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Water is considered an inherently feminine element. It guides creativity and is symbolic of emotion. Water makes up 55-60% of our bodies.
When it comes to hydration in women, water is truly an essential nutrient for hormone balance. From head to toe and crown to root chakra, adequate fluid balance is key to making your body run like the amazing machine it is.
Hormone Balance and Hydration
Being well-hydrated boosts blood circulation within your body. Blood flow impacts how your hormones are regulated. According to Stacy Sims, Ph.D., exercise physiologist, athletic performance can be improved by sufficient blood volume circulation.
For women and women-identifying folks, it’s even more crucial to get adequate hydration for a good workout. That’s because your menstrual cycle significantly impacts your fluid balance. So paying attention to your cycle is one way to combat these finicky fluid fluctuations.
The Fluidity of Sex Hormones
During your period, you lose about 8% of your plasma premenstrually in the luteal phase. This blood volume deficit affects your body’s fluid regulation. Sex hormones (estradiol and progesterone) impact and are impacted by:
- Thirst
- Fluid intake
- Sodium intake
Women’s bodies are especially sensitive to fluid volume deficits and sodium excess in the blood. In addition, because of the hormonal impact, women are at risk for specific syndromes such as orthostatic hypotension and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Make sure you’re hydrating well to protect your health and hormones.
The Chakras
The 7 chakras are energy centers that combine four dimensions of human experience: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Chakras merge the physical and spiritual, providing a holistic approach to powerful change and healing.
Receptors for estrogen (which influence fluid balance) are found in the hypothalamus, cardiovascular system, and kidney tubules. These all correlate to specific chakra centers, in corresponding energy and location.
1. The Third Eye
Your hypothalamus plays an essential role in regulating thirst. That's because it is a receptor for estrogen. The hormone estradiol is stimulated by changes in plasma volume when you’re dehydrated. This stimulates the release of AVP (arginine-vasopressin), which increases thirst.
The third eye chakra rules the mind. So it’s no wonder your cognitive and emotional state is affected by water.
2. Healing Heart
Sometimes, getting the inner motivation to get up and move or crush that intense weekly workout is hard. Look to nurture your heart chakra to find inspiration and peace. That’s because a healthy heart chakra nourishes self-love and confidence.
Your heart chakra also rules the cardiovascular system and breathing, which is vital for circulation.
Estrogen receptors are found in the cardiovascular system, and hormones help regulate smooth muscle tissue. Drinking enough water helps blood flow and keeps your muscles hydrated and ready for action.
Athletic Circulation
Findings revealed that consuming protein and carbs post-workout helped with better hydration status.
We know it’s vital to hydrate, but adding sodium helps cells retain fluid instead of simply diuresing. That’s because sodium maintains fluid balance within your cells. It may be helpful to take an electrolyte supplement, especially around your menstrual cycle.
3. Create Sacral Space
The organs associated with the sacral chakra are the reproductive system, kidneys, and bladder. Sacral energy encourages the flow of healthy emotions, sexuality, and creativity. Dehydration can cause a deficiency in these organs and functions, thus causing an imbalance.
Regarding reproductive health, dehydration is common for pregnant people and breastfeeding parents. Breastfeeding can be incredibly calorie-consuming and dehydrating. It’s imperative to take time to hydrate yourself for a healthy womb, and balanced hormones, especially as hormones shift during pregnancy and postpartum.
The kidney filters urine and wastes in your body. The emotion of fear is often associated with a malfunctioning kidney. Drinking enough water helps the kidneys, which also harbor estrogen receptors that regulate fluid balance.
Clear Bacteria
Women are more prone to UTIs (urinary tract infections) than men. Preventing dehydration is akin to stopping a UTI in its tracks. Voiding regularly clears the bladder, so bacteria are flushed out. Don’t hold your pee!
Age Gracefully
Staying hydrated is an anti-aging cheat code. Skin, the large organ in the body, is 64% water. From skin to hair, fluids produce a sustainably nourishing effect.
Women who have had reproductive surgeries are at risk for dehydration (hypovolemia) and low sodium (hyponatremia). In addition, hormonal changes, especially menopause, impact fluid balance. That’s because of decreasing amounts of sex hormones, which as we know, regulate thirst.
The hormonal changes from age blunt sensations of thirst. It puts older women at risk for dehydration.
Challenges to Hydration
Factors like the environment, diet, health, age, and pregnancy all play vital roles in hydration. For example, living in a humid state in the south means you are losing water through your sweat at a faster rate.
Sometimes, we forget to drink enough water, whether it’s because of our busy work days or caring for kids. When you feel sick, you are also more likely to lose water. We also lose water daily through insensible losses.
Don’t neglect your body’s needs for additional hydration. Instead, practice self-care and consider an IV drip to balance your body’s wellness and chakra energy.
