Feeling Stiff and Achy? Drinking More Water Could Be Your Answer

dreamstime_m_32587647 copy.jpg

Drinking more water… too simple to be true, you might think.

Perhaps you woke up just feeling stiff from head to toe? Or an old injury suddenly began to flare up? Or you had terrible muscle cramps the night before? You’d be surprised how many times just increasing your water intake can make a huge difference on how you move and how you feel. And this relief can sometimes happen as quick as 24 hours.

Of course, there can be many reasons for pain and stiffness in the body, and drinking more water may not solve all your joint pain and stiffness. However, it sure can get you moving in the right direction quickly.

Let’s see why…

Water is important to movement (1-6)

We consist mainly of water, approximately 60% on average. The range is 50% to 75% of our total body weight, with the percentage varying based on gender, age, body mass composition, activity level, and environment.

Water composition in our body organs breaks down as (1,2,4-11)

*Primary sources include: Mitchell et al, Reibl et al, Jecquier et al.

†Includes fascia, ligaments, tendons.

From this data, you can see that the critical parts of the body engaged in movement, your brain, muscles, spinal cord, nerves, and connective tissues, consist of 65% or more of water.

Water is clearly essential to the health of the moving parts of our body. When we don’t drink enough water, our connective tissues and muscles lose their elasticity, and we get stiff. Keeping hydrated helps to maintain the elasticity of the muscles, which in turn helps in our overall mobility and flexibility. (4)



Water also plays so many other vital roles (1,2,4-7):

  • Acts as a lubricator and a shocker absorber to our joints and internal organs

  • Helps to deliver the essential nutrients and gases, like oxygen, throughout the body

  • Helps to maintain the normal electrical properties of the cell and improve cell-to-cell communication so nerves function optimally

  • Detoxes the body by flushing out toxins

  • Regulates body temperature

Can you begin to see how pain and stiffness can start to creep in if you become dehydrated?

  • Creaky knees, popping hips from less than juicy, well-watered joints

Or

  • Soreness and stiffness from toxin build up in muscles that are not sufficiently bathed in fluid

Or

  • Muscle spasms and cramps from ill functioning nerves


This is without mentioning the other effects of dehydration including, dry, saggy, lackluster skin; brain fog and mental confusion; and irrational mood swings. Sometimes the simple fix is just to drink more water to help put a stop to some of these dysfunctional patterns.

Chronic (hidden) dehydration may be more common than you think

It is estimated by lay press that many of us (as high as 75% of the US population are walking around painfully in a state of chronic dehydration (also known as hidden dehydration). (2,12)

How could that be? …Gross underestimation of daily water intake needs.

Many times, we underestimate how much water we really utilize and need in a day. And for those who may be aware, they can easily forget to drink enough during the course of a busy day.

What most people don’t realize is that we need a substantial amount of water for the body to function. Even on those seemingly less-active days (eg, sitting at the desk working at the computer all day, or doing easy weekend daily activities), you can lose anywhere from 2 to 3 liters (68 oz to 101 oz) of water a day. And water loss can be so sneaky, evaporating from our pores without you even dropping an ounce of sweat.


We gain water through (1,4)

  • Beverages

  • Food

  • Making it internally

We lose water through our (1,4)

  • Skin (perspiration/evaporation)

  • Lungs (breathing - moist gas exchange)

  • Urine

  • GI tract/stool

  • Beverages

What about feeling thirsty? Can’t we rely on that? (13-16)

The debate is out on that. Some experts say we can not rely on being thirsty. When you feeling thirsty, it is actually too late. By that time, you are already experiencing dehydration. Furthermore, they argue that as we age our thirst gauge worsens and becomes more unreliable. (13)

Others debate that for healthy individuals our thirst mechanism should work just fine. The exceptions are for high-performance athletes, who may sweat excessively during intense workouts, and as mentioned above the elderly where their thirst mechanism may decline with age. (14-17)




Track the color of your urine (1,3)

Monitoring your urine is a simple and quick barometer of your level of hydration. Light ale color, good volume, and no odor, indicates you are hydrated. However, dark urine, low volume that is smelly, tells you it is time to tank up on your water. (1,3)




Recognizing Subtle and Not-So Subtle Signs of Dehydration

Being able to recognize the signs and symptoms of dehydration early on will also help immensely. The challenge is that the signs and symptoms of early dehydration are nonspecific, and therefore, easily overlooked and classified as stemming from other general conditions. If you find that you start to have multiple signs and symptoms from the list below, start to get suspicious, and consider that you may not be drinking enough water. It can start off mildly.


Signs of mild dehydration

(2% decrease in water as a percentage of body weight) (3, 4, 6, 17):

• Thirst

• Fatigue

• Headache

• Mood shifts (eg, sudden irritability, anxiety, depression)

• Dark Urine

• Infrequent urination

• Cravings

• Dizziness

• Nausea

Again you should consider increasing our water intake at this point especially if you experiencing more than one condition listed above. As dehydration progresses to more severe stages, the signs and symptoms become more noticeable and can become not only chronic but life-threatening.


Signs of moderate to severe dehydration

(3%-10%% decrease in water as a percentage of body weight) (3, 4, 6, 13, 17):

• Constipation

• Loss of skin elasticity

• Aches and pains in joints/overall stiffness

• Muscle spasm and cramps

• Mental confusion/short-term memory problems

• Incoherent speech

• Reduced coordination

• Overworked heart and anginal pain

• Parched, dry throat and mouth

• Inability to cry tears (ouch!)

• Overheating

When it comes to mobility and flexibility, the big takeaway here is that when you start experiencing stiffness, aches and pain, including muscle spasms and/or cramps, you may already be in the YELLOW ZONE of moderate-to-severe dehydration.

Proceed with CAUTION and at this moderate-to-severe stage immediately increase your water intake.

RED ZONE: When you get to ~10% loss of bodily fluids, the overheating stage, you are in DANGEROUS territory. Approximately 10% or more of water loss can be fatal and requires immediate professional medical intervention. (3) It’s so important to be familiar with the earlier signs mentioned above to avoid this stage for yourself and/or loved one.


Next Steps

Seeing how important drinking water is to our healthy and mobility, the next post will explore the art of drinking water and give you some vital tips to keep your body well hydrated, feeling vibrant, and moving well.





Personal Corner

I can’t tell you how many times I have woken up feeling sluggish and finding it hard to move through my body. It’s then that I will do a quick mental check on my water intake of the previous day, and inevitably I hadn’t drunk enough. By EOD of increasing my water intake, I feel invariably better and am moving much better and thinking clearer.

I have also witnessed first-hand individuals in their 20s to those 80+ that just by simply increasing their water intake have experienced such incredible improvements in their flexibility and mobility within a very short period of time. Workouts and recovery suddenly become easier, or crippling arthritic-like pain lessen considerably, all by just simply drinking more water.




Drink more water. Join the movement.





References:

  1. Riebl SK, Davy BM. The hydration equation: update on water balance and cognitive performance. ACSMs Health Fit J. 2013;17(6):21-28. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207053. Accessed May 28, 2023.

  2. Batmanghelidj, F. Your Body’s Many Cries for Water. 2nd ed. Vienna, VA: Global Health Solutions; 1995.

  3. Skolnik H, Chernus A. Nutrient Timing for Peak Performance. Champaign, IL; Human Kinetics: 2010.

  4. Meyerowitz S. Water the Ultimate Cure: Discover Why Water Is the Most Important Ingredient in Your Diet and Find Out Which Water Is Right for You. Book Publishing Company: Summertown, TN; 2000.

  5. Mitchell HH, Hamilton TS, Steggerda FR, Bean HS. The chemical composition of the adult human body and its bearing on the biochemistry of growth. J Biol Chem. 1953;158(3):625-637.

  6. Roland J. What is the average (and ideal) percentage of water in your body? Healthline Website. Medically reviewed by Fisher JK. https://www.healthline.com/health/body-water-percentage. Accessed May 28, 2023.

  7. Jequier E, Constant F. Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010;64(2):115-123. Accessed July 20,2020.

  8. Cleveland Clinic. Aqueous Humor & Vitreous Humor. Cleveland Clinic website. Updated by medical professional December 27, 2022. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24611-aqueous-humor-vitreous-humor. Accessed May 28, 2023.

  9. Sissons C. What is the average percentage of water in the human body? Medical News Today website. Medically reviewed by Kubala J. May 27 2020. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-percentage-of-the-human-body-is-water#why-water-is-important. Accessed May 28, 2023.

  10. Lozano PF, Scholze M, Babian C, et al. Water content related alterations in macro and micro scale tendon biomechanics. Sci Rep. 2019;9:7887. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6536550. Accessed May 28, 2023.

  11. Phys-Ed Health and Performance. Unwinding the mystery of fascia. https://www.phys-ednm.com/fascia/#:~:text=Fascia%20is%20made%20up%20of,and%20elasticity%20to%20the%20fascia.

  12. Taylor K, Jones EB. Adult dehydration. StatPearls. 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956. Accessed May 29, 2023.

  13. Roland J. What is the average (and ideal) percentage of water in your body? Healthline Website. Medically reviewed by Fisher, JK July 19, 2019. https://www.healthline.com/health/body-water-percentage. Accessed May 29, 2023.

  14. Hew-Butler T, Verbalis JG, Noakes TD. Updated fluid recommendation: position statement from the International Marathon Medical Directors Association (IMMDA). Clin J Sport Med 1006;16:283-292. http://immda.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Spring-2006-Updated-Fluid-Recommendations.pdf. Accessed May 29, 2023.

  15. Kenefick RW. Drinking strategies; planned drinking vs drinking to thirst. Sports Med. 2018;48:31-37. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-017-0844-6. Accessed May 29, 2023.

  16. BBC Future. How much water should you drink a day? Food Fictions/Nutrition:BBC website. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190403-how-much-water-should-you-drink-a-day. Accessed May 29, 2023.

  17. WebMD staff. Foods High in Water. WebMD Website. Reviewed by Brennan D. November 15, 2022. https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-water. Accessed May 29, 2023.







WaterRobyn Reid