We’ve all been there . . . you actually got to bed early the night before, you had a fantastic night of sleep, awoke refreshed and ready to tackle the day . . . and by mid-morning you’re already crashing.
You make a few extra trips to the coffee pot, but throughout the day you are sluggish and you don’t know why.
Surprisingly, one of the most common causes of daytime tiredness is dehydration.
It sounds simple. Almost too good to be true. But we see this time and time again with our patients at the Institute for Functional Health.
Nearly 60% of our body is made up of water, and so to say that water intake is critical would be a huge understatement.
But why does dehydration make us tired?
Fluids are the delivery mechanism for nutrients throughout our body. Blood delivers nutrients to cells and organs. Chronic dehydration leads to a thickening of your blood, forcing your heart to work harder to pump nutrition to your cells.
The combination of your body working harder to deliver nutrients and your cells not receiving the same quantity of nutrients leads to chronic fatigue.
How much water do I need?
A good rule of thumb is to take your body weight in pounds, divide it in half, and that is how many fluid ounces you should consume daily.
So for a 120 lb person, that would be 60 ounces a day, or almost ½ a gallon.
In addition to drinking water, your daily water intake also includes many hydrating fruits and vegetables that you eat daily, such as melons, carrots, broccoli, yogurt . . . the list goes on and on.
Coffee, tea, or juice?
We suggest NO. Aside from the caffeine in coffee or tea affecting your sleep cycle, the acidity and diuretic effect of these can actually contribute to dehydration. And the high amounts of sugar in fruit juices will bring about more issues than you originally had because of the dehydration.
Think Water is Boring?
Here are a few of our favorite fruit infusions. Add these to a pitcher of water and store in the refrigerator. You’ll get a hint of flavor without the overabundance of sugar in fruit juices.
- Fresh Mint + Lime Wedges
- Blueberries + Lemon
- Raspberries + Cucumber
- Fresh Shaved Ginger + Lime Wedges
You can also add in coconut water. This will help balance electrolytes and provide a balanced source of amino acids.
Still feeling fatigued?
Chronic dehydration is a common condition we see in our clinic, but if you have modified your daily routine to stay hydrated and you still feel tired even after a terrific night of sleep . . . you may have other issues that need to be addressed.
If you still feel tired, we invite you to a Discovery Day at the Institute for Functional Health so that we can perform extensive testing and get to the root cause of your issue.
It is not normal to feel tired all day. And it is not normal to feel tired even after a great night of sleep.
So stop masking the symptoms with caffeine and energy drinks, and instead come in and receive your customized wellness plan to have you feeling your best.
Your journey to a healthy lifestyle to get well and stay well begins with you taking the first step . . . .
