04/17/2026
Dr. Hyman says, “Water is so essential for our brains that a loss of just 1-2% can significantly impact our cognitive function, making it harder to focus, concentrate, make decisions, or even connect with others.”
Proper hydration boosts your immune system, helps prevent infections, delivers vitamins and minerals throughout your body, lubricates your joints, and is vital in eliminating waste from your cells. It boosts metabolism, increases satiation, raises sympathetic nervous system activity, assists sleep quality, and improves mood.
Staying hydrated can help prevent headaches, irregular periods, and constipation. It helps regulate acid levels in the blood and lowers your risk of both anemia and heart attacks.
Hydration involves more than just drinking plain water, though. Since the fluids in your body aren't made up of straight H2O, the water you drink must have minerals in it. Here are some hydration tips that keep this in mind...
- Start your day with gel water by adding citrus fruit to your water (lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc.).
- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables that are full of gel water, contain electrolytes, and are high in fiber, which helps the body absorb gel water.
- Drink and cook with bone broth. It is full of both collagen and gel water.
- Mix a teaspoon of crushed chia seeds into smoothies and other drinks.
- Cook with coconut and ghee. Both are full of gel water and electrolytes.
- Add 1/16 teaspoon of table salt to every eight ounces of regular water. This slows its absorption, allowing it to stay in your body longer.
- Try some Adrenal Cocktail recipes.
Get a handle on your body's hydration with these simple tips, and let me know if it gives you more energy and focus.
Mark Hyman, MD