Hydration & Energy Optimization

Dehydration and low energy are common issues that can affect performance, focus, and overall health. That’s because staying hydrated is essential for the body to maintain healthy muscle function, brain clarity, and endurance. In fact, according to researchers at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, proper hydration helps to maintain body temperature, keep joints lubricated, prevent infections, and ensure optimal organ function.

Why Hydration and Energy Matter

Maintaining proper hydration appears to enhance other bodily functions, such as energy, sleep, and mood, ultimately impacting your body’s performance when engaging in physical activities or even performing normal daily tasks.

While drinking enough water is the most obvious way to replenish the body’s fluids, getting and staying well-hydrated involves more than that. To help you stay hydrated while restoring your body’s energy and boosting your performance, you will need to pay attention to molecules known as electrolytes, including sodium. Keep reading to learn more about the science behind hydration, electrolytes, and energy production.

What Causes Dehydration and Low Energy?

Dehydration is defined as a bodily state where the body loses more fluid than it takes in. This can be caused by excessive loss of bodily fluids, inadequate intake of liquids, or both.

Here are some common reasons people become dehydrated:

The Role of Electrolytes and Nutrients in Hydration and Energy

Electrolytes and certain nutrients play an important role in staying hydrated and maintaining energy levels. Learn more about the science behind hydration, electrolytes, and nutrients.

Electrolytes for Fluid Balance and Hydration

There are several electrolytes important for bodily health, including sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, and bicarbonate. As mentioned, electrolytes are essential for maintaining a healthy balance of fluids, as well as promoting healthy muscle function, and diminished levels of these electrolytes can cause some serious health issues. In these cases, electrolyte supplements for energy may be necessary for electrolyte imbalances.

Sodium and potassium, in particular, help to maintain hydration and prevent muscle cramps, but they are often lost through sweat. Magnesium is another important electrolyte that supports muscle recovery and cellular energy production.

B Vitamins and Energy Production

B vitamins impact energy levels, as they help to support electrolyte transport systems that take place in the body. These systems are a part of keeping the body’s fluid levels balanced, maintaining healthy levels of electrolytes, and preventing dehydration during physical activity.

Thiamine (B1) is a particularly important factor in maintaining energy, according to Bioscience Reports, as it assists in creating energy from carbohydrates. It also helps keep a healthy balance of fluid that prevents the body from becoming dehydrated during a workout.

Pyridoxine (B6) can also assist in supporting electrolyte balance in the body. According to a European Journal of Biochemistry report, B6 is essential to the proper functioning of sodium-potassium pumps, which maintain healthy fluid levels and prevent dehydration. Cobalamin (B12) also plays a part in energy production and, as a result, is often promoted as an energy enhancer, according to the National Institute of Health. Both vitamins B6 and B12 also aid in boosting energy levels as they help to break down carbohydrates and fats into energy.

Natural Hydration Boosters

When the body is depleted of fluid to the point that it becomes dehydrated, water is typically not enough to restore the fluids lost. Electrolyte restoration is essential, especially after an intense workout. A 2017 journal article published in the IOSR Journal of Sports and Physical Education suggests that coconut water can be more beneficial than drinking water alone, as it has electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium. Coconut water powder is one example of a natural hydration booster, as it contains natural electrolytes but without artificial additives.

Adaptogens are another option for a natural hydration solution. These plants, herbs, and other natural substances are thought to help, which can be either plant-based or synthetic, with the purpose of helping the body cope with stress. Two specific adaptogens, ashwagandha and rhodiola, are frequently used to combat stress-related fatigue and sustain energy.

A research review published in Chinese Medicine reveals that these adaptogens can help prevent the effects of cellular stress. They improve adrenal gland performance and ensure healthy levels of stress hormones. Together, electrolytes, vitamins, and adaptogens ensure hydration and stamina.

Natural Ways to Stay Hydrated and Energized

Proper hydration is essential to healthy brain function and physical endurance. Harvard Medical School found that proper hydration reduces fatigue and supports better metabolism, enhancing energy levels. Still, hydration is important for more than just effective muscular performance; a study in ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal found that even mild dehydration reduces cognitive performance and endurance by up to 10%.

So, how can you ensure your body and brain remain hydrated?

Drink Adequate Amounts of Water

One of the most obvious ways (as well as one of the healthiest ways) to keep hydrated throughout the day is to make sure that you are drinking enough water, especially when you are not as physically active. The American Council on Exercise suggests drinking at least 17-20 ounces of water several hours before exercising, with an additional eight ounces at least half an hour before and after working out.

Ensure Electrolyte Balance

Electrolyte balance is also crucial to sustaining energy levels, particularly sodium and potassium. According to the CDC, maintaining a healthy balance of these electrolytes enables nerves and muscles to function as they should, regulates blood pressure, and facilitates blood cell production.. The National Institutes of Health states that magnesium is also essential for maintaining energy levels as it helps to sustain healthy blood glucose levels. Magnesium also promotes healthy muscle and nerve function, boosts the immune system, and helps keep the heart beating at a healthy rate.

Eat Whole, Healthy Foods

Maintaining proper nutrition is essential to promoting optimal energy levels. Eating whole foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, can help you stay hydrated. According to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, about 20-25% of the average person’s daily water intake is from food sources. Nutrition Reviews states that healthy snacks such as fruits and vegetables are made up of about 80-99% water and are, therefore, a great hydration option. Some fruits and vegetables that contain the most water include lettuce, cabbage, spinach, berries, melons, oranges, and grapes.

Avoid Dehydrating Foods and Drinks

If you are striving for a diet to optimize your hydration and energy, it is crucial to avoid those foods and drinks that can speed dehydration. For example, consuming highly processed foods that contain more salt and sugar is dehydrating and can cause you to feel thirsty.

It is also important to make sure that you are managing your caffeine intake. While drinking caffeinated drinks, such as coffee, can help you feel more energized for a time as it stimulates the nervous system, the subsequent energy crash can have the opposite effect. Research featured in the National Library of Medicine shows that since caffeine can be a diuretic, it can also be a direct cause of dehydration.

Can Supplements Support Hydration and Energy?

While the above tips are crucial to healthy hydration and energy levels, sometimes, more is needed to restore balance, promote hydration, and boost energy naturally. A simple way to obtain more of the nutrients needed to support hydration and energy is to take a hydration and energy supplement.

Supplements may be helpful for maintaining optimal hydration during vigorous physical activities or intense workouts, and they may even be beneficial for busy days when you may not be drinking as much fluid as you should. Supplements may also provide long-lasting energy compared to caffeinated or sugary drinks that typically give you a short energy boost and can help you prevent the crash that can happen after drinking liquids that are high in sugar and caffeine.

Supplements for stamina typically contain important compounds for hydration and energy, such as sodium, potassium, B vitamins, and adaptogens. STAAR LABS REFUEL+ is one example of a premium supplement designed to optimize energy, replenish electrolytes, and support hydration.

Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is essential to the body as it helps to maintain body temperature, lubricates joints, prevents infections, and boosts energy. Both hydration and energy are influenced by fluid intake, electrolytes, and other healthy habits, which is why it is so important to make sure that you are replenishing fluids, electrolytes, and nutrients throughout your day. Prioritizing water intake, increasing your intake of healthy, whole foods, avoiding dehydrating foods and drinks, and supplementing nutrients important to hydration are key ways of increasing your energy.

Interested in learning more about hydration and energy balance? Explore our health and wellness resources and expert-backed articles.

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