We need water to survive, of that there is no doubt. But how much water do we actually need?
Drinking a lot of water has become extremely fashionable these days, so much so that water bottles have become a bit of an accessory. And of course water is vital for health and life because it nurtures, lubricates and also detoxifies us. Nowadays, you can even get ‘smart’ water bottles that send messages to your phone to remind you to take a drink. But Ayurveda encourages you to listen to the natural urges of your body and your own inner intelligence, the biofeedback mechanisms, AKA thirst, rather than to an app that has no clue about what you need.
So how do you know if you need more water?
What goes in, must come out. In health, the body cleverly maintains a balance. Water in equals urine out and you need enough water to hydrate, nourish and flush. So you need enough for any processes requiring water and enough to flush out stuff that the body doesn’t need. If you don’t get enough water, you get a build up of toxins and your tissues get dry. Toxins will lead to problems with the skin and other inflammatory responses and dryness can be experienced anywhere in the body including constipation. Too little water will also result in dark yellow urine that smells concentrated.
The 8 by 8 myth has been blown out of the water now
Many people think that they are not getting enough water because they are not getting 8 8oz glasses of water a day. However, for most people that is too much and from both an Ayurvedic and scientific point of view, this is not required by everyone. Ayurveda encourages us to sip water when we are thirsty rather than drink an arbitrary amount because we think we should. We should not ignore the urge to drink, but also we should not drink when we are not thirsty (unless there is a medical reason).
In Ayurveda, drinking too much water, drinking too quickly or drinking water that is too cold can be as bad for you as not drinking enough water.
Warm water is much better for us than cool or cold water and is actually really pleasant once you get used to it. Ice cold water can cause problems, especially to vata and kapha types because it causes constriction of the vessels and this slows the transit of toxins out and nutrients around. Lukewarm water on the other hand encourages the flow and movement of energy and fluids. The ancient Ayurvedic texts recommend boiling and cooling the water for best effects. But don’t take my word for it, try it out and see how great you feel!
You can tell if you are drinking too much, because you will be having to pee a lot and the urine will be copious and very clear. It may also feel as though it is going straight through you very quickly and that is because it is. Water that passes straight through is not being absorbed and is simply overtaxing the body, especially the kidneys.
It’s good to drink about 4-6 glasses of water a day, depending on your activity levels and the temperature of your environment. Obviously if you are sweating a lot, you will need more water. It’s good to have a nice glass of warm water in the morning when you wake up to help your body flush out the toxins that it has been parceling up overnight.
It’s best not to drink too much during your meal because this dampens the digestive fire. This fire is known as the agni and in Ayurvedic terms strengthening your agni is key to building your health. To keep agni strong, most of your fluid intake should come from the food itself. Nature provides juicy and water rich whole foods and Ayurveda suggests eating the liquids that you cook food in so that you can retain all the nutrients. Drinking around 30 minutes before a meal is ideal as this helps with the digestive processes.
Many people are out of touch with their thirst and their drinking patterns can be completely disconnected to thirst. Coffee and tea are often more like liquid confectionary and consumed in habitual or ritualistic ways. It is a big part of our culture. Although there is some research showing that coffee has some health benefits, most Ayurvedic practitioners would advise against it. Along with soda and other energy drinks, coffee is often used to ‘boost energy’ to compensate for lack of sleep or too much stress or boredom. These drinks may promise a boost, but there is increasing evidence that the cocktail of ingredients could have a number of unwanted health risks including changing the heart’s electrical activity and increasing blood pressure. Yogis do not recommend caffeine because it irritates the nervous system and makes it really difficult for people to get in the zen zone.
A good rule of thumb is if a drink looks like it’s come from a chemistry lab and it has ingredients you can’t pronounce, it is definitely not good for you.
People often think that the best way to ‘hydrate’ is with special hydration fluids as part of an externally measured and calculated fitness regime. Remember that drinking anything other than water is not water and will be dehydrating because it will require extra water for the body to process the toxins. Chronic dehydration is a common problem and can cause a lot of health issues.
We’ve lost touch with our thirst, and often people mistake thirst for hunger. It’s easy to end up snacking when what is actually needed is a glass of water. Drinking a glass of water 45 minutes to half an hour before a meal can help you get in touch with your actual hunger and prevent you from eating more than you need.
Good quality water is the gold standard and if you are lucky enough to have this, please be grateful! At the time of writing, it has been estimated that over 11% of the world’s population does not have access to clean water.
You can enhance the healing properties of your water with a copper vessel, either a jug, cup or bottle. You can get copper vessels relatively inexpensively and easily. Yogis have been using them for centuries! Copper is an essential trace mineral that has antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also said to help neutralize toxins.
Ayurveda suggests drinking water that has been stored in a copper vessel overnight first thing in the morning. Water stored in this way will provide all the health benefits of copper and help to balance kapha, pitta and vata.
From both the western medicine and Ayurvedic point of view, there is no doubt that drinking enough water is one of the most important things you can do for your health. And like everything else in Ayurveda, learning to listen to your body and exercising moderation is the key.