Contributed by Breanna F.
After reading about some of the symptoms of dehydration in a recent Wellness Tonic, Water Does Your Body Good, I began wondering whether or not that might be the source of some of the physical issues I was dealing with including headaches, fatigue, muscle cramps, stress post-nasal drip, mild asthma, white tongue. I had just had a physical and I knew my health was good but I had not discussed dehydration with my doctor. So, I did a little research and learned that dehydration might indeed be the culprit. Next I decided to do an experiment. I would drink six to eight glasses of water a day for a couple of months to see whether or not I noticed any changes.
For years I had tried to make sure to drink the recommended daily requirement of water. I would start off with the very best of intentions but I would lose track throughout the course of the day. I would need to better manage that. I checked to see if there was an app for that. Sure enough I found one. I downloaded the APP and was on my way.
With the APP as my monitoring device, it was easy to drink the required amount of water each day. Plus I followed some of the tips in the Water Does Your Body Good post, which made drinking water less boring—something I am sure contributed to my inability to follow my water consumption plan in the past. Finally, I kept a journal to document any changes I experienced.
At the end of the two months, I assessed the results of my experiment and here’s what I noticed: my headaches had stopped, I felt more energetic in general (more specifically, I no longer had that tired feeling at 3 pm), my post-nasal drip was not as problematic and my skin tone was clearer.
Since this was not a scientifically administered experiment, I cannot say categorically that there is a direct correlation between drinking water and the positive physical effects I experienced. But, the change in how I now feel is so marked that I am going to continue getting my daily water requirement.
What do you think of the six to eight glasses of water a day rule? We invite you to share in the box below.
There is no “rule” for the amount of water one should drink daily. Even your link, ‘recommended daily requirement,’makes this point: “Don’t count the cups.” the National Institute of Health once calculated what it calls “Adequate Intake” of water and for the average adult male living in a temperate climate they came up with 13 (8 oz) cups, referring to all fluids, not just water. For women it’s nine cups, but again, this is not a recommendation or rule or requirement, just a calculation on what they reckoned was adequate.
But I am very happy to hear that your health improved!
Thanks Mauve for your comment to my “experiment” post and for providing a very practical way to think about my water intake especially when things cool down a bit.