Here at Kratom Spot, we swear by kratom’s ability to benefit users’ wellness in a variety of ways. But one common kratom side-effect doesn’t get nearly enough attention: dehydration. We’re here with some of the best tips for staying hydrated, so you can keep your body working at peak efficiency and enjoy the very best that our world-class kratom has to offer!
What’s Kratom Got To Do With Staying Hydrated?
What’s a blog covering tips for staying hydrated doing on Kratom Spot, you ask? Simple: dehydration is one of the most common side-effects of kratom use. But good news! With a bit of education and a few easy changes to your routine, staying hydrated while using kratom is also quite easy!
Does Kratom Dehydrate the Body? Diuretic Basics
Yes: in general, kratom has a dehydrating effect. However, this can be easily countered by a few basic self-care practices (more on tips for staying hydrated below).
First things first, kratom is what’s known as a “diuretic”. That means that kratom encourages the body to flush water, sodium, and liquid waste out more rapidly. And when you flush water out of your system rapidly, your risk of dehydration increases.
While diuretics are beneficial for a number of medical conditions (and may even be prescribed by a doctor), many users unknowingly take diuretics as part of their everyday diet! Some of the most common natural diuretics include:
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Ginger
- Parsley
Are You Dehydrated? Common Signs of Dehydration
Staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your health.
While severe dehydration is often an obvious condition, low-level dehydration is much harder to detect. Nonetheless, even minor dehydration can have a negative impact on your mood, your appearance, and your overall health!
Are you staying properly hydrated? Here are some of the most common signs of dehydration; if any of these sound familiar, it might be time to up your daily water intake!
Signs of Light Dehydration:
- Feeling Thirsty
- Yellow, Strong-Smelling Urine
Signs of Moderate Dehydration
- Dry Mouth
- Lethargy
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Constipation
- Muscle Weakness
Signs of Severe Dehydration
- Reduced sweating or lack of sweating
- Sunken eyes
- Dry skin
- Low blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Fever
Although you’ll almost certainly catch the signs of moderate to severe dehydration and increase your daily water intake, even light dehydration can take a toll on your mood, energy, and overall health!
The Best Tips for Staying Hydrated
Hydration is one of the most important factors for your wellness, and we could all use a few tips for staying hydrated!
That’s especially true if you regularly take a natural diuretic such as caffeine or kratom. Don’t wait for dehydration to strike! Be proactive and incorporate these tips for staying hydrated into your daily routine; your body will thank you for it.
Tip 1: Set a daily water goal
No surprise here: upping your daily water intake is the number one best way to stay hydrated. But what is the right amount of water for you? Well, that’s where it gets a bit tricky.
You may have heard the rule of “8 8oz glasses of water per day”, making for a total of 64oz of water daily. While that’s a great rule of thumb that will guarantee a substantial amount of water, it’s not necessarily the be-all-end-all of tips for staying hydrated.
Individual water needs vary based on a number of factors, including age, exercise level, sex, body size and shape, and the surrounding environment. In short? No single recommendation for daily water intake can ever be a one-size-fits-all figure.
Use the 64oz guideline as a starting figure. From there, you should probably up your daily water goal for any lifestyle or environmental factors that demand it, such as:
- Above average body size
- Pregnancy
- Regular exercise
- Medical conditions such as heart problems or kidney stones
- Hot or dry weather
- High altitude
Just remember that everyone’s water needs are different, and you’ll likely need to play around with your daily water intake before finding the figure that works best for you!
Tip 2: Not a fan of water? Spice up your hydration routine with a tasty beverage!
While drinking enough water is the king of tips for staying hydrated, water comes in all shapes, sizes, and, yes, flavors!
But let’s face it: plain old water can get boring after a while. Especially if you’re trying to increase your daily water intake substantially, it may seem like a bit of a chore to be chugging away all day!
Try incorporating something a bit tastier into your hydration routine:
- Sports drinks: Especially for athletes working out in hot, dry environments, sports drinks can not only hydrate but also provide a much-needed dose of electrolytes.
- Fruit infusion: Add slices of fresh fruit to your water for a zesty, refreshing twist! Better yet, consider trying one of these recipes for fruit-infused water.
- Protein shakes: While tips for staying hydrated is this article’s focus, adding a dose of flavored protein powder to your water can kill two birds with one stone: making your hydration tastier and also helping your body get its daily protein intake.
Of course, these tasty beverages come with their own complications — such as adding calories into your daily diet. Be sure to account for these extra numbers in your diet, lest our tips for staying hydrated start packing on a few extra lb’s!
Tip 3: Eat more water!
You read that right! Not all of our daily water intake needs to come from liquids. In fact, several studies have shown that, on average, we get about 20% of our daily water needs from the food we eat!
All foods contain some water, but certain foods are better than others for staying hydrated. In particular, look to add more fresh fruits and veggies, which can contain up to 90% water!
Pro tips for staying hydrated through your diet: try to eat more of the following tasty, naturally-hydrating snacks:
- Watermelon
- Strawberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cucumber
- Celery
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Spinach
Tip 4: Take regular water breaks
Whether you’re at work, at home, or on-the-go, it’s easy to lose track of time and miss out on your regularly-scheduled hydration.
To combat this, try to turn your water routine into a bit of a ritual with some of the following mini tips for staying hydrated:
- Keep a reusable water bottle filled and within arm’s reach wherever you are.
- In between work tasks, fun activities, or what have you, take time out for a few sips of celebratory water.
- If sitting for an extended period of time, be sure to stand for at least a minute of every hour, and use that time to get in a bit of much needed hydration, too!
Tips for Staying Hydrated, In Closing
At the end of the day, staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your body. Even if you’ve been good about hydrating in the past, adding a natural diuretic like kratom into your routine can change your body’s water needs and may require a bit of recalculation!
The last thing you want is for your kratom wellness regimen to negatively affect your hydration or any other key lifestyle factors. So if you’re going to make our quality kratom powder a part of your everyday routine, be sure to increase your daily water intake and keep your body working at peak performance!