LEARN HOW DEHYDRATION AFFECTS YOUR BREATHING FUNCTION
So many people suffer from allergies like stuffy noses, runny noses, sneezing and constantly need to take a tissue or hanky with them everywhere which is super inconvenient. That constant runny nose can actually lead to embarrassment if you are talking to someone and you just feel this trickle of fluid down your nose.
When someone is allergic to something, aka an allergen, the body thinks that the allergen is attacking it, so it goes into overdrive trying to protect itself. It then causes your immune system to produce histamines to fight the irritants. This leads to watery eyes, mucus buildup, snotty, runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes etc. This is why you hear people taking anti-histamines.
A 1995 Dutch study showed that Dehydration in the body produces histamine in the body.
Histamines also have other functions including regulating the body’s water supply – the lack of water triggers an increased histamine production as a defensive mechanism to preserve water remaining in the body as well as to prevent future loss. This causes us to have all those allergy symptoms. WOWSER.
By increasing our water intake or making sure that we are drinking enough water we could decrease the histamine production and potentially reduce and/or avoid these symptoms from being triggered.
Now if you have this histamine production and these symptoms of snotty noses and allergies then that will affect your ability to be able to breathe properly – How you might ask?
When you are dehydrated by not drinking enough water the risk of breathing problems, or breathing related problems increases such as:
• the linings of the sinuses and airways become dry. When the airways become to dry they become more prone to irritation, breathing difficulties and sickness.
• causes the mucus lining in our airways and lungs to become sticky and thicken which impacts your respiration function
• Water is used in the nasal passages, bronchial tubes, and lungs and to keep them moist. But when you breathe out, moisture from these tissues is expelled and every breath in brings in drying air. So, we are losing water on the exhale and have to try and moisten the dry air that comes in so hydration is essential.
So, what is the right amount of water to consume? It’s good to note that your body can’t actually absorb any more than 600ml of water per hour.
Best way to ensure that you are hydrated is to:
• Drink 600ml of water upon rising
• Drink 3 big sips of water every hour
If you workout
• One hour before your workout, drink 600ml of water
• During your workout, drink another 200ml every 15 minutes (as you are losing moisture at a higher rate due to sweat so you will be able to exceed the 600ml per hour in this period)
• Within an hour after the workout drink another 600ml
Ensure that you have a drink bottle with you to ensure that you can continue to stay hydrated throughout the day.
If you enjoyed this post or would like to know more information about your body and breathwork then sign up to the mailing list at the bottom of the homepage.
KEEP GLOWING!!!