Hydration and Gut Health : Does Pooping Cause Dehydration?

Connecting the Dots Between Dehydration and Bowel Movements

Water plays a vital role in maintaining your digestive health. Hydration is instrumental in keeping up with your gut health by helping produce saliva and other digestive enzymes, breaking down food, stimulating nutrient absorption to act as a stool softener, and regulating bowel movements.

When your body does not get enough water, you start suffering from dehydration due to causes like loose stools. Due to this, your intestines fail to add enough water to your stools, making them hard and stiff, making the bowel movements difficult. 

Your large intestine plays a role in the absorption of water from the stools formed, so if your body does not contain enough water, the intestines remove the water in the formed stools, leaving it extremely dry and hard.

Therefore, ensuring enough hydration is essential in maintaining good digestive health.

Hydration for Better Gut Health

Let us take a look at the benefits of hydrating your body for optimal functioning of your digestive wellness:

• It helps in the secretion of digestive enzymes, including saliva
• It helps in the proper mixing of food
• It helps in the absorption of nutrients 
• It maintains proper fluid-electrolyte balance in the kidney.
• It helps in the growth and healthy proliferation of gut flora
• It regulates proper waste elimination
• It helps to soften your stools
• It relieves constipation

Apart from all these benefits, hydration acts as rehydration when you suffer from conditions like loose stools/diarrhoea to replenish lost fluids from your body.

Does Drinking Water Help With Loose Stools?

Drinking enough water and keeping yourself well hydrated can help you effectively manage diarrhoea by preventing dehydration. 

Although dehydration results in the loss of fluid and electrolytes, loose stools must be replenished by taking enough electrolyte-rich drinks and foods rich in water.

But What Happens When You Take In Too Much Water?

Drinking too much water can lead to Overhydration/water poisoning. This situation can lead to symptoms like;

• Muscle cramps
• Confusion
• Disorientation
• Fluid and electrolyte imbalances

In an imbalance in fluid and electrolytes, your kidney fails to excrete more water, leading to various complications like fluctuating BP, kidney issues and other organ failure. 

So, being mindful about the amount of fluid you take in is very important, and make sure that your fluid intake is at a rate of more than 9-12 glasses per day unless your health expert says so.

Did you know that Ayurveda emphasizes starting your day with a glass of lukewarm water / ushna jalapana? 

As it is capable of detoxing your body by flushing out toxins and regulating your bowel movements, Practising Ushna jalapana is highly effective in managing constipation and preventing the signs of dehydration.

Feeling Thirsty After Bowel Movement? The Answer You Were in Search of Is Here!

The increased thirst you feel after a bowel movement can indicate the dehydration you suffer from. In conditions like IBS, where your body suffers from constipation and diarrhoea, your body tends to run out of enough water content, which can cause excessive thirst after bowel movement. So, make sure to hydrate your body with enough fluids.

Staying Hydrated in Style!

Even though it is always about drinking 'enough' water, it is essential to know that it is only sometimes a 'one-size-fits-all' approach when it is about hydrating your body. It can vary from person to person, depending on your body type, underlying medical condition and the medications you follow. 

So, it is always better to consult a healthcare practitioner if any dehydration symptoms that make you feel uncomfortable persist for longer.

Try these practical tips to improve your water intake!

• Add natural flavours like lemon juice to your glass of plain water to make it tastier.
• Avoid chugging too much-caffeinated drinks/ carbonated drinks/ sweetened canned drinks that can cause dehydration.
• Have refreshing breaks with drinks like coconut water and watermelon juice, which are naturally rich in fluids and electrolytes.
• Include foods rich in water content and electrolytes like spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.
• Always keep a bottle of water by your side that can constantly help you to hydrate your body.

Conclusion

Hydration is the key to unlocking your digestive wellness as it helps in the optimal functions of your digestive system, not just in the digestion of food but also in nutrient absorption, stool formation and regulating your bowel movements. As we have discussed in the earlier sections, hydration and the amount of water ideal for the proper functioning of your body is never a one-size-fits-all thing but varies depending on the individual needs. Therefore, consulting a health practitioner is essential before adjusting fluid intake. To know more about this, get connected to our Nirva experts now!