Hydration for Health

Your digestive system needs water to produce digestive enzymes, break down food, and make sure that food moves smoothly through the gut. Dehydration can cause bloating, sluggish digestion, and constipation. Beneficial gut bacteria thrive in a well-hydrated environment. Poor hydration can contribute to imbalances that affect digestion, immunity, and inflammation

Hydration helps regulate cortisol and supports the nervous system. When fluid intake is too low, it puts extra physical stress on the body. Even mild dehydration can have a negative impact on the way you feel. Fatigue, brain fog, and sugar cravings all improve when we drink enough.

Hydration doesn’t just affect the way we feel. It also impacts how we look. Even the most expensive skincare won’t help if you’re dehydrated. Proper hydration helps deliver oxygen and nutrients, supports skin elasticity, and improves overall vitality.

So how much do we need to drink?

Factors such as age, sex, and activity level will change it slightly but, on average, 35ml for every kg of body weight. You can also look at the colour of your urine. If it’s dark yellow, you are probably not drinking enough.

Hydration Tips

1. Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up, before coffee or breakfast.

2. Pair drinking with established habits. Habit-stacking works better than willpower.

Have a glass of water:

• After brushing teeth

• After going to the toilet

• When you sit down at your desk

• When you arrive home

3. Make it visible

Leave a bottle or glass in sight – on your desk, by the sink, on the kitchen worktop. Seeing it will remind you to drink.

4. If plain water feels boring:

· Add lemon, lime, orange slices

• Fresh mint, ginger, cucumber

• A splash of fruit juice

• Herbal teas

• Warm water with a squeeze of lemon

• Broth or miso-style soups

5. Set gentle reminders

• A phone alarm every hour throughout the day

• A note by the kettle

If you get into the habit of staying properly hydrated, you can look forward to:

• Less bloating

• More regular stools

• Fewer headaches

• Better energy mid-afternoon

• Improved skin and concentration

Happy sipping!

Proper hydration matters far more than most people realise — especially for gut health, energy, hormones, and mood. The human body is around 60% water and it plays a key role in many of our body's functions.