Dehydration Ages Us, and Can Make Us Sick. Here’s Are Some Strategies for Preventing It
- © Nils Osmar 2025. May 13, 2025
- This post is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice.
- See full Medical Disclaimer
Dehydration can be occurring quietly in the background as we move through our lives, and can be damaging our health and accelerating aging without out being aware of it.
It can happen at any age, but as the years pass and our metabolism changes, it can become more problematic, partly because thirst signals can become confused with hunger signals. When that happens, we may find ourselves snacking “mindlessly” in response to what feels like a quiet background hunger instead of drinking some water. (If the foods we’re snacking on are processed “snack” foods, this can then lead to other problems.)
Some Recent Studies
Recent studies in both sexes have verified that both men and women can experience dehydration without being aware of it. So can people of all ages, though the problem increases as we age because we may become less attuned to the signals that tell us when it’s time to drink some water.
- Can Dehydration Cause High Blood Pressure?
- Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance and mood of men
- Influence of progressive fluid restriction on mood and physiological markers of dehydration in women
- Link between hydration and aging
Dehydration can lead to dizziness and more likelihood of falls, a major problem for the elderly. It also raises our blood sugar and blood pressure. Our blood becomes thicker and more concentrated. Our blood levels of sodium can also get too high if we’re dehydrated, even if our salt intake isn’t excessive, which also has a pro-aging effect.
Five Before Five
One approach to preventing dehydration which is easy to implement is “five before five”: drinking 5 glasses of water before 5 pm. (Drinking water too close to bed can make us have to get up to urinate, disrupting our sleep.)
Another is to drink a tall glass of water before each meal. This increases our feelings of satiation and makes both dehydration and overeating less likely.
Reach for Water Before Other Drinks
Water is our most natural drink when we’re thirsty. Like other life forms (both plants and animals), we evolved needing it. Our early ancestors in the hundreds of thousands of years before agriculture didn’t have dozens of different beverages to choose from; when they were thirsty, they found some water.
An Underlying Problem
One underlying issue is that our modern society, we’re surrounded by liquids such as soft drinks and fruit juices, milk and dairy products, “milks” made from nuts and seeds, “power drinks”, alcoholic beverages, and a variety ofher ot flavoured and processed and sweetened beverages.
All of these can introduce other issues and cause other problems.
Most nutritionists would say that fruit is fine in moderation; eating a few berries or a grapefruit is unlikely to raise our blood sugar; but when fruit is processed into fruit juice, concentrating the “natural” sugars and removing the fibre, it us up for multiple problems.
Drinks full of sugar and synthetic flavoring agents like soft drinks are unquestionably pro aging.
Alcohol is a neurotoxin. Centuries ago, fermentation became popular as a way of destroying harmful bacteria in the water supply, these days we have better ways of doing so.
Drinks full of artificial sweeteners and flavours have other issues. Even supposedly safe sugar substitutes like xylitol have been found in recent studies to have an association with an increase in the risk of heart attacks and strokes. (See this Cleveland Clinic article.) Rather than engaging in endless circular searches for “safe” sweeteners, it may be worth questioning why we are craving sweet beverages in the first place.
Milk and dairy are rich in nutrients like protein and C15 fatty acids (both of which can be beneficial), but we don’t necessarily dairy at times when simple thirst is the issue. And the lactose in milk, like other sugars can raise our blood glucose.
I’m not saying that dairy products from goats, sheep or cows are necessarily bad for us — like other natural foods, I believe they may have their place in the human diet, particularly in a raw or fermented form. But if we find ourselves reaching for them as our first impulse when we’re thirsty, we may want to question that.
Pure water, as close to stream water or glacial water as we can get, is our most natural drink, and the best thing to reach for when we’re thirsty. We may have to break ourselves of trying to address thirst by turning to liquids other than water, but it can be worth the effort of doing so. I’ve realized in myself that the “need” for sweet drinks is addictive; they’re not really something I need, just something I’ve been conditioned to feel like I do, a conditioning that’s helped along of course by advertising.
I’m not saying it’s always “bad” to reach for drinks other than water; there’s a place, in my opinion, for foods like raw milk (if it’s been tested and verified to be safe), and fermented milks, and, for people who are not bothered by the oxalates, for products like raw, home-made celery and cucumber juices. I’m suggesting that they’re not a good substitute for water. If we want to drink them, it may be best not to do so until we’ve had five full glasses of pure water a day.
Avoid Water in Plastic
It’s important in my opinion to avoid buying and drinking water in plastic containers. Reusing plastic containers is even worse, as microplastic contamination becomes worse after the bottle is opened and the product begins to degrade. I buy water from a local store which has been purified using a treatment called Custom Pure and store it in glass gallon bottles.
I do sometimes by bottled waters in glass; one brand I like, which has been tested and found to be pure, is Mountain Valley. There is no plastic lining in their containers. They sell both plain and carbonated water in glass containers.
My Current Approach
- I tend to be dehydrated, which (I’ve found) tends to drive up my blood sugar and blood pressure. I’ve started drinking two glasses of water in the morning before my morning coffee. (Coffee is neither hydrating nor dehydrating, but it doesn’t help hydrate us when we’re thirsty.)
- I also find early morning a good time to take proteolytic enzymes like serrapeptase, which are anti-aging. See this study: Contribution of proteases to the hallmarks of aging and to age‐related neurodegeneration.
- I eat berries (particularly wild berries) and grapefruit now and then; I’m not anti-fruit; but I avoid fruit juices.
- I used to drink a product called Zevia (water sweetened with stevia), but stopped doing so after learning that the cans are coated with plastic.
- I drink coffee most mornings, but I drink two tall glasses of water first. I’m not crazy about tea but I drink it now and then, making it from loose leaves instead of teabags, since plasticized teabags are a major source of microplastic contamination.
About Tap Water
I drink purified water which has removed various contaminants (including ones the were deliberately added such as chlorine and fluoride, and the ones that have seeped in from the septic system such as residues of antidepressants, a major problem in public water in large urban areas). If I’m drinking a lot of water during a time when I’m fasting, I’ll sometimes also take a capsule of electrolytes along with it.
I’ve done a test several times which was revealing: Pouring a glass of tap water and a glass of purified water and setting them out on a counter for a few days. After a week’s time, the purified water still tastes great; the tap water smells and tastes noxious. I’m assuming this is because of bacteria in it gradually multiplying. It’s not something I’d ever choose to drink if I had a choice.
My Results
The most tangible result is that my blood sugar and blood pressure are lower. I’m also less inclined to snack when I’m hydrated.
Don’t Overdo It
As with anything, drinking excess water can cause problems too. If we drink way too much, it can even result in brain damage or death. See this Cleveland Clinic article about water intoxication. Drinking five tall glasses of water a day appears to be a safe general guideline.
Not Medical Advice
This article is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice. I’m not advising that people eat any particular diet or take any particular supplement(s), just reporting on what I’m doing. Supplements, like medications and other interventions, can have side effects; I would encourage people to research both possible benefits and side effects before starting on any supplementation regimen, and consult with a medical professional about any issues which might have a medical component. See full Medical Disclaimer
Other resources
- My Facebook group: Anti-Aging and Life Extension,
- My Youtube channel Pathways to Longevity
