We know you’ve heard it time and time again — drink more water! Water is crucial to our survival, especially during the summertime. We might spend more time in the water, but many of us forget to drink enough of it. And what does water have to do with your spine?
Water and Your Body
The human body is made up of about 60-65% water, and many of the body’s functions depend on proper hydration to work efficiently. Every single cell in the body needs water, and it does many things including:
Regulates body temperature
Carries oxygen and nutrients to cells
Keep tissues moisturized, like your nose, eyes, and mouth
Flushes out waste products in the liver and kidney, which lightens the load for those organs
Dissolves minerals and other nutrients, making them more accessible to the body
Helps prevent constipation and increases the ease of bowel movements
Protects body tissues and organs
Assists in the metabolism process, and helps with weight loss and increased energy
Provides lubrication for the joints
This list is by no means complete, but gives you an idea of just how much water helps the body. Now that you know how important it is for your body as a whole, let’s look at the relationship between water and your spine.
Your Spine
In order for your spine to function optimally, it needs to be hydrated. Spinal discs are mostly made of water, but they cannot absorb water like the rest of your body. These discs receive their nutrition (water included) through imbibition, which results only when there is proper motion between the joints above and below each specific disc. That motion creates an effect like a pump and the nutrients then move in and out of the disc. If your spinal discs are to do their job properly, they need adequate hydration.
How Much Water?
Just how much water is enough? A good habit to get into is to drink half of your body weight in ounces. So, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should aim for 80 ounces of water per day. Keep in mind that alcohol and coffee actually dehydrate the body, so if you consume them regularly, make sure you are accounting for that in your daily water intake.
Chiropractic Care
Subluxations impair the imbibition process and the spinal discs ability to get nutrients. When the spinal discs are deprived of water, it can lead to disc degeneration, spinal decay, and instability. When the spine fails, so does the nervous system’s ability to function which affects every system, organ, and cell in the body When you take care of the hydration part, we can take care of the chiropractic adjustment part to correct subluxations and keep your spine healthy.
The days of summer may be coming to a close, but it is important to get in the habit of keeping yourself hydrated all year round. Make sure you are getting enough water every day and that you are maintaining your regular chiropractic care routine. To schedule your next adjustment, just click here!
