Water and your body. Why it’s important that you have it.

By: Jeanette Rupar, LMT, BCTMB

We all hear about how water is important. About things like heat stroke, heat exhaustion, dehydration. But what exactly are some of these things? Why is water so darn important? I mean, things like coffee and pop have water in it, right? So those are acceptable alternatives???? And now that it’s summer, and weather is probably getting warmer (and more humid in some cases), drinking water is a good idea.

First off, lets define some things. This way, we are all on the same page.

Hydration: A state of having proper water levels in your body. This is the ideal. A hydrated body is a happy body.

Dehydration happens when there is significant fluid loss that impairs body functions. This can happen if :

  • You don’t drink enough water.
  • Exertion (through exercise).
  • Being outside on a hot/humid day.
  • Sweating (sweating can be caused by the previous two reasons)
  • Symptoms of sickness, such as vomiting or diarrhea

There are a few conditions that can happen when you bring together dehydration and heat, humidity, exertion. Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Each one of these steps is worse than the last.

Heat cramps are cramping in the extremities or abdomen that can happen if you don’t have enough water or electrolytes (which include salt, potassium and magnesium).

Heat exhaustion is next in severity when it comes to heat injuries. Symptoms can include a rapid (but weak) pulse and heavy sweating. You may feel faint, dizzy, fatigued. Skin will be cool, pale, clammy when in heat. Getting water into the body and getting cooled down is important at this stage, so that it doesn’t get any worse. If you are sick, please seek medical attention as this may make things worse.

Heat Stroke is the worst over heated injury. Once your body goes into this stage, your body will more than likely no longer be producing sweat. Body temperature will be high (over 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher). Heartbeat will be heavy and rapid. Skin will be red and hot. If you are here, you should seek medical attention.

Why hydration is important.

Our bodies are 60 percent water. It aids in digestion and nutrition, waste removal, communication within cells and between different tissues and many other things.

  • Blood plasma, which carries red and white blood cells among other things throughout your body, is approximately 95% water. (1)
  • Cerebrospinal fluid surrounds the brain and nerves within the spinal cord, and is made up of mostly blood plasma without most of the proteins found in blood plasma. (2)
  • There is fluid in between your joints (synovial fluid) that is consistent with blood plasma. (3) Bursae, which lay near joints to help protect muscle and tendon from bone are also filled with synovial fluid. (4)
  • Hormones, which along with nerves help to tell your body what to do, travel through the blood.
  • The extracellular fluid that surrounds all of your cells is made up of mostly water.
  • Lymphatic fluid, which flows through your lymph system which helps to rid your body of waste products is also congruous with blood plasma.
  • Water helps nutrients and electrolytes pass into and out of cells so that they can get the energy they need to function.
  • Water also helps aid in digestion. It eases the passing of food from the stomach into the intestines as well as allowing the nutrients to pass from the intestine into the bloodstream.

And this is just the beginning of why water is so important for the body. The list can go on and on, and books can be written about how water is just so necessary to our lives.

This is also why your massage therapist will tell you to drink water after your massage. Although it does help “move toxins”, it basically allows there to be enough fluid in your system to remove byproducts of everyday life (nutrition and such) out of the body. This is also why your personal trainer or other fitness professional will tell you to drink water. It helps your body perform at its best. And we all want to perform at our best!! Plus, it keeps things like dehydration headaches away (which is always a good thing).

Keep hydrated, drink water!

  • 1) Tuskegee University (May 29, 2013). “Chapter 9 Blood”. tuskegee.edu. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013.
  • 2) Guyton, Arthur C.; Hall, John Edward (2005). Textbook of medical physiology (11th ed.). Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders. pp. 764–7. ISBN978-0-7216-0240-0.
  • 3) Bennike, Tue; Ayturk, Ugur; Haslauer, Carla M.; Froehlich, John W.; Proffen, Benedikt L.; Barnaby, Omar; Birkelund, Svend; Murray, Martha M.; Warman, Matthew L. (2014-09-03). “A Normative Study of the Synovial Fluid Proteome from Healthy Porcine Knee Joints”. Journal of Proteome Research. 13 (10): 4377–4387. doi:10.1021/pr500587x. 
  • 4) Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synovial_bursa