Water & Fibromyalgia

Water & Fibromyalgia

It is a recognised fact that there are huge health benefits in drinking water, but when it comes to Fibromyalgia which is a disorder that is made up of several debilitating symptoms, can water really prove beneficial in dealing with some of these issues?

We know that people with Fibromyalgia suffer with intense joint and muscle pains, disturbed sleep, frequent headaches and digestive issues such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome . It has also been said that those suffering with Fibromyalgia may also have lower levels of magnesium and zinc in their bodies and therefore upping our intake of water can help in many ways.

Fatigue and headaches are often the result of being dehydrated, so it makes sense that if we can increase our water consumption, these symptoms may lessen or in some cases disappear altogether. I have never really been a lover of water, I have always been tempted to add a teabag, however since increasing my water intake, my headaches certainly have decreased significantly.  It is very rare now that I am plagued with that all consuming, overwhelming tiredness unless I am having a flare, so perhaps water is playing its part here too.

Some Fibromyalgia sufferers may have a compromised immune system and again water has been proven to help keep this system in optimum health which in turn puts less stress on the body and of course, we all know the effects of stress on a Fibro body.

Water loss can also wreck havoc with our bodies, so it is important that the loss through urinating, sweating and bowel movements (which accounts for about 4 pints of water a day) is replenished so as to ensure that our bodies work efficiently and that we are not stressing our bodies any more than is necessary and alleviating our Fibro symptoms in the process.

Here are a few tips you can follow to ensure you are getting your water quota each day:

  • You should be aiming to drink about 2 litres of water a day or the equivalent to 8 8oz glasses of water.
  • Avoid diuretics such as coffee, tea, fizzy drinks and alcohol. They make your body lose water much more easily. Caffeine also can remove the all important magnesium from our bodies, already lacking in Fibro sufferers and contributes to our muscle cramps.
  • If you can’t manage without your caffeine fix, then you should up the water intake and aim to drink 2 glasses of water with every 1 cup of your caffeinated beverage. This will then keep your hydration levels up and ensure that toxins are flushed from your system.

If you are not used to drinking a lot of water, be prepared for lots of trips to the toilet in the early days, this does settle down eventually. Try and sip your water throughout the day with the majority of it being consumed in the morning and early afternoon, this will hopefully help in you having a few less visits to the toilet during the night. Ideally your water should be at room temperature rather than straight from the fridge and try to drink your water about 30 minutes before or after a meal rather than with it. If you really cannot tolerate water on its own, try adding some lemon, mint or cucumber to take the edge off.

Enjoy!!

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