Staying properly hydrated is one of the easiest and most important things you can do for your overall health. Proper hydration increases energy, prevents headaches, helps you flush toxins from your body, and promotes healthy skin.
It also supports optimal body functions, including those performed by your cardiovascular system. Staying hydrated impacts blood pressure and should be one of your first considerations if you’re experiencing high blood pressure.
What Is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the force exerted by your blood against the walls of your arteries. A blood pressure reading includes two numbers: systolic and diastolic pressure. Doctors use the numbers to diagnose and manage conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure), which puts you at risk for a variety of overall health issues, including heart disease and stroke.
Many factors, one of which is hydration, affect blood pressure. Some of these factors are within your control, while others are not. Of course, it stands to reason that you should do all you can to manage the factors you can control, which helps balance out those you cannot.
Factors not including hydration that affect blood pressure include:
- Genetics
- Diet and nutrition
- Physical activity
- Stress
- Age
- Weight
- Alcohol and tobacco use
- Sleep quality
- Medications and medical conditions
How Do You Know If You Have High Blood Pressure?
The best way to determine if you have high blood pressure is to visit your doctor for a checkup. They’ll use a blood pressure cuff to measure your blood pressure, and they’ll give you information regarding your reading.
Remember, blood pressure tends to spike a bit when seeing a doctor, but the number you get is still a good indication of your regular blood pressure. If you aren’t concerned about your blood pressure but are curious or like to check it between doctor’s visits, you can visit a store or pharmacy with a blood pressure machine or invest in a blood pressure cuff to use at home.
Symptoms of high blood pressure include:
- Headaches
- Shortness of breath
- Nosebleeds
- Dizziness
- Chest pain
- Visual disturbances
- Fatigue or confusion
Your blood pressure reading will include two numbers expressed as a fraction: the systolic and diastolic readings. The systolic, or top number, in the fraction indicates the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats. The diastolic, or bottom number, indicates the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats.
Ideally, the best blood pressure will be approximately a systolic blood pressure less than 120 mmHg and a diastolic pressure less than 80 mmHg, expressed as 120/80 mmHg. High blood pressure, often diagnosed as hypertension, is typically defined as having a systolic pressure of 130 mmHg or higher and a diastolic pressure of 80 mmHg or higher.
How Does Hydration Affect Blood Pressure?
It surprises many people to learn that their hydration level affects their blood pressure. While it’s unlikely you’ll have consistent hypertension due solely to dehydration, being dehydrated could cause a “false” high reading. Over time, it could also cause your blood pressure to be slightly higher than usual.
This is because proper hydration helps your body maintain the proper blood volume in your circulatory system, ensuring that your blood can flow through your body at the proper pressure.
A dehydrated body tends to have thicker, more viscous blood. It might help you to understand how hydration affects blood pressure by envisioning how it feels to drink different liquids through a straw.
Water moves through a straw quickly and without requiring much suction. On the other hand, if you try to drink a thick milkshake through a straw, it moves slowly, even with more effort. The same is true for blood. The thicker it is, the more slowly it circulates through the blood vessels.
In addition to affecting blood viscosity, dehydration also affects your body’s balance of electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals in your body. They include sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
An imbalance in electrolytes can cause you to feel “off” and affect your kidney function and heart health. Keeping hydrated prevents spikes that occur in blood pressure when your electrolyte levels are out of whack.
Risks of Dehydration
It should come as no surprise to learn that dehydration puts you at risk of a variety of health issues. These include cardiovascular risks, as well as others. Short-term dehydration symptoms include:
- Thirst
- Dry mouth
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Decreased urine output
- Headache
- Confusion
Long-term dehydration symptoms include:
- Kidney stones
- Urinary tract infections
- Chronic kidney disease
- Reduced cognitive function
- Increased risk of heat-related illnesses
Staying Properly Hydrated
Preventing hydration is a two-step process. The first is understanding how much liquid your body requires to stay hydrated. The second is determining how you’ll ingest this much water each day.
The simplest way to know whether you are hydrated is to monitor the short-term symptoms of dehydration. If you’re thirsty, have a headache or dry mouth, or use the bathroom very infrequently, there’s a good chance you’re dehydrated. One simple trick to tell if you are hydrated properly is to evaluate the color of your urine.
The lighter the color, the more hydrated you are. As a general guideline, the average person should drink about eight glasses or two liters of water each day. Factors that affect exactly how much you should drink include:
- Age
- Activity level
- Climate/temperature
- Health conditions
Once you determine how much water you should drink each day, you’ll need to determine how you’ll drink it. It might seem easy to stay hydrated, especially if you spend a lot of time at home or work in an office. However, staying hydrated can be challenging when traveling, attending a special event, or working outdoors.
A refillable water bottle is one of the best tools for staying hydrated in these situations. These bottles can be used, washed, and reused again and filled at a faucet, drinking fountain, or water filling station.
If you’d like to know more about having clean, healthy drinking water on-site during various situations or you’re curious about the effects of dehydration, book a quick call.