You’ve probably been reminded to drink more water whenever you can by your parents, your doctor, and your friends even. Well, they weren’t wrong to do so, as not hydrating ourselves can leave us prone to health problems such as headaches, fatigue, and even organ failure. Some of us may be drinking regularly, but it may not be enough especially when your lips are still dry and cracking. Also, since you will be drinking more often, you’ll find yourself emptying your bladder regularly.

There are five signs that can help you determine whether you are drinking enough or not, and these are:

• Inflammation. Appearance of skin rashes, acne, and even red eyes.

• Constipation. If you haven’t been emptying your bowels for a day or two, you will need to hydrate some more.

• Urine color. You know you will need more fluids in your body when the color of your pee in the morning is dark yellow.

• Sweat. You are not sweating that much.

Most of us drink plenty of water only to use the bathroom after a few minutes. This means that the body is not absorbing the fluids. That said, if you want to be able to replenish your lost store of water properly, these Ayurvedic practices can help.

Drink warm water when you wake up

Since your body is working overnight to eliminate the wastes in your system, you should drink a glass of warm water to help flush them out properly. This should be done as soon as you wake up because if you wait for ten minutes or so, you are simply keeping the wastes that need to be eliminated from your body. Also, warm water first thing in the morning can stimulate your bowels as well.

Avoid cold water

We often drink cold water especially during the summer to help keep us refreshed, but the problem with this is that the cold temperature can restrict your blood vessels which prevents the fluids from getting delivered throughout your body. If you are menstruating, better stick with warm water instead as it promotes better circulation which means less cramps.

Sip water

Instead of chugging water throughout the day, why not sip instead? We are often guilty of this habit especially when we are eating, but the problem with this is that the water we are drinking is preventing our digestion to work well. That said, during meal times it is best that you simply sip your water calmly and stick to warm water still. If you do plan on drinking water, do so 30 minutes before your meal.

Add ingredients

If you want to increase the absorption rate whenever you drink water, there are four ingredients that you can choose from and these are ginger, chia seeds, lemon, and unrefined mineral salt. You can even use fruits in your water to create an infusion that will not only taste great but also help make your drink more refreshing too.

Prepare a drinking bottle

To help you get the amount of water that you should be drinking in a day, get a drinking bottle and measure it. This way, you will know how much water you should drink at any given time to ensure that you are hydrated throughout the day.

These are just a few tips using Ayurveda that can help you stay hydrated all day. These tips ensure that you will not be simply wasting the liquids you have been drinking but rather have them absorbed properly for your overall health. Practice them and you will see a significant improvement to your hydration.