How to Hydrate Your Brain, Boost Energy & End Brain Fog

0:00Sierra has all the best active and outdoor brands you need. From athletic stuff, like a full-court pickup game, swish, to athletic-ish stuff, like a half-mile stroll. Get those steps in! And from morning hikes up the mountain trail, good pace, to nighttime ghost stories from the camping chair. What a twist! Whatever level of active, Sierra loves it all. Head to Sierra or Sierra.com for the brands you want at the prices that let you do it all. From athletic to athletic-ish, Sierra's got it. This episode is brought to you by Welch's Fruit Snacks. Back to school season can be tough on parents, but choosing a snack you and your kids can both get behind doesn't have to be.

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1:26We'll be right back. If you think hydration is just about drinking water, then think again. In this episode, I'll break down everything you need to know, and it's misunderstood in the world of hydration, including why electrolytes matter just as much as water. Also, there's electrolyte packs that many of you are using. Many of them are toxic and unhealthy for your body. I'll also be going through how salt is treasured for healing and for its healing properties, and that perfect ratio you need of sodium and potassium, magnesium and calcium in order to heal, in order to be hydrated, have energy and experience a health breakthrough.

2:05Also, you'll learn how to assess your own hydration needs and hear my personal story about what happened when I tried to go without salt during a 21 day fast. Welcome to the Dr. Josh Axe show.

2:37We'll be right back.

2:54Whatever level of active, Sierra loves it all. Head to Sierra or Sierra.com for the brands you want at the prices that let you do it all. From athletic to athletic-ish, Sierra's got it. This episode is brought to you by Welch's Fruit Snacks. Back to school season can be tough on parents. But choosing a snack you and your kids can both get behind doesn't have to be. Stock up on Welch's Fruit Snacks, made with whole fruit, and now made with no artificial dyes. It's a snack kids already love and one you can feel good about giving them. Go back to school with Welch's Fruit Snacks, now made with no artificial dyes.

3:33This episode is brought to you by Celtic Sea Salt. Their salts are one of the highest in the world in terms of mineral content and contains over 80 trace minerals and elements needed by the body for hydration, recovery, and cognition. and they have a really unique type of salt that has gray clay where it's mined from. It actually gives it a gray coloring. And we know clay has numerous minerals that can also support detoxification, which is so important. You can hit the link in the description and use the promo code AX10 at checkout to save 10 % on any of their incredible products. Now, here's what you need to know about hydration.

4:14Hydration means water is available inside and outside of your cells. And it's not just about your water intake. It's about H2O plus electrolytes. And when you're dehydrated, your blood becomes more concentrated and your cells shrink. So imagine kind of like when you're in the water too long and you start to get those, you know, kind of prunes on your fingers start to look like prunes. basically your cells also become dehydrated and they shrink and your body can't regulate your temperature or deliver nutrients or detoxify properly when you're dehydrated. And listen to this stat, 75 % of people today are dehydrated, 75.

5:00So three out of every four of you is walking around dehydrated. So you're not bringing nutrients into your cell as well. You're not detoxifying as well. You can't regulate your body temperature as well. Maybe you're too hot all the time or too cold all the time. These are some of the side effects of dehydration. And even a one to 2 % dehydration can impair your memory and focus. Now, here's another thing to note. 75 % of your body is made up of water. Your brain is around 75 % water as well, along with cholesterol and fats and some other things there. But generally, your body is predominantly water.

5:38And dehydration actually shrinks your brain on MRI scans. Even mild dehydration reduces brain volume, which then impacts your focus and your short-term memory. Now, here are some of the biggest warning signs that you are chronically dehydrated. Number one are headaches. If you get headaches, if you, one, have a headache at all, or two, on a regular basis, it can mean you're dehydrated. Think about it. If you've ever had a hangover, you drank too much alcohol or drank too much sugar in the evening, you start to get that headache. Almost all of those symptoms are due to dehydration of headaches.

6:15Number two, muscle cramps. That can be potassium most commonly after that magnesium is common, but muscle cramping, constipation is a warning sign your body is chronically dehydrated. brain fog, fatigue in low energy, weakness, irritability, also low blood pressure or dizziness. By the way, I also want to mention even high blood pressure is a form of overhydration. So that's the thing where if your body gets too much salt and holds too much water, that actually will have some side effects as well. So you don't actually want to be overhydrated either. You want to find that perfect balance. This is a few years ago.

6:54I did a 21-day fast. In fact, a few years ago, this is about 12, 13 years ago, I did a 21-day Daniel fast. And the only thing I ate was vegetables, fruits, and nuts for 21 days. And I had zero salt. Now, looking back, I don't think it was the right way to do the Daniel fast. I would have done it differently. But, and again, the reason I did it is I wanted to honor God with my body. I wanted to live and model the prophet Daniel in the Bible. And again, I just wanted to honor God with my body. And I wanted to see what it was like to, and I was feeling led to do it spiritually. And I ended up, or some sort of fast.

7:40And so I ended up doing a really long fast. By the way, I lost 20 pounds, 20 pounds. I really didn't need to lose. And I put it back on over the course of the next month. It didn't take me too long, but overall lost a lot of weight. But I want to say this, I had no salt. And one of the things I noticed was nothing tasted good. I mean, have you ever tried to eat just an almond or vegetables with no salt? It's not very good. Versus if you add salt to it, I mean, it really enhances all flavors. And when I was doing this fast, I will tell you, I felt weak. I felt lightheaded. I felt a little bit moody.

8:19I also felt, though, during the fast, you know, I experienced spiritual breakthrough, a deeper. Really, the thing I feel like I noticed the most was a dependency on God. Like because I didn't have this sustenance of the food, I felt like I had to have a greater dependency on God. By the way, this Daniel fast, I also did intermittent fasting with it. So I only ate during about a four to eight hour window, didn't eat breakfast. And so this was a really serious 21-day fast. And I think there were some benefits. But going back, I wouldn't do it with no salt, okay? I do think that salt has, or I would have been more conscious of the foods I ate, probably doing more celery and some things that have some natural salt and potassium to make sure I was hydrated.

9:05But again, I had these major symptoms just sort of going on because I was dehydrated. Now, once I reintroduced a quality salt, specifically, actually at the time, I was using two types of salt, mostly Celtic sea salt. I did a little bit of this pink cave salt as well. But when I started doing this salt again, my energy and hydration improved drastically. I mean, I really noticed a difference. And it made me realize, one, it wasn't just food because I was eating food. The salt was one of the things that I was craving the most when I was doing this Daniel fast. And so if you are having any of the symptoms we talked about, you really need to make sure that you're getting plenty of sodium.

9:45It could be salt, but even more so that you're getting the right electrolytes because too much sodium without not enough potassium leads to high blood pressure. It leads to swelling. It leads to inflammation. So here's how this works. Sodium brings water and fluid and nutrients. It brings things into the cell and potassium flushes things out of your cell. It's kind of like this sodium potassium pump. One pumps it in, one pumps it out. If you're just doing lots of sodium all the time with no potassium, you end up having, again, you just hold water weight, okay? And you'll feel lethargic, not well.

10:22You'll feel somewhat inflamed. If you only do too much potassium, it actually does lead to some dehydration, okay? Because your body's flushing water out all the time. You have to have both of those, the two most important, along with the other electrolytes to support cellular function for you to be truly hydrated. According to studies, as I mentioned earlier, 75 % of Americans are chronically dehydrated. And that's according to actually a study out of the Institute of Medicine. And most people don't even realize that they're dehydrated. Okay. And dehydration is common. It not because people don't drink water.

11:02Okay. Now one people don't drink enough water. Okay. And people think that when they're drinking coffee and soda, uh, they, they, they, they count that. I mean, there are some people I've had patients when I'm like, what did you drink today? And that's like, well, I woke up and had a coffee and then I had another coffee and then I might've had a soda and then I had another coffee and maybe I had a glass of water, maybe even two. Okay, coffee and soda, those are dehydrating. Caffeine causes you to excrete more water. Sugar causes you to get rid of more water. So those are actually dehydrating. So, so many people are not getting enough water, but just as much as that, people are not getting enough electrolytes.

11:44And you predominantly get electrolytes from fruits, vegetables, bone broth. That's where you're getting those. and then the very, very high quality salt like pink salt or Celtic sea salt, okay? Those sort of salts from the salt and from the earth are really hydrating and we need those. So I'm gonna walk you through the 10 main reasons why people are chronically dehydrated, okay? And then I'm going to dive into the top sources of electrolytes in the top 10 most hydrating foods list. And I'm wondering if you can guess what those top 10 are, or at least the top couple in ranking order. I'll dive into those though.

12:25Okay. Number one reason why people are chronically dehydrated is they're drinking water without getting enough electrolytes in their diet. Okay. Listen, there are a lot of benefits of drinking water and we need to do that. But again, if you're not eating fruits, if you're not eating vegetables, if you're not eating bone, drinking bone broth and some of these other sources or using salt, not iodized, but actual like sea salt on your food, you're going to be dehydrated. That's the number one reason why most people are chronically dehydrated is drinking water without getting enough electrolytes in their diet.

12:58And I'll share more on that in just a minute. Number two, high caffeine and alcohol intake. Now, alcohol is the most dehydrating of any drink you could drink. Okay. Alcohol is number one, followed by coffee and energy drinks in certain types of tea, like a dandelion tea. That's also very dehydrating. Certain herbs cause you to extreme fluids, which can be good, but not if you're not hydrating along with it. And people who drink several caffeinated or alcoholic beverages a day can lose more water than they're taking in very, very easily. Okay. Number three, number three reason why people are chronically dehydrated is just low salt.

13:43Eating a diet where you're not getting quality salt. Ironically, people eating clean often cut out processed foods, but they're not replacing the salt in their diet. And so sodium helps the body retain water, helps your body regulate blood pressure, support nerve function, and a low salt diet plus sweating equals fat hydration. Listen, you can go pretty low salt if you're not sweating at all and if you're in just a completely comfortable environment. But if you're sweating at all or you're in the heat or in the cold, your body actually uses up more electrolytes, so you need more of them. Number four reason why people are chronically dehydrated is sweat loss from activity or heat.

14:24Sweating, such as from exercise, infrared saunas, hot weather, or manual labor, increases fluid and electrolyte loss through sweat. Listen, you can lose up to 1.5 liters of fluid per hour of exercise in the heat. Think about that. 1.5 fluid, 1.5 liters. I mean, that's how much water. Think about the big, remember the two liter sort of things of soda? that's about how much you can lose in an hour and a half. Okay, so we're talking about a lot there. And you need to make sure you replace at least that amount. Here's another thing I want to mention that might surprise you. Sweat isn't just water.

15:08You lose roughly 400 to 1200 milligrams of sodium per liter of sweat, depending on how salty your sweat is and how hard you're exercising. According to the Mayo Clinic, because you lose sodium through sweat, drinking too much water during endurance activities, such as marathons and triathlons, can also dilute the sodium content in your blood. Do you know there are cases of people who went out and did marathons or triathlons, and they only drank water, and they died? And this condition is actually called hyponatremia. Natremia is for sodium, and where you don't have enough, and it can actually kill you.

15:49So you really want to make sure you're properly hydrated. And that's the thing about that losing a thousand milligrams of sodium per per liter of sweat. OK, I used to be on a triathlon team back in college. And then I all throughout my 20s, really 19 through through 29 for 10 years. I competed in a lot of triathlons. I did a couple half Ironman triathlons and and trained a lot. And I looking back, the thing I didn't know at the time that actually hurt me the most was I didn't consume enough sodium. I was a really profuse sweater. And in working out in Kentucky and Tennessee and Florida, where I was living at the time, it was a very hot environment, very humid environment, and I was sweating a lot.

16:34And I would always get cramping in my quads and my calves. And I didn't realize it at the time, but I was not getting enough sodium, not even close. And so I would cramp at the end of races. And if I knew what I do now, I probably would have raced a lot better, not cramped at the end. But again, you lose a lot more than you think if you're sweating profusely. All right. Number five, modern indoor lifestyles. Did you know that dry indoor air from air conditionings or heating systems increases water loss through your skin and breath, especially in colder or overly air conditioned environments? This is why you might wake up thirsty or with a dry mouth in the middle of the night or dry skin.

17:15Even without sweating, You can lose moisture just by breathing and being in a dry environment. This happens in the winter. So some people get chronically dehydrated in the winter because of the air conditioning and the dry air together or the heat as well can cause it. Number six reason why people are chronically dehydrated, not eating enough hydrating foods. The average American diet is made up of ultra processed foods with very little water content and electrolytes. But whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables and bone broth can contain up to 90 to 95 % water, helping meet daily hydration needs.

17:54So again, if you want to stay hydrated, lots of fruits, lots of vegetables, lots of things like bone broth that are high in these electrolyte minerals. Number seven, high stress levels. Stress activates your sympathetic nerve system, putting you in a fight or fight response, which raises stress hormones like cortisol, increasing your heart rate, your respiration, and your perspiration, leading to fluid loss. Stress hormones also affect your kidney function, altering how your body retains and secretes fluids and electrolytes. So stress causes you to lose more water and electrolytes. Number eight reason people are chronically dehydrated is illness.

18:34Fever, vomiting, diarrhea, any type of flu all cause rapid fluid loss and electrolyte depletion. A fever alone can cause an additional 200 to 500 milliliters of water loss per day due to high body temperatures and increased fluid demands. And a single episode of diarrhea can result in a loss of three plus grams of sodium, which is more than a full teaspoon of salt. That's around 2300 milligrams of sodium from diarrhea and then vomiting as well. So dehydration from diarrhea is actually a leading cause of death of children worldwide, mostly in third world countries. But dehydration in children is a major risk factor for kids.

19:18You know, I remember my wife, Chelsea, she was she got the flu while pregnant. This was, oh, a few years ago. And and I had somebody come to the house and get her an IV because because, of course, we were concerned for her concern for the baby. Baby's fine and healthy and well. But it is our daughter, Aylin, which has actually happened with Arwen as well. And and so so I took it seriously. I did everything I could to make sure she was very, very hydrated when she got the flu. And that's something we try and do. You know, there's all of these great IV places you can go and get an IV if you're losing fluids.

19:56Or again, if somebody is really sick, have them come to your home. They have these mobile IVs. And it's a great idea if somebody is sick and they're throwing up or have diarrhea, making sure that they stay very, very hydrated. But again, that's the fastest way to become dehydrated outside of exercising in major heat for hours without drinking properly is via diarrhea and vomiting with typically different types of illnesses. Number nine reason why people are chronically dehydrated is not drinking enough water. I mean, again, electrolytes are important, but you do need to drink enough water. As I mentioned earlier, coffee and more coffee and energy drinks and alcohol, those don't count.

20:47Okay. Those require you to drink more water. So drinking more clean water and making sure it's clean water, reverse osmosis, spring water, high quality filtered water is important as well. And a lot of people ignore early signs of thirst. Okay. Anyway, if you're feeling lethargic, if you are sometimes even having hunger and cravings is due to dehydration, and then you just go and eat more food and sometimes don't eat the right food, and that's not helping either. So again, if you're tired, if you're thirsty, if you feel lethargic, if you're feeling dry at all, you need to be drinking more water plus electrolytes.

21:28Number 10, older age. This is the reason why people are chronically dehydrated. In older adults, the thirst mechanism declines. This makes dehydration a leading cause of hospitalization for people over 65. Did you hear that? The leading cause, the number one cause of people being hospitalized over 65 years of age is dehydration. Adults 60 and older are at greater risk for dehydration for reasons including natural drops in thirst levels and higher intake of diuretics, especially medications that can cause fluid loss. Now, when it comes to electrolytes, I've talked about a couple of them that are very important, but I want to cover all of them.

22:05When it comes to being hydrated, you need electrolytes, which by the way, are minerals that carry an electrical charge. That's why they're called electro. Electro lights. They carry an electrical charge. They carry a type of energy. And they include sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, and phosphate. And water needs these minerals to get inside your cells. And without these electrolytes, water cannot get inside your cells. So you'll just pee it out and your cells won't have what it needs to function properly. Now, here are a few other reasons why your body really needs electrolytes.

22:44OK, we talked about cellular health, also regulating nerve impulses. So messages from your brain to your organs, muscle function. This is why you can get cramping if you're low pH levels and cellular hydration. Okay, potassium is the second most abundant electrolyte in your body. And about 98 % of Americans don't get enough. Think about that. 98 % of Americans don't get enough potassium, mostly due to low fruit and vegetable intake. Plus, they consume too much sodium, which imbalances that potassium ratio. So it's important to know that of all the electrolytes you're deficient in, potassium is the one we're most deficient in.

23:29But when you consume these electrolytes, they really should be consumed together because they work together to support the functioning of your body. It's important to note that when you're taking sodium or salt, that it's not just sodium, that that sodium is balanced out with potassium and the other minerals. Now, I want to walk you through my top sources of electrolytes in each of these categories. OK, if you need more more sodium, but a sodium that's balanced with many other minerals, here are some good options. Number one is sea salt, again, like Celtic sea salt and other forms of sea salt and red salt.

24:03But you want to do sea salt. In addition to that, olives, miso, fermented pickled foods like pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi. These are great sources of sodium for you. And even certain vegetables, actually, celery has a good amount of sodium. So celery is also great. Number two, potassium. The best potassium-rich foods are going to be, number one, watermelon. Watermelon is like my favorite hydrating food. It's absolutely incredible. After that, coconut water, potatoes, specifically sweet potatoes, bananas, and avocados are great options. Number three, magnesium. green leafy vegetables, especially spinach that's steamed, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate.

24:50And then from calcium, sardines, sesame tahini, yogurt, leafy greens as well, like spinach and kale are good options. These are some very, very electrolyte-supporting foods. And I would also mention under sodium, I would add bone broth in there. Doing a good quality bone broth is a great option. But overall, again, I think for most people, you want to focus on getting all of these different types of foods to support your body's hydration. It's interesting how God created the earth and how we put certain foods in certain areas of the world that allow people to stay more hydrated. Think about this.

25:27If you go to the Caribbean islands, which my wife and I lived in Puerto Rico for a short time. I've spent a lot of time in Florida. My wife and I did our honeymoon in St. Lucia. We've been to Grand Cayman Islands. We've been to a lot of places in Caribbean. You know the fruits that grow there the most are tropical fruits. It's pineapple. It's coconut. It's watermelon. It's mango. Bananas, right? These grow in these tropical climates. What do all of those fruits have in common? They're all very, very high in potassium. You know what else, too? All of those islands are by the sea. You have natural sea salt washing up on the shores.

26:04It's in things like seaweed. It's on the fish they eat. So they've got the, you know, in those environments, there's more sun, there's more sweating, there's more humidity, there's more time outside. And God put very specific foods that are high in potassium. And you have this great source of the ocean of all of this salt that they're even breathing in on a regular basis. That creates a more hydrating environment if they're living in tune with nature, what grows from the earth, being around the ocean. And so it's pretty incredible when you think about that, that those fruits tend to be the highest in potassium that are right there in areas like the Caribbean and they grow in those warmer, more tropical environments.