Hello Lovelies!
Having always been a bit obsessed with beauty, I've been an avid reader of magazines, and more recently in my life, blogs. I since then I have obviously started my own. I wanted to write about something that bugs the life right out of me though. And that is the "These things are what you should do to be beautiful, blah blah blah" magazine "facts" and these things are also I have noticed, been in blog posts. I myself believed these things when I was younger, but having studied nursing at university, and done some proper research on these matters for a variety of reasons, such as needing to know for assignments or just genuine interest, a lot of what you're reading is false information!
I thought I would start with the 'you must drink 2 litres of water a day' "fact". This is 100% completely and utterly wrong. Think for a moment if you will, that it is one of the weeks you have decided that you're going to be completely healthy. So out goes the fizzy drinks, tea, coffee etc., and you tell yourself, you WILL drink your "recommended" two litres of water a day. But it hits about mid-afternoon, and the thought of forcing yourself to drink more water literally makes you gag. Every time you move your stomach turns over and makes that god awful sloshing sound as all the water you have drank shifts. And completely on the other hand, you may be so thirsty because you've already drank your allowance.
This is because the amount of water your body requires is affected by a multitude of factors. Depending on any pre-existing medical conditions and something as simple as height, can affect the amount of water you're required to drink. Also, environmental temperatures and exercise are huge factors in determining the amount of water you should drink, or what your body needs.
Putting too much water into your body can put strain on your heart due to increasing blood volume. The heart has to pump harder in order to move the extra fluid around the body, and this increases your blood pressure. This sudden increase in your blood pressure, that your body is not used to can result in headaches and even visual disturbances; such as experiencing seeing black spots in front of your eyes if you stand up too quickly. Sounds a wee bit scary, but it wont be permanent!
Also there is a belief that drinking a lot of water is beneficial for your kidneys because it 'flushes them out' but in actual fact you can end up over working your kidneys by giving them too much water that they don't need. This can damage the glomerulus or the "filter" in your kidneys, making it less effective over time. And forcing your kidneys to filter all of the excess water can also strip essential electrolytes which if effected over a long period of time could make you very unwell.
These are definitely worst case - long term scenarios. There is nothing wrong with keeping yourself hydrated, however the key lies in not over hydrating. And how can you do this? By relying on when you feel thirsty. That's the simple be all and end all answer. If you're not thirsty don't drink, and if you're thirsty have a drink. And it doesn't even need to be water. Most fluids contain a degree of water and this will suffice in hydration. If you exercise, you'll need more water than someone who doesn't as you lose water while sweating. If you live in a hot country you will need more water. If you're taller chances are you'll need more water than someone who is short. Also a lot of food contains some water, so you are constantly, unconsciously hydrating your body that way. This is not something you need to kick up a fuss about. Listen to what your own body is telling you. There is absolutely no rule for the amount of fluid you should intake on a daily basis, that my friends is all circumstantial!
Unfortunately there is no end to this false beauty myth, with is being found everywhere from skin care advice to weight loss advice. But my hope is that after reading this you can ignore it and take it with a pinch of salt!
Click here for a story on a woman who died by drinking too much water in 2007: Link
Rebekah
xxx
*all clinical information is not opinion, facts taken from various established clinical journals and anatomy textbooks*
Having always been a bit obsessed with beauty, I've been an avid reader of magazines, and more recently in my life, blogs. I since then I have obviously started my own. I wanted to write about something that bugs the life right out of me though. And that is the "These things are what you should do to be beautiful, blah blah blah" magazine "facts" and these things are also I have noticed, been in blog posts. I myself believed these things when I was younger, but having studied nursing at university, and done some proper research on these matters for a variety of reasons, such as needing to know for assignments or just genuine interest, a lot of what you're reading is false information!
I thought I would start with the 'you must drink 2 litres of water a day' "fact". This is 100% completely and utterly wrong. Think for a moment if you will, that it is one of the weeks you have decided that you're going to be completely healthy. So out goes the fizzy drinks, tea, coffee etc., and you tell yourself, you WILL drink your "recommended" two litres of water a day. But it hits about mid-afternoon, and the thought of forcing yourself to drink more water literally makes you gag. Every time you move your stomach turns over and makes that god awful sloshing sound as all the water you have drank shifts. And completely on the other hand, you may be so thirsty because you've already drank your allowance.
This is because the amount of water your body requires is affected by a multitude of factors. Depending on any pre-existing medical conditions and something as simple as height, can affect the amount of water you're required to drink. Also, environmental temperatures and exercise are huge factors in determining the amount of water you should drink, or what your body needs.
Putting too much water into your body can put strain on your heart due to increasing blood volume. The heart has to pump harder in order to move the extra fluid around the body, and this increases your blood pressure. This sudden increase in your blood pressure, that your body is not used to can result in headaches and even visual disturbances; such as experiencing seeing black spots in front of your eyes if you stand up too quickly. Sounds a wee bit scary, but it wont be permanent!
Also there is a belief that drinking a lot of water is beneficial for your kidneys because it 'flushes them out' but in actual fact you can end up over working your kidneys by giving them too much water that they don't need. This can damage the glomerulus or the "filter" in your kidneys, making it less effective over time. And forcing your kidneys to filter all of the excess water can also strip essential electrolytes which if effected over a long period of time could make you very unwell.
These are definitely worst case - long term scenarios. There is nothing wrong with keeping yourself hydrated, however the key lies in not over hydrating. And how can you do this? By relying on when you feel thirsty. That's the simple be all and end all answer. If you're not thirsty don't drink, and if you're thirsty have a drink. And it doesn't even need to be water. Most fluids contain a degree of water and this will suffice in hydration. If you exercise, you'll need more water than someone who doesn't as you lose water while sweating. If you live in a hot country you will need more water. If you're taller chances are you'll need more water than someone who is short. Also a lot of food contains some water, so you are constantly, unconsciously hydrating your body that way. This is not something you need to kick up a fuss about. Listen to what your own body is telling you. There is absolutely no rule for the amount of fluid you should intake on a daily basis, that my friends is all circumstantial!
Unfortunately there is no end to this false beauty myth, with is being found everywhere from skin care advice to weight loss advice. But my hope is that after reading this you can ignore it and take it with a pinch of salt!
Click here for a story on a woman who died by drinking too much water in 2007: Link
Rebekah
xxx
*all clinical information is not opinion, facts taken from various established clinical journals and anatomy textbooks*
Wow amazing! I'm looking forward to these posts :D xx
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it! xx
DeleteYes!!! I loved this, I hate when people stick to the 2 litre thing x
ReplyDeleteIt has bugged me for a while, and someone tweeting it the other day sent me over the edge and I decided to start doing posts like this! xx
DeleteThat was really interesting, thanks for the eye opening post :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm hoping to make an impact with this new blog series. Some of the things people are being told in order to be "beautiful" or "healthy" is wrong, and I want to put a stop to it! xx
DeleteI'm so glad I don't have to force 2 litres down any more! Looking forward to more posts like this! :) hannah @ hashtagbeauty.com
ReplyDeletexo
There's nothing worse! It used to make me feel so sick! Xx
DeleteThis is such an informative and helpful post :) xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you! I like to think I'm helping people haha xx
DeleteVery interesting and informative! I think is wrong anyway to say every person needs 2 liters of water. Like you said, a taller person might need more. The amount differs per individual.
ReplyDeleteOn a daily base I have to drink a lot, 1,5-2 liters, but other people in my environment don't need more than 2 glasses.
Good post. An eyeopener, especially for the people who truly believed the myth!
X
Probably the most occurring point in this post and the similar ones that follow is that absolutely everything varies depending on the individual!
Deletethanks for reading! xx
TRUE! You do need to keep fluids up though. Did you know that when you are dehydrated enough, you no longer feel thirst! Colour of pee is always a good hint! The darker, the less hydrated! It should be a pale yellow. I sometimes drink a bit much but aside from frequent peeing, it is of no consequence. Comes out the same colour it went in, body will start to struggle if you give it more. Sweating, vomiting and upset tummy, you should always drink water to replenish lost fluids even if you don't feel thirsty. An ideal beverage serving is 200-250ml! Thus recommendation of 8 glasses. But yes, it is a myth you need to drink that much! But it is important to make sure you drink enough :) I drink about 1.5l as I have a bottle I fill and drink from and usually drink most of it + squash or juice. I'm odd and don't like drinking the bottom of a drink... Great post! xx
ReplyDeleteYes hun, I am aware all about dehydration too, I'm a nurse :) I didn't really touch much on that in this post as I had planned to discuss it in my next health related one - so don't fret I will cover that! However, it is untrue that urine "should" be pale yellow, especially as that can mean different things to different people, and again pre-existing medical conditions can affect the concentration - making it impossible for urine to become that pale colour. It has more to do with the amount you produce at an hourly rate, which is normally be between 30-50mls, however it all starts to become a bit impractical about measuring your urine. It is unimportant to strictly monitor the fluids you intake and output unless you are unwell. And I wrote this post under the assumption that most people reading it have access to fluids when they are required. In every day life it is uncommon for people to suffer from cases of dehydration severe enough to dispel the thirst feeling, however I have heard of busy mums being hospitalised with dehydration as they have failed to care for themselves as they've been too busy looking after their children.
DeleteGlad you liked the post! xx