Brain Link. Water is your brain’s most important nutrient—next to oxygen. Dehydration from water deprivation kills faster than the lack of any other nutrient. You can live at least ten times longer without food than without water. The brain doesn’t have room to store water, therefore regular and frequent hydration is critically important. Dehydration impacts all brain systems, interfering with vital thinking processes and triggering difficulty focusing, “brain fog,” slowed thinking, sleep problems, fatigue, forgetfulness, memory issues, decreased energy, and even depression. Dehydration is also associated with lymph fluid issues and low blood volume, increased risk of blood clotting, headaches, irritability, inflammation, kidney failure, heat cramps, heatstroke, depression, and seizures due to electrolyte loss. Unfortunately, many older adults are chronically dehydrated.
Water is your body’s most important nutrient. Is involved in every bodily function and composes close to three fourths of your total body weight. Water helps you to maintain body temperature, metabolize body fat, aids in digestion, lubricates and cushions organs, transports nutrients, and flushes toxins from your body. —Marjie Gilliam
Water is an essential nutrient, meaning the brain and body cannot create it. Oxygen is an essential nutrient as well. Some have said that oxygen is the most essential nutrient because brain cells begin to weaken just three or four minutes after being deprived of it. Others argue that water is the most important nutrient because you can live at least ten times longer without food than without water.
Quantitatively, water is the most important nutrient. —Freidrich Manz, MD
Similar to estimates of the composition of Planet Earth, the human body is roughly 25% solid matter and 75% water, with brain neurons being closer to 85%water. Dehydration represents an alteration in this ratio toward more solid matter.
Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine. —Slovakian Proverb
Every organ in the body requires water to do its job. It is critical for protecting the spinal cord and other sensitive tissues; removing waste by urination, sweating, and bowel movements; regulating temperature; lubricating and cushioning joints; keeping blood and lymph flowing smoothy; and helping the skin stay plump and hydrated. Even immune system function can be impaired from dehydration, which negatively impacts lymph fluid.
We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one. —Jacques Yves Cousteau
View the Educational Video for Module #5. If possible, stand and walk in place for at least a portion of the video to increase blood flow to your brain. It might be time to drink a glass of water, as well.
Despite his artistic pretensions, sophistication, and his many accomplishments, man owes his existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains. —Paul Harvey
According to Corinne Allen, PhD, founder of the Advanced Learning and Development Institute, the movement of water in and out of brain cells functions much like a hydroelectric plant, generating energy and electricity sufficient to power about a 20-watt light bulb. More than half of the energy produced is used to transmit messages across neuron pathways in the brain. The remainder is used for other chemical and cellular processes in the brain.
Brain cells need twice the energy compared with other cells in the body and three times more than muscle cells. Dr. Allen found that people with brain challenges such as autism spectrum disorders, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, head injuries, anxiety attacks, and depressive disorders often drink almost no water each day. This lack of water exacerbates the brain dysfunction.
Water provides the energy needed by the brain more effectively than any other substance. —Dr. Corinne Allen
Estimates are that you can live at least ten times longer without food than without water. Unfortunately, studies have shown that some children and adults drink truly little water, opting mostly for sodas (regular or diet), fruit juices, sugary drinks, tea, coffee, or colas. While these are liquids, they are not plain water, which is best for the brain.
Water deprivation in relation to the needed amounts of water for optimum brain functions are intricately linked. Lack of water to the brain can cause numerous symptoms including:
1) Problems with cognitive focus
2) Memory issues
3) Brain fatigue
4) Brain fog
5) Headaches
6) Sleep issues
7) Anger
8) Depression
9) Visuomotor impairments—especially related to activity
10) Exercise heat stress
All the water that will ever be is right now. —National Geographic
Estimates are that most people over the age of 50 drink less than 1 quart (32 oz.) or 1 liter (1,000 ml) of water per day. Yet according to the Mayo Clinic, the average adult loses more than 80 ounces (2365 ml) of water daily through sweating, breathing, and waste elimination. This puts the individual 48 ounces (1420 ml) in deficit compared to the amount of water taken in. This leaves the average person dehydrated.
Many babies and children grow up being given food when they are fussy instead of first being offered water to determine if they are just thirsty rather than physiologically hungry. Consequently, they may never learn to differentiate between genuine physiological hunger and thirst. In adulthood, many individuals eat when they are thirsty—not hungry—because they confuse the two. This can lead to both dehydration and to weight gain.
Learn to differentiate physiological hunger from thirst. Unless your medical care provider has ordered limited water intake, drink enough water to see 1-2 pale urines each day. Fifteen to thirty minutes before a meal, drink a glass of water to ensure you are eating from hunger rather than from thirst. The water can also increase the fluidity of digestive juices and help them handle the food you’ve eaten more efficiently.
Water is the soul of the Earth. Thousands have lived without love— not one without water. —W. H. Auden
Body water refers to the water content of a human body that is contained in the tissues, blood, muscles, body organs, bones, and so on. Water is distributed unevenly throughout the body and its organs. If this balance is disturbed it can have a negative impact on the brain and body.
The percentages of body water contained in various organs and blood and lymph vessels or other compartments add up to what is called Total Body Water (TBW). This water makes up a significant fraction of the human body, both by weight and by volume. Ensuring the right amount of body water is in place is an aspect of homeostasis or balance.
Dehydration kills faster than the lack of any other nutrient. —Boeckner & McKinzie
At birth, a newborn is approximately 75-78% water by weight, which soon begins to fall. In adulthood, the amount of water in the human body typically ranges from 60- 75%—slightly lower in females because of less muscle and more fat tissue, which is quite dense at 10-16%water. Other estimates are:
1) The brain is about 70-75% water
2) Neurons or thinking cells are about 85% water.
3) Blood and kidneys are about 83% water.
4) The Heart is about 79% water.
5) Muscles are 76% water.
6) Bones, surprising to some, are 1/5th water or about 20% water.
Water is critical for sustainable development, including environmental integrity and the alleviation of poverty and hunger, and is indispensable or human health and well-being. —United Nations
America has a drinking problem that has nothing to do with alcoholic beverages and everything to do with the lack of good hydration, which leaves the average person continually at risk for some level of dehydration.
Another drinking problem has to do with substituting colas and sugary drinks for water. Studies have shown that some children and adults drink mostly sodas (regular or diet), fruit juices, sugary drinks, tea, coffee, or colas—and some children drink no water at all. Depending on the amount of soda guzzled, a person might add as much as a pound (0.45 kg) per week to their weight. One 20-ounce glass of cola can contain the equivalent of 16 teaspoons of sugar, which is nearly three times the maximum daily sugar intake recommended by the American Heart Association.
Sugar is a toxin to the brain. But that may be just the tip of the iceberg. Soft drinks containing caffeine and sugar mimic the effect of amphetamines, providing a temporary energy boost. The high shoots up blood sugar levels in the brain but is followed by a rebound low as blood sugar levels fall. Such dramatic fluctuations in blood-sugar levels can damage both the brain and immune system organs, contribute to health problems in the long term, and even accelerate the development of symptoms of aging.
Water is life and clean water means health. —Audrey Hepburn
Dehydration can be defined simply as a state of decreased total body water. It represents an alteration toward more solid matter. The price of dehydration is high, impacting all brain-body systems. Since water is one of the most vital sources of energy, dehydration causes the brain and body to slow down, resulting in tiredness and fatigue. It is especially lethal to brain function, interfering with vital thinking processes.
Studies have linked dehydration with impaired performance, depressed mood, issues with memory, and structural brain changes visible on an fMRI. These changes include reduced volumes of cerebrospinal fluid and blood circulation, believed to contribute to the development of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Water is the driver of nature. —Leonardo da Vinci
Dehydration can be a life-threatening condition—especially for the young, the elderly, in some pregnant women, and in situations that involve almost continuous vomiting. Typically, it requires prompt medical attention, sometimes including hospitalization. Untreated in a timely manner it can lead to death.
You may recall hearing on the news that Catherine, Princess of Wales, needed to be hospitalized several times during her pregnancies due to a severe type of dehydration known as hyperemesis gravidarum. This is beyond the typical morning sickness, so-called. Nausea and vomiting may continue throughout the entire day and not just in the morning. These women often lose weight and must receive intravenous replacement of fluids. Without medical intervention the dehydration could be life-threatening to the fetus and/or the mother.
In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans. —Kahlil Gibran
There are three main types of dehydration:
1) Hypotonic: primarily a loss of electrolytes
2) Hypertonic: primarily a loss of water
3) Isotonic: equal loss of water and electrolytes (the type most seen in humans)
Electrolytes are substances that produce an electrically conducting solution when dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. They are extremely important in the human brain-body, helping to maintain hydration levels, As sodium and potassium move in and out of cells, this helps to determine how much water the body retains or flushes out. Nerve cells must have these slightly charged particles to help transmit electrical impulses along neuronal pathways.
Normally, there is more water inside a cell than outside. Dehydration reverses that ratio. Water generates the electrical energy for all brain functions. In fact, the movement of water in and out of the cells functions much like a hydroelectric plant. When water levels fall, energy production also falls.
Water is the body’s main source of energy. Water flowing through cell membranes provides electrical energy much like turbines in a hydroelectric plant. Sufficient water is important for ongoing energy, especially during the aging process. A lack of water is one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. —Fereydoon Batmanghelidjh, MD
Listen to Chapter #7 of Just the Facts audiobook. If possible, walk around the room while you listen. At least walk in place. It might be a suitable time to drink a glass of water, as well.
Drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Water is my drink. —Stephen Curry
The aging process itself can trigger cellular dehydration. Aging and water consumption appear to be related. Total Body Water (TBW) tends to decrease with age.
Hypovolemia is one type of dehydration that is linked with a loss of blood volume without depleting any of the fluid inside brain-body cells. This can be due to vomiting, diarrhea, and a loss of blood itself. If the total blood volume falls too low, the heart cannot circulate blood effectively and the eventual result is hypovolemic shock. The vascular system responds by constricting blood vessels, thereby creating a smaller volume for the blood to fill. This mechanical solution has definite limits and usually must be supplemented with an increased volume of fluid as soon as possible.
Cellular dehydration is a second type of dehydration that occurs when this ratio is altered or even reversed. This can happen when the solid matter dissolved in interstitial fluid surrounding the cells increases. This causes water to migrate from inside the cells out to the interstitial fluid surrounding the cells. Osmosis is a process by which the liquid molecules pass through the semipermeable cell membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one. As water flows out of the cells, they shrink in volume. As brain cells shrink, brain tissue can shrink and pull away from the skull.
Cellular dehydration is associated with a variety of undesirable conditions. Some of issues are listed below.
1) Dementia. As brain tissue shrinks and pulls away from the skull, a condition that is largely preventable by staying hydrated, the risk for dementia increases.
2) Lymph fluid problems
3) Lowered blood volume
4) An increased risk of blood clotting
5) Headaches
6) Irritability
7) Inflammation, now linked with diseases such as Alzheimer’s
8) Kidney failure
9) Heat cramps
10) Heatstroke
11) Seizures due to electrolyte loss.
12) Production of free radicals that wrinkle the skin as well as internal body organs.
When life places stones in your path, be the water. A persistent drop of water will wear away even the hardest stone. ―Autumn Morning Star
Free radicals are molecules that have lost an electron. These free radicals damage other molecules as they steal one of their electrons. Depending on where this damage occurs, free radicals can wrinkle the skin as well as internal body organs. Dehydrated skin is said to have a negative impact on aging. The lack of natural oil protection allows water to evaporate off the skin quickly. During the aging process, fibers known as elastin and that are responsible for keeping skin elastic, begin to wear down. This, plus a lack of appropriate hydration, can increase the formation of pronounced wrinkles. As the volume of water inside the cells is reduced, the cells begin to wither. This sometimes begins to show in the skin around the eyes in wrinkles known as crow’s feet.
A team of scientists in Britain scanned the brains of teenagers who had just completed an hour and a half of cycling. Those who had exercised in sweat- inducing clothing had lost about two pounds of fluid in sweat—and their brain tissue had shrunk and pulled away from their skulls. Those who had lost the most weight from perspiration showed the most brain shrinkage. In subsequent activities to test their ability to plan and solve problems, this group of participants did as well as those who had dressed more lightly to minimize sweating. However, brain scans of the participants who wore the sweat-inducing clothing showed dehydrated brains that had to work harder. This is unhelpful as the brain ages!
Outward signs of aging such a skin wrinkling and withering, etc., are indicators of what is happening inside the body. —Dr. Mu Shik Jhon
Thirst is an unreliable indicator of dehydration. By the time you are thirsty if you even have an operational thirst sensation—you are already dehydrated. The body’s thirst sensation begins to fall In adults after age 50 and can continue to do so with aging. This puts the elderly population at increased risk of becoming dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to allergies due to increases in histamine. It thickens the blood to raise blood pressure and tries to prevent water loss in cells by producing more cholesterol. As waste products accumulate in the skin, dermatitis and premature wrinkling can occur, along with infection, inflammation, bladder and kidney pain, and digestive disorders including ulcer, acid reflux, and gastritis.
The price of dehydration is high, impacting all brain-body systems. It is especially lethal to brain function, slowing it down and interfering with vital thinking processes. A 1% level of dehydration results in a 5% reduction in cognitive ability—and you probably aren’t even feeling thirsty yet! A cognitive reduction may lead to difficulties handling money while shopping, navigating around town, or deciding between two options. Just a 2% drop in your brain-body water supply can trigger a variety of symptoms including blurred vision, fuzzy short-term memory, difficulty with basic math problems, and difficulty focusing on smaller print such as seen on a computer, iPad, or mobile-phone screen. This shows that even mild dehydration can have notable effects, such as reducing concentration and lowering performance.
Water is one of the most basic of all needs – we cannot live for more than a few days without it. And yet, most people take water for granted. We waste water needlessly and don’t realize that clean water is a limited resource. More than 1 billion people around the world have no access to safe, clean drinking water. Over 2.5 billion do not have adequate sanitation services. Over 2 million people die each year because of unsafe water, and most of them are children! —Robert Alan Aurthur
Listen to Chapter #7 of Just the Facts audiobook. If possible, walk around the room while you listen. At least walk in place.
Many mistakenly think that if they are drinking some type of fluid, they are good to go. Consequently, they substitute coffee, tea, colas, and surgery drinks for water. Unfortunately, alternative beverages such as fruit drinks, regular and diet sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, and sugary drinks, appear largely to have replaced water in the lives of many Americans. Estimates are that half the population above the age of two consumes sugary drinks on any given day. Consumption of soft drinks now exceeds 600 twelve-ounce servings per person per year. As waist sizes grow, so do health risks for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia.
Depending on the amount of soft drinks guzzled, a person might add as much as a pound (0.45 kg) per week to their weight. One 20-ounce glass of cola can contain the equivalent of 16 teaspoons of sugar, which is nearly 3 times the maximum daily sugar intake recommended by the American Heart Association. Sugar is a toxin to the brain. But that may be just the tip of the iceberg. Soft drinks can contain caffeine and sugar. This can mimic the effect of amphetamines, providing a temporary energy boost. The ‘high’ shoots up blood sugar levels but is followed by a rebound ‘low’ as blood sugar levels fall. Such dramatic fluctuations in blood-sugar levels can damage both the brain and immune system organs, contribute to health problems in the long term, and even accelerate the development of symptoms of aging.
Avoid allowing the water to run when you brush your teeth. Our life is on the brink. —Unknown
Diet drinks have their own dangers. They may be free of calories, but they are not free of health-related consequences. Confusing the brain with artificial sweeteners may also trigger weight gain. A 2010 experiment in rats found that those who were fed saccharin-sweetened yogurt ate more rat chow, gained more weight, and had a higher percentage of body fat compared with those who ate the same amount of yogurt containing glucose, a natural sugar.
A study that followed more than four hundred diet-soda drinkers for ten years showed that their waist sizes increased seventy percent more than non-consumers. Those who drank two or more diet sodas per day increased their waist sizes five times more than those who avoided diet drinks entirely. Using brain imaging techniques, San Diego researchers found that as the consumption of diet sodas increased, activation in a brain area known as the caudate head diminished. The caudate head is associated with food motivation and the brain reward system. Decreased activation of this brain region has been linked with an elevated risk of obesity.
If the ocean can calm itself, so can you. We are both salt water mixed with air. —Nayyirah Waheed
According to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, more than 35% of adults in America are obese. Medical costs for those with obesity are more than $1,400 higher than for those whose weight is within a normal range. A University of Michigan study involving nearly 10,000 participants found that adults who did not consume enough water were more likely to be obese than hydrated adults. Taking in too little water daily increased the odds for obesity by 50%.
Hydration may deserve more attention when thinking about addressing obesity on a population level. Staying hydrated is good for you no matter what, and our study suggests it may also be linked to maintaining a healthy weight. —Dr. Tammy Chang
In one study, drinking water was linked with weight loss in overweight women independent of what they ate and their activity levels. Other researchers found that drinking water in combination with physical exercise helps increase fat oxidation, a process by which the body uses stored fats to produce energy. Drinking water, over other beverages that contained calories, also helped with weight management.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned about obesity in children, considering it to be one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21 st Century. Many overweight and obese children apparently drink little if any water in favor of sodas and surgery drinks. They tend to be likely to stay obese into adulthood, which increases their risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems at a younger rate. They believe that water should be the beverage of choice for daily hydration for children.
Water is such a lifesaver into which we cannot breathe—but without taking it into us we cannot live. ―Munia Khan
1. Sufficient water intake can help prevent body systems from giving up their need for water in favor of what the brain needs. This can include directing the body to steal some fluid from elsewhere in the body and send it up to the brain. At any given time, your bladder has the largest potential reservoir of fluid—urine. A specialist when describing this in a lecture commented humorously, “This process puts another spin on the term pee brain.” (The cliché is pea-brain.)
Drink a glass of water 20-30 minutes before each meal (J. Pangman). This can help the brain and body learn to distinguish between sensations of thirst—if they even exist—versus hunger. The water can suppress hunger, body burn fat, increase fluidity of digestive juices, and prevent dehydration. Recently, some physicians are suggesting that you choose to drink a glass of water before going to bed. This can help keep dehydration at bay during sleep and reduces the risk of blood clots in the brain.
2. Waste products are excreted through pores in the skin. As waste products leave the body pores, they can remain on the skin. Therefore, cleanliness is important to wash away these waste products and prevent them from being reabsorbed into the body through the pores. Frequently change the clothing next to your skin for the same reason. Your clothing can absorb some of the excreted waste products, which then could be reabsorbed into the body through your pores. Aside from being unhealthy, it creates double work for your body.
Hydration is also important to keep not only the intestines smooth and flexible but the skin smooth and flexible, as well. Skin dehydration is not corrected by lathering on more creams. Skin hydration comes largely from inside the body. Remember that outward signs of aging such a skin wrinkling and withering, etc., are indicators of what is happening inside the body.
3. Water is critically important for the digestive process. It increases the fluidity of digestive juices and assists in handling the food you have eaten more efficiently. It helps to keep the food you eat moving through the small and large intestines. It even helps keep the intestines themselves smooth and flexible.
The large intestine collects water from the food waste. If you are drinking enough water, less water will be taken out of your large intestine or colon and proper consistency will likely be achieved: not too soft, not too hard. Constipation is not only uncomfortable all around, but as with the skin, some of the waste products may be reabsorbed back into the body—a rather unpleasant thought.
4. Dehydration, a lack of dietary fiber, and insufficient physical exercise can cause constipation. If you are dehydrated, your stool can become hard and difficult to pass. If it becomes too hard to pass an impaction can result, which sometimes requires a hospital visit to remove. Other medical conditions or some specific medicines may be a cause, as well.
According to Mayo Clinic, symptoms of constipation include the following.
1) Fewer than three stools a week.
2) Hard, dry or lumpy stools.
3) Straining or pain when passing stools.
4) A feeling that not all stool has passed.
5) A feeling that the rectum is blocked.
6) The need to use a finger to pass the stool.
Chronic constipation can be described as having two or more of these symptoms for three months or longer. Chronic constipation may require treating another disease or condition that can cause or worsen constipation.
The connection between depression and dehydration is well established. Re-hydrating your body by drinking enough water daily is foundational to any health treatment plan, including treatment for depression. —Nancy Hearn, CNC
View the short Birds ‘n Brains video #5. If possible, stand and walk in place for at least part of the video.
I believe that water is the only drink for a wise man (person). —Henry David Thoreau
Obtaining relatively safe water in developed countries is typically quite easy. Not so in developing and/or war-torn countries.
1) Every year 3,575,000 people die from water related diseases. This is equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every hour.
2) Most of the people who die are children (2.2 million each year).
3) Unclean water and poor sanitation have claimed more lives over the past 100 years than any other cause. The water-crisis claims more lives through disease than any war through guns.
4) 844 million people lack access to safe drinking water. This is more than the combined populations of the United States, Brazil, Japan, Germany, France, and Italy. www.theworldcounts.com
5) One in 10 of the world’s population do not have access to improved sources of drinking water. One in three lacks improved sanitation, putting them at risk of infectious diseases and premature death. United Nations – World Water Day
6) Nearly 1.5 million deaths could be prevented with access to safer water, sanitation, and hygiene. World Health Organization
7) Each and every day, more than 1,000 children under age five die from illnesses caused by unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene.
8) Children under age five living in conflict areas are more than 20 times more likely to die from diseases related to unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene.
9) Diarrheal disease, the fourth leading cause of death among children under age five globally, is primarily caused by unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, and hygiene. www.unicef.org
After a natural disaster, safe drinking water is a priority. Humans can live longer without food than water, so communication about clean water is essential to help avoid the risk of cholera, dysentery, malnutrition, famine, and death. —Tae Yoo
Many think they are hungry when they actually are thirsty. Instead of drinking water, they snack chips or cookies or power bars or fast food. Sometimes they drink ‘food’ that requires no chewing—like milk, fruit juices, sodas, or other sugary drinks. Consume your calories through quality food and make water your beverage of choice. Eat when you are physiologically hungry and drink water when you are thirsty. Since the thirst sensation falls with age, try drinking a glass of water when you think you are hungry. If you needed water, you likely would feel satisfied with the water.
Dr. Neil Nedley has pointed out that a lack of water causes dehydration of red blood cells, making them less flexible and increasing a tendency to form clots. A stroke can result when clots occur in the brain; a heart attack when clots occur in the heart. Thicker and more viscous blood increases the risk for not only for strokes and heart attacks, but for heart disease, diabetes, kidney stones, and urinary tract infections. Not to mention all the winkling of skin on the outside of the body and some of the tissues that are inside.
The amount of water you need on any given day depends on a number of factors including:
Unless medically contraindicated, drink enough water to give you one or two pale urines a day. If you are taking medication that colors your urine, you will need to estimate how much water you need to drink each day and make sure you drink that amount.
One of the easiest ways to know whether you are getting enough water is to look at the color of your urine. Dark yellow means fluids in your brain and body are running low, while lightly tinted yellow urine indicates adequate water. —Tammy Chang, MD
Your body size
Concentrate on Module #5 during this entire week. Reread the sections; relisten to the audiobook excerpts; rewatch the videos. It takes the average adult four times through to really absorb the material and turn it into a new behavior. If you want positive results, rushing through the material—just because you can—may not provide the desired outcome.
“But I don’t like water,” you moan. That is simply a mindset, perhaps exacerbated by a history of drinking sugary beverages. You can retrain your taste buds in 10-14 days if you drink only water. Add a slice of lemon, lime, or cucumber to the water and talk to your brain. Use your given name_____, you are enjoying the taste of water. Soon it will become your favorite beverage. You may want to investigate hydrogen water. Emerging research is touting its benefits over tap water that often contains undesirable and unhealthy forever chemicals.
Make it a point to stay hydrated. Use the brain-function information you are learning to help you stay motivated. Give your brain and body the water they require to function at optimum levels. Water is your most essential nutrient. Your brain—especially—and your body will thank you. It can make all the difference in the world to your present and future health.
Drinking water is like washing out your insides. The water will cleanse the system, fill you up, decrease your caloric load, and improve the function of all your tissues. —Kevin R. Stone
