How Can You Drink Enough Water and Still Be Dehydrated?
How Can You Drink Enough Water and Still Be Dehydrated?
You may think that drinking 8 glasses of water a day will keep you healthy. But for some people that might not be enough. There are 3 reasons why:
Reason #1: Your kidneys struggle to hold water.
As you may know, your kidneys’ job is to remove waste and toxins. Kidneys also control the amount of water in your body. If you have too much water, they turn that into urine.
But, as you age, kidneys find it harder to hold onto water.
This means water leaves your body faster than normal. So you might be drinking 8 glasses of water, but you’re still dehydrated.
Reason #2: You’re losing essential minerals.
When you lose water, you also lose essential minerals called electrolytes. Electrolytes send water to your muscles, brain, and skin.
They also help your nerves send messages. They help your muscles move and relax. And they keep your heartbeat steady.
What happens when you don’t have enough electrolytes? Water doesn’t get where it needs to go. And your body doesn’t work the way it should.
For example, you might feel dizzy when you stand up. You might get muscle cramps at night. And you might feel confused or have trouble thinking clearly.
These are all red flags of dehydration.
Reason #3: Water struggles to get into your cells.
Here's what most hydration advice misses entirely: Water hydrates you only when it enters your cells.
As you may know, your cells are surrounded by a protective membrane. This membrane keeps most things, including water, out of the cell
To stay hydrated, cells use special irrigation channels to bring water inside. These channels are called aquaporins (it's pronounced ah-kwa-PORE-ins).
Unfortunately, as you get older, you have fewer of these irrigation channels.
It's like having a farm where half the irrigation lines are blocked. There's plenty of water in the main supply, but it can't reach the crops that need it.
So your body stays dehydrated at the cellular level – even if you gulp down gallons of water.
No wonder studies show that many older adults don’t even know they’re dehydrated.
And, beyond the obvious symptoms like fatigue, dehydration also leads to other issues that many people dismiss as "just getting older."