Dear One,
How can you help yourself avoid a heart attack? Your water drinking habits influence your overall health, and maybe the health of your heart. Can drinking more water help prevent a heart attack? When I gave a health talk at a retirement home not long ago, I was surprised at the answer I got to a question: what is the most frequent health problem among the residents?
Dehydration. Which may lead to a heart attack.
This information will help you avoid this yourself.
Your heart is constantly working, pumping about 2,000 gallons of blood a day. By staying hydrated – i.e. drinking more water than you are losing – you are helping your heart do its job. A hydrated heart is able to pump blood more easily, allowing the muscles in your body to work even better.
I dedided to write this post because a friend sent me an email that is circulating on the web about water, aspirin and heart attacks. the article references Dr. Somers of the Mayo Clinic. To verify statements attributed to him, I found on the Mayo Clinic web site a disclaimer. Their cardiac specialist had never drawn the dehydration=heart attack conclusion.
Nontheless, I found resonance with much that the email had to say about drinking water and so I did a little research of my own. The University of Pittsburg Medical Clinic has an informative piece on heart health and water.
“Dehydration causes strain on your heart. The amount of blood circulating through your body, or blood volume, decreases when you are dehydrated. To compensate, your heart beats faster, increasing your heart rate and causing you to feel palpitations. Also your blood retains more sodium, making it tougher for it to circulate through your body.
“So how much water should you drink to stay hydrated? It really depends on how much your body needs. Some situations where you should drink more water include:
- If you are exercising or doing other physical activities.
- If you have certain medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.
- If you are showing signs of dehydration, such as dizziness or weakness.
Please also keep in mind that certain medical conditions (such as heart failure, diabetes, heart disease) may require varying hydration strategies and consult with your physician as required.”
Everyone’s need for water is different, so take this with a grain of salt and use what seems helpful. I for one begin my day with 2 glasses of water, one of which is warm and has the juice of half a lemon squeezed into it.
Water is Almost Free, and the Advice is Free.
The circulating email lists several points about when to drink water that resonant with me. If they resonate with you, why not change a few habits to incorporate these suggestions. It can’t hurt. We don’t have to wait for scientific proof for everything we do. Dr. Shaklee was clear about that. Common sense is a good guide.
How many folks do you know who say they don’t want to drink anything before going to bed because they’ll have to get up during the night? Consider this:
Heart Attack and Water – Drinking one glass of water before going to bed may help avoid stroke or heart attack.
Why do we need to urinate so much at night? Gravity holds water in the lower part of your body when you are upright (legs swell). When you lie down and the lower body (legs and etc.) is level with the kidneys, it is then that the kidneys remove the water because it is easier. You need water to help flush the toxins out of your body. Apparently the work of flushing happens at night. Ever take a nap and wake up needing to rush to the bathroom? Perhaps the same thing is happening during the day.
Are there better times to drink water?
Drinking water at a certain time may maximize its effectiveness on the body:
- 2 glasses of water after waking up – helps activate internal organs
- 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal – helps digestion
- 1 glass of water before taking a bath – may help lower blood pressure
- 1 glass of water before going to bed – may avoid stroke or heart attack
Water at bed time may help prevent night time leg cramps. Leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse.
People tell me they don’t like the taste of water, so they drink tea, bottled drinks of all kinds and think that is enough. Pure water can’t be beat, so why not use a Shaklee Best Water pitcher to make your water tasty. You’ll save money. You’ll keep all those bottles out of the recycling/landfill. A new pitcher with its filter and a pack of three refills costs $105 member price. Every filter cleans 80 pitchers full of water. A dial on the top lets you know when to replace the filter. So easy. In my house, we go through a filter in about three months. One filter costs $19. That’s 800 8oz. bottles of water which would cost you $.13 each from Amazon in their 24 pack flat. The Shaklee price per 8 oz. is $.24, ten cents more.
Is it worth it to you to care for the environment by make your own clean water at home and filling your own portable water bottle? Think about it.
And keep your heart healthy while you are at it.
I hope this information is helpful to you. If it is, pass it on.
Be well, Do well and Keep moving!
Betsy
206 933 1889 24/7 VM
206 409 5940 cell
betsy@hihohealth.com
www.OpenBordersWithLove.com blog Open Borders: A Personal story of love, loss and anti-war activism, coming out in Sept.