Can Drinking Water Support Your Heart Health?

Your body is made of approximately 60% of water. Mitchel et al. (1945) found that the brain and heart consist of approximately 73% water, while the lungs contain around 83%. The skin is made up of 64% water, muscles and kidneys hold about 79%, and our bones even have water content of 31%. While water may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to heart health, it plays an important role and can even be associated with a lower risk of heart attack and stroke. Let’s break it down and see exactly how this works.

When your body is fully hydrated, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood. Water helps to keep the volume of your blood stable, so your heart can keep circulating blood properly. When you’re dehydrated this may come with common symptoms of dry mouth, dry skin, headaches and more. But what you’re not seeing is what’s going on inside, your blood becomes thicker, this makes it harder on your heart to pump blood and oxygen around your body. In turn this can cause a strain on your heart which can increase your risk of blood clots, heart attacks and even strokes.

Drinking water can also help to regulate blood pressure. As mentioned before, dehydration is linked to a drop in blood volume, which can have an effect on low blood pressure. In another way, dehydration can cause your body to release adrenaline (stress hormone), which also raises your blood pressure. Common signs of low blood pressure include feeling lightheaded, fainting, nausea, blurred vision, weakness and more. Avoid raising your blood pressure but drinking water consistently throughout the day.

Luckily this can be easily avoided and doesn’t require drastic changes or complicated routines. Simply drink enough water throughout the day, aiming for about 8 cups of water per day (this may vary depending on factors like age, active level and climate).

Tips for staying hydrated:

- Drink water before, during and after meals, helping with digestion.

- Carry a water bottle with you so you can always have water within reach.

- Add some flavour! Just Water Drops are a delicious peach and passionfruit flavour that is perfect for home or workplace.

It should be noted that drinking water isn’t the only thing that contributes to heart health, things like eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep are essential as well. Hydrating, however, is easy, low-cost, and often an overlooked part of the puzzle.

Mitchell, H.H., Hamilton, T.S., Steggerda, F.R., and Bean, H.W., 1945, The chemical composition of the adult human body and its bearing on the biochemistry of growth: Journal of Biological Chemistry, v. 158, issue 3, p. 625-637.