Ever wondered why your massage therapist thrusts a
glass of water at you when your treatment is finished and advises you to
drink up?
It’s all for a good reason.
Massage can be very dehydrating on the body – all that kneading and work on the muscles forces fluid and metabolic waste out of the soft tissue and into the lymphatic system, where it heads towards your kidneys. (This is also why you often feel like you need the loo after a massage!) The lymphatic system acts a bit like the sewer pipes of the body – it collects and carries waste material away.
Tight or knotted muscles restrict circulation and inhibit your ability to flush out waste, so when massage has released that tension the waste that enters your circulatory system can be helped on its way to your kidneys by ensuring you have a good drink of water. If these waste products are left to build up in your body it can cause you soreness in the days following a massage as well as other side effects including headaches or nausea.
Massage can be very dehydrating on the body – all that kneading and work on the muscles forces fluid and metabolic waste out of the soft tissue and into the lymphatic system, where it heads towards your kidneys. (This is also why you often feel like you need the loo after a massage!) The lymphatic system acts a bit like the sewer pipes of the body – it collects and carries waste material away.
Tight or knotted muscles restrict circulation and inhibit your ability to flush out waste, so when massage has released that tension the waste that enters your circulatory system can be helped on its way to your kidneys by ensuring you have a good drink of water. If these waste products are left to build up in your body it can cause you soreness in the days following a massage as well as other side effects including headaches or nausea.
Many people feel lightheaded and disoriented after a massage, so a glass of water is also a good way of helping them ‘come round’ gently.
How much water should you be drinking?
We
all know water is vital to a healthy body, and most of us know that we
should probably be drinking a lot more of it. But how much, exactly?
There’s no official scientifically-proven answer to that, but it’s generally accepted that around 2 litres a day is the desired quantity. Any less than that and you can suffer from the effects described above, along with dry and inelastic skin, tiredness, irritability, depression or constipation. If you’re not used to drinking this much water it can be hard at first – not least with all extra the trips to the bathroom that you find yourself making! But if you build up your consumption over time your body and bladder do gradually adjust and you will find the benefits to your body and your skin are noticeable – drinking water really does go far beyond simply quenching our thirst.
There’s no official scientifically-proven answer to that, but it’s generally accepted that around 2 litres a day is the desired quantity. Any less than that and you can suffer from the effects described above, along with dry and inelastic skin, tiredness, irritability, depression or constipation. If you’re not used to drinking this much water it can be hard at first – not least with all extra the trips to the bathroom that you find yourself making! But if you build up your consumption over time your body and bladder do gradually adjust and you will find the benefits to your body and your skin are noticeable – drinking water really does go far beyond simply quenching our thirst.
Too much of a good thing is bad for you
I’ve
seen a few articles online recently which suggest you should be
drinking as much as 4 litres a day. This is somewhat alarming, as
where water is concerned it really can be a case of too much of a good
thing is bad for you. Water intoxication, or hyponatremia, occurs when
too much water is consumed over a short period of time, causing an
imbalance of electrolytes (salts) in the blood. This imbalance causes
the brain to swell and prevents it from regulating vital functions such
as breathing. It is extremely serious, and can cause death. Most cases
of hyponatremia are seen when athletes over-hydrate during training or in competition, in Class A drugs users (drugs induce excessive thirst) or in the
elderly, whose kidney functions may be impaired. Water intoxication is
thankfully rare, but in light of some advice that is knocking around on
the internet at the moment it’s definitely worth mentioning.
So the message of this blog is – go forth and drink plenty of water sensibly – it’s good for you!
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