Build new habits around snacking by adding water-rich fruits and vegetables to your grocery list. Rather than hitting the office vending machine, practice the habit of reaching for fresh watermelon, strawberries, or carrots. In addition to high water content, they’re full of healthy vitamins and nutrients that keep your mind and body feeling energized and productive. 

5. Protect yourself from extreme weather: When temperatures are scorching, adjust your schedule to avoid being outdoors during the hottest hours. Hit the gym early or do your errands before checking into work so you save your productive hours for when you have an air conditioner or fan nearby. 

6. Take care of yourself: Diarrhea, fever, and vomiting result in fluid loss that can dehydrate you. If you’re ill, drink extra liquids to avoid dehydration that’ll make you feel worse.

3 more reasons to stay hydrated

Staying hydrated improves your physical well-being, but it also impacts your mental wellness and ability to perform your job. Here are three more reasons to stay hydrated:

1. Increases brain functioning: Your brain doesn’t store water like the rest of your body does, meaning it’s necessary to constantly replenish it. When your brain is working with a full reserve of water, you can think faster and more clearly. 
2. Improves sleep: Common dehydration symptoms like headaches, dry mouth, or cramps can make sleeping difficult. And researchers have found that sleep quality improves when you’re hydrated. Consider drinking water as a part of your sleep hygiene routine. It’ll help you enjoy a fuller night’s sleep and start your day feeling alert and refreshed. 
3. Promotes memory: Decreased brain hydration can cause short-term memory loss and create problems with your working memory. If your job requires you to flex technical knowledge or skills like math computations or programming languages, staying hydrated can help you work faster and more efficiently.

Let’s meet by the water cooler

Staying hydrated is an important part of your mental and physical well-being. Learning the best ways to hydrate will help you stay productive, concentrated, and clear-headed. 

Whether you’re enjoying a day off or powering through a busy workday, keep a water bottle handy and snack on fresh vegetables. Your body and mind will be happy you did.