Our kidneys carry a very weighty responsibility in our bodies – as organs, they are one of the biggest multi-taskers we have – they are responsible for a myriad of functions – primarily:
- To remove waste and extra fluid.
- Control blood pressure.
- Make red blood cells.
- Keep bones healthy (Vitamin D production) and
- To control pH levels.
As our kidneys consist of 79% water it becomes more apparent of how crucial they are to keeping our systems running smoothly.
To elaborate: Water helps the kidneys remove wastes from your blood in the form of urine. Water also helps keep your blood vessels open so that blood can travel freely to your kidneys and deliver essential nutrients to them. But if you become dehydrated, then it is more difficult for this delivery system to work. Mild dehydration can make you feel tired and can impair normal bodily functions. Severe dehydration can lead to kidney damage, so it is important to drink enough when you work or exercise hard.
What may not be that apparent though is experiencing pain in the kidneys is often mistaken for back pain, which can be why we may not always realise that our kidneys are water deficient and are unable to function at optimal level.
That’s why it’s important to maintain good drinking water habits as this often is the simplest method towards ensuring good kidney health.
Due to the complex nature of our body’s kidney’s function, it’s always good to monitor your water consumption and to be ‘water wise.’
One of the first indications you may be dehydrated can easily be seen in the colour of your urine. If you’re sufficiently hydrated, your urine will be light yellow or close to colourless. The darker yellow your urine is, the more dehydrated you are.
Another reason to maintain sufficient water intake is this practise can help reduce the likelihood of both kidney stones and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Kidney stones form less easily when there is sufficient water available to prevent stone-forming crystals from sticking together. Water helps dissolve the antibiotics used to treat urinary tract infections, making them more effective. Drinking enough water also helps produce more urine, which helps to flush out infection-causing bacteria.
At AquAid we take the business of proper hydration seriously, from several perspectives:
We’re constantly working to ensure that our customers are supplied with water dispensers that perfectly match their drinking water requirements.
We also provide re-usable water bottles to schools to encourage healthy hydration habits among the children (and staff!)
We understand the importance of helping others gain access to clean drinking water. Which is one of the reasons that, for over 24 years, AquAid have donated funds to charity. The charities we support implement sustainable water projects for people in need. To date, we have donated over £22 million funding vital access to potable water for more than four million people.
