As the sun sets on a scorcher of a summer, no-one wants to acknowledge the creeping onset of darker nights and the chill in the air which has just started to take hold. With weather experts promising warm weather until end of this month, October, surely there’s no need to think about winter just yet?!

If you’ve enjoyed the excesses of the hot weather, including beers by the pool and long days catching some rays, it’s time to think about a little TLC for your body.

Getting hydrated is vital but it’s not as simple as chugging back a few bottles of water. While water certainly helps, getting properly rehydrated is more complex, and crucial to our overall health. Here’s what every man needs to know….

Why Proper Hydration Matters

Whether you’re a gym rat or more of a chilling on the sofa kind of guy, around half to three-quarters of your body weight is made up of water. And if you don’t get enough your organs won’t work efficiently and will eventually pack up and fail.

Almost every single process in the body relies on water, from lubricating joints to regulating temperature and removing waste. Without sufficient water, you’ll start to feel pretty grotty.

The problem is that we all lose water constantly, even from simply breathing. We also lose hydration through our skin, and when we go to the toilet. You might think you are staying properly hydrated by taking in fluids whenever you feel thirsty. However, thirst is the first symptom of being dehydrated – if you wait until you’re thirsty to drink, you’re waiting too long!

It can also be more difficult to take in enough fluids if you’re not fit and healthy. The very young, the elderly, athletes and those who are sick, all might struggle to stay hydrated. If you’ve been out in the sun or have been drinking booze – or maybe both! – it’s also tough to avoid getting dehydrated or spot when fluid levels need topping up.

You don’t need to be seriously dehydrated to start having problems. Our bodies just don’t cope well with even a small drop in fluids. Just 1% dehydration can lead to problems with memory, attention, mood, coordination and motor skills.

Scientists aren’t exactly sure why even a small drop in hydration has such an effect but research suggests it’s because there’s a corresponding drop in brain fluid. This has the effect of reducing the volume of the brain, impairing its function and making you grumpy, irritable and unfocused.

The Effects of Insufficient Water

Although there is more to hydration than just taking in water, the benefits of water can’t be overstated.

If you don’t replace the water your body loses, your blood concentration levels change. This stimulates the kidneys to start preserving fluids and you will urinate far less frequently.

This may sound great because after all, having to nip to the toilet can be pretty inconvenient, right? However, the potential effects are serious.

When your blood becomes thicker, it’s harder for your heart to pump it around the body as usual and as your heart works overtime, your blood pressure rises. It doesn’t take much more to tip it over the edge; working out or getting too hot can be all it takes to faint or collapse.

You might also notice that you start to get too hot. This is because without enough fluids your body can’t regulate its own temperature and there’s the risk of hyperthermia, a condition where you dangerously overheat.

“Water is vital for life and essential to the functioning of your cells. This is true of all organs including the largest organ which is the skin. Skin is metabolically active and protective of the internal environment and having well hydrated skin helps it remain healthy, function correctly and slow down the effects of ageing.”

Dr Joshua Berkowitz – IV Boost London

The Importance Of Water

Although water is important for the whole body, it’s particularly essential for the skin. The skin is the largest organ in the body and made up from 64% water. If you’re dehydrated your skin will be one of the first places to show it.

We often associate our skin with looking youthful, but, it also performs some important functions too such as regulating temperature and acting as a barrier against toxins and harmful elements. Skin which is dehydrated may be flaky, sore, irritated, tight and dry and lack its natural softness. It may also crack, increasing the chances of infection.

On a less functional note, skin which isn’t properly hydrated will also be more wrinkly. When you are properly hydrated, your skin will be plump and radiated with wrinkles filled out and less visible.

Taking in water can help to keep your skin hydrated but with research showing that up to 7 out of every 10 people has dehydrated skin, to stay looking your best you’ll need a little more.

This is Thirsty Work…Getting Properly Hydrated

While there’s no denying the fact that water is a vital component of proper hydration, to get your skin and body looking their best, you need more.

A hydration IV drip is one of the latest developments to help you get the hydration you need, and offering far more than simply fluids.

A method which has found favour with many top celebrities, the Hydration IV Drip provides an instant solution, delivering a potent combination of saline, glucose, and electrolytes. If you’ve been overdoing the alcohol or have soaked up too much sun, this is exactly what you need to get on the road to recovery.

Calum Best, Tony Wrighton and Nicole Faraday are just some names who have attended IV Boost Clinic in the heart of London to make sure that they give themselves a good head start to maintaining proper hydration.

(Picture Credit: IV Boost in Wimpole Street www.ivboost.uk)

Also included in the Hydration IV Drip are Vitamins B and C, important for helping the body to detox and giving the liver a boost. This can get rid of a nagging headache or stomach-turning nausea, leaving you feeling immediately brighter and more functional.

You can also combine the Hydration IV Drip with an Energy Booster IV for the ultimate turbocharge. Including magnesium, vitamins and amino acids, this will give your body the kick-start it needs to perform at its best.

Let go of Summer, because Winter is coming…

Here at City Man, we’re completely on board with the benefits of getting a healthy boost and approaching health in a holistic way. So if you have a thirst for some more information on how to banish the summer blues for good, then get in touch.

The post Keeping hydrated, why water may not be enough for those new wrinkles & sluggish feeling appeared first on City Man Magazine.