- Water allows your kidneys to do their job. Your kidneys are vital for your health and are one of the hardest working parts of your body. They keep your blood clean, removing excess water and waste. They also make sure that your body has a stable balance of salt and other substances. If you don’t get enough water in your system, your kidneys have to work harder to dissolve minerals and nutrients and remove waste products. Good hydration keeps your kidneys in good nick.
- Hydration can prevent kidney and bladder stones. Dehydration leads to more concentrated urine, which means that waste products are not being flushed out properly. These waste products will form crystals when there is a high concentration of them. These crystals can then build up in the kidneys and bladder and become stones. Find out more about Kidney Stones >>
- Keeping well hydrated prevents infection. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are the second most common infection in the human body. They occur when bacteria get into the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body) and cause an infection. These infections can then multiply and spread up from the bladder to the kidneys. Staying hydrated will produce more urine which will help your body flush out any infection causing bacteria.
How much hydration is too much hydration?
The advice on how much water to drink each day varies but is somewhere between 1 and 2 litres. This will be different for each person and will depend on a variety of factors, including how much exercise you’re doing and whether you have been under a hot sun and have been sweating a lot.
The best way for you to determine whether you are getting enough water is through the colour of your urine. If your urine is a clear colour then you’re doing well, but if it’s a darker colour then you need to go and get a glass of water!
Hopefully this Nutrition and Hydration Week is a good reminder for you to keep hydrated, especially as we enter the summer months, and take good care of your body.
If you have any questions about the health of your urology systems (bladder, kidneys, prostate, and male reproductive organs) then take a look on our Urology Health pages.
