Hydration is an important aspect of nutrition. After all, about 60% of your total body weight is water. While not all experts consider water to be truly a “nutrient,” it’s clear that getting enough water is absolutely essential for many different body functions.
In the winter, many of us experience much drier air than during other seasons. The indoor air gets dried out by heating systems, and the air is often drier than usual outdoors, too. It can be much easier to get dehydrated, because you’re losing a lot of water through your skin and your breath.
Dehydration can certainly impact your skin. Dry skin is more likely to experience a flare-up, which is why it’s important to pay attention to keeping your skin as hydrated as possible throughout the winter. But the impacts of dehydration are more extensive than this. In fact, being dehydrated can also have an impact on your gut health – which, as I frequently discuss, affects every other aspect of your overall health.
Effects of hydration on gut health
Water is necessary for your digestive process to work properly. The body needs water to make digestive fluids, and the nutrients from your food need to be dissolved in water in order for your body to absorb them. When you’re dehydrated, there’s less water available for digestion, and the process will not be as efficient as it would be if you were drinking enough.
Dehydration can also make you constipated. When your body needs water, it will pull as much as it can out of your digestive tract. So when you’re dehydrated, you end up with poop that’s dry and hard. This changes the environment inside of your gut, which in turn alters the types of species that can thrive there.
Water is also important for keeping the cells of the gut lining healthy. If these cells dry out, then they won’t be able to work properly. They may not keep allergens and toxins in your food from getting into your bloodstream, which can have a huge impact on your health. They may also not be able to absorb nutrients very well. Making sure that you drink enough water can help to keep your gut lining healthy.
Effects of hydration on the gut microbiome
Water also has an effect on the gut microbiome – the trillions of microorganisms (mostly bacteria) that grow inside of your gut. Many species need enough water to grow. When you’re dehydrated, your body absorbs as much water as possible from your gut, leaving very little for your microbiome.
Studies have actually shown that people who drink less water have less diversity in their microbiomes, meaning that there are fewer different species of bacteria in their guts. Having more diversity in the gut microbiome is associated with a lower risk of gut problems and other diseases.
As I frequently discuss, your gut microbiome has a huge impact on your skin health and your overall health. Making sure to drink enough water is one important way to support the health of your gut microbiome, so it can support your health back!
How can you make sure you’re getting enough water?
The National Academy of Medicine recommends that adult women drink 72 ounces of water per day – that’s 9 cups, or about 2 liters. This does include water obtained from your food. For example, if you eat a cucumber or an orange, there’s quite a bit of water in there, which counts towards your fluid intake. This is why the standard recommendation is usually to drink 8 cups of water per day.
Some people find it easy to drink this much water, while others find it more challenging. Here are a few ways to make sure that you’re staying hydrated:
Get a 2-liter water bottle. Fill it at the beginning of each day, and try to finish the whole thing by the end of the day. If a 2-liter bottle feels too large to carry around, you could get a 1-liter bottle instead. Try to finish it once by the middle of the day, and a second time by the end.
Flavor your water. Try drinking herbal tea, flavored fizzy water, or infused water. To make infused water, simply add a little something flavorful to your water bottle – delicious examples include ginger, cranberries, or mint. It doesn’t take much to add some delightful flavor to the whole bottle of water. (Just don’t add sugar – sugary beverages are absolutely terrible for your health.)
Create triggers. For example, you could drink a glass of water when you first wake up. You could aim to drink a glass each time you make a phone call, every time you go to the bathroom, or whenever you go upstairs in your home. Anything that helps to remind you to drink some more water.
Focus on eating foods that contain water, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. As a bonus, these also contain a whole lot of other beneficial nutrients.
If you’re looking for more simple ways to support your skin health, gut health, and overall well-being, please join us in Mind Gut Skin Academy. That’s where I share my roadmap for living the healthiest, most authentic life possible. You’ll also be connected to a community of like-minded women, who can share their advice with you. Head over here to learn more about the brand-new version of the program (launching soon!), or to get on the waitlist.