Effects Of Hydration On Sports Performance – Why You Should Drink More Water

Water is a big part of us humans. Making sure that our body is hydrated enough when we’re not doing sport activity is simpler and can be well handled. However, when in sports and training programs, people tend to overlook drinking water sufficiently – what might get them dehydrated, and can cause many health issues later on in life, along with lower sports performance.

The effects of hydration on sports performance and day to day performance is just extraordinary in its immediate impact. Our body needs to have just the right fluid levels so it can perform its essential functioning properly. Drinking water will affect body temperature regulation, blood pressure and volume, normal muscle function, our brain, general athletic performances and all in all our mood as social beings.

lack of hydration is expressed as a decrease in athletic performances and increases the risk for immediate health problems such as heart failure and multiple cardiovascular hazards. So why do we need water and how does it serve us? 

Well, our bodies must stay hydrated to function properly, therefore, water is the best form in which we can get our body fluid levels right and measured for proper function. Bear in mind, too much water is no good either, however, very difficult to achieve.

Why is Drinking Water and Getting Hydrated important for the Human Body

The human body is made of roughly 60 percent water, which means that the human body is built around its liquid levels. Water is an essential member of every system in the body and as such highly important and must be constantly monitored and sustained on balanced levels.

Water plays a part in regulating body temperature through sweating for instance. This process happens without any human intervention as it is being controlled by our hypothalamus (the control room in our brain) and works almost as an instinct. When sweating occurs fluids are sent through blood vessels to the upper skin layers, released to the skin surface, cools our skin and lowers body temperature as a result. Good job water!

Water also keeps blood flow, volume, and pressure in check. Our blood system is the body “highway” through these roads system our cells receive their nutrients and get rid of the energy cycle waste left. Water is the fluid that holds this system as it keeps the pressure of the vessels with its volume and maintains a healthy rate of materials exchange between all the essential systems.

Normal muscle function is kept when having the right levels of body liquids. During muscles contraction lactic acid is formed, and the blood system is required to extract it from the body. With balanced levels of fluids in the body, this process is done at its optimum capacity whereas in low levels of body fluids the result will be lower muscles function and higher fatigue levels on a daily basis. Muscle recovery process will be very slow if any. 

How not drinking enough harms our body

As water plays a part in many processes in the body, having low levels of liquids will harm the body’s ecosystem. This process is called dehydration and as it, progress will slowly start to shut down “non-essential” processes one by one until nothing is left functioning but the brain.

And by saying “non essential” we mean body parts and body functions that are not a “must be” for our survival but at the same time extremely important for our daily function such as lips movement, walk, hand use, digestive system etc. In a nutshell we do not wanna get there folks.

On the contrary to popular belief dehydration can happen at any time, therefore, people must be aware and drink throughout the day. When we wake up, work, and exercise.

The direct effects on general health are still being researched, but from what we already know the brain suffers the most and due to lower levels of liquid in the body the brain’s volume shrinks (so on top of damage we can stupid ?).

If people do not drink enough and suffer from dehydration as part of their routine they will most likely harm their cognitive ability and may harm brain functions for life.

In addition, dehydrating harms our ability to cool the body properly as the body will try and save water consumption especially sweet. Warmer temperatures can interrupt healthy processes and sometimes in extreme cases destroy protein (muscles, DNA, and the majority of body cells). Heat has many more negative effects on the body and as such must be prevented with proper drinking habits. 

Human bodies do not manufacture coolness-we are not fridges, the human body is a heat manufacturer and therefore requires aid in cooling down when the system heats up to much. For the sake of the example, we will call water out body thermostat. 

After trying many different ways to help me hydrate properly on a daily basis, I have found that having a water bottle close in constant reach is the best way to keep drinking and stay healthier. This is the bottle I like to use on Amazon. 

I personally think it’s important you will actually like your bottle and feel connected to it to the level of WANTING TO DRINK from it. It should be in a color you like, the shape that is comfortable for you to drink for and objectively – not be plastic as plastic manufacture toxic and is not resilient to temperature changes. 

How hydration helps sports performances

Sports performance is all about finding the right balance in training, eating, sleeping and setting a healthy daily routine. An AllStar in f this healthy routine is water as a minimum 60% of each one of our bodies is filled with it.

The most impressive effect hydration creates especially in athletes is lowering heart rate, as keeping blood volume and pressure at the right levels. This way the heart doesn’t need to overwork what improves performances during the day and in general.

Another impressive effect to consider is muscles cramps and its relief upon consumption of water.  When liquid levels in the body decline to a certain point the muscles have a higher risk of cramping. Those cramps can occur during a workout or the hours following it. 

For athletes that train more than once a day, this could be a major setback in their ability to improve sports performances but nevertheless, it also affects those who train also twice a week as lack of water through a workout can cause major pain, discomfort through those cramps and sometimes even inflammation if not released properly. 

What a bummer it is for someone who trains for the fun of it and for good health and finds him or herself skip workouts due to repetitive cramps? That could definitely ruin healthy active routine which is always resulted as counterproductive. Making sure to drink properly will help muscles stay flexible and fit for the next demanding activity, training or competition.

Last but not least is the need to drink water in order to prevent nerval malfunction such as headaches, nausea, and vomiting. All those symptoms occur due to insufficient water levels in the body, and once those symptoms start performance levels go drastically down. So keeping a proper hydration pre, during, and after physical activity is super important for you prior training to maximize performance and the enjoyment of it. 

Lastly, consider drinking water all day long and during activities as a preventive tool. Bear in mind that even a  tiny decrease of just 2-3% in liquid consumption levels will drop performance rate up to 20-30% without any symptoms. You will perform less and will not even know why.

Just make sure to drink water all through the day and keep this cute bottle within a reach. Here’s a good example of proper exercise-related drinking amounts I have found on the internet.

The effects of hydration on muscles recovery

Getting pick performance in sports is directly related to how fast can one recover from a hard day of exercise. The recovery process is even more important than the workout itself, as a well-recovered body can perform better sooner and time is always a variable to consider. Water and hydration rate plays a key role in this process and is essential for muscle recovery.

One positive effect of proper hydration on our recovery process is liter muscle soreness. This soreness appears in the following 24 to 48 hours after a workout. Generally new trainees are more likely to suffer from it, however, it can affect everyone. 

This is an essential part of the muscle development process and as such should be taken into consideration when working out. Drinking enough will gradually improve the body ability to resolve this pain faster, with better blood flow and removal of waste out of the body. Collecting waste is important, but taking the trash out is even more!

Another effect related to recovery is a better protein synthesis process, which must occur if muscles are to grow. This process is highly impacted by the liquid levels in the body.

If there isn’t enough water in our system protein synthesizing process becomes a second priority to the body general daily needs. In order to keep protein synthesis mechanism working at full thrust, one must keep drinking constantly and keep liquid levels high and healthy.

As there are two sides to every coin there’s another side to high consumption of water. It is called too much water consumption but getting it is not that easy nor excisable under the understanding that our urine system function works well, but we are here to try and expand knowledge so only fair to draw the whole picture. Bottom line is drink fairly well and balanced. The average consumption recommended is at least 2 liters or half a gallon a day.

General effects of proper hydration on energy levels

In addition to all the sports performance effects mentioned above having enough water in our body helps many other small daily functions. Good hydration helps keep us calm as there is less tension in our systems, it can reduce the tension on the heart and blood vessels and keep us headache free. 

It helps keep our brain in the right volume and improve our ability to think creatively and moreover, it helps prevent fatigue during the day. Be that as it may, drinking must be combined with the right food habits (as mentioned here in my healthy food post).

Generally, the most common effect of hydration is better daily energy levels, where happiness is only then within a grasp. We are less tired, more creative, efficient, helpful, vibrant, and can take an essential part of the community upon desire. 

Energy should not be wasted on the preservation of critical processes in the body but be used as a tool in our effort of becoming a better form of ourselves. All of our activities are affected by our hydration habits, so make sure you keep it healthy and good things will grow out of it.

Water is the driving force of all nature

Leonardo de Vinci

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