The spine provides structural support to the body, allows for movement, and protects the spinal cord and nerve roots. It’s extremely important to maintain the health of your spine, especially if you are recovering from injury. It’s also simple to add into your daily wellness routine. We’ll discuss how hydration can help improve the health of your spine and how you can ensure that you’re properly hydrated.
How Hydration Maintains Spine Health
Proper hydration means your body has absorbed enough water or other liquids to function properly. In fact, the human body is made up of nearly 80% water. The water in your body aids in digestion, lubricates joints, and regulates your body temperature. Specific to the spine, it hydrates the vertebral discs and reduces inflammation in tissues around nerves that can cause compression to the nerves. Proper hydration also helps your nervous system function properly. The brain develops hormones are neurotransmitter that require water to work effectively and work the brain to full capacity.
Dehydration is when your body hasn’t absorbed the adequate amount of water for proper function. Fatigue, dizziness, headaches, and muscle cramps are all symptoms of dehydration. Additionally, If you are healing from an injury to the spine or have a pinched nerve or compressed disc, dehydration can exacerbate the problem.
How To Stay Properly Hydrated
Proper hydration varies per person depending on the loss of sweat or illness. Particularly fever, diarrhea and vomiting can all increase water loss. Water is also absorbed through foods, meaning if you consume more water based foods you may not need to drink as many fluids. Gender, pregnancy, breastfeeding and age also affect the amount of daily fluid intake. For example, children and elderly are particularly susceptible to dehydration.
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is approximately 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men and approximately 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women. In the case of active individuals who sweat throughout the day: it is recommended that you consume one cup (8 ounces) of water every 15 minutes, or four cups (32 ounces, approximately one liter) over the course of an hour. Make sure to replenish electrolytes lost in sweat with supplements or sports drink.
If you suffer from spine pain, compressed disc or pinched nerves, drinking enough fluids to stay properly hydrated can help. Simply adding more water breaks into your daily routine can benefit your body. Contact Silver Chiropractic and Wellness today to live better days through better health.
