Causes of excess water in the body include physiological factors (eg hormonal fluctuations that cause water retention before the period), as well as external: lack of exercise, poor diet, and medication. A typical symptom of water retention is swelling of the body – swollen legs and swelling of the ankles, swollen eyelids or fingers of the hand. Water cellulite also appears. How to get rid of water from the body? What are the ways? What herbs and pills will help remove water?
Water in the body – when it’s collected and stops?
Water in the body is extremely important for the proper functioning of organs and systems. It is not only an important component of body fluids, but also an important element for the course of normal metabolism – participates in the digestive process, enables intra-thoristic transport (eg enzymes, hormones, metabolic products or nutrients), participates in many metabolic reactions. It is responsible for the proper functioning of every single cell, tissue and organ. Water supports the cleansing of the body by eliminating toxins in the urine, transports nutrients to each cell and cares for their proper hydration. The removal of water from the organism should therefore take place only when there are clear signs of excess water.
The human body on average almost 70 percent. consists of water. Its amount in the human body shows a strong relationship with age and sex, as well as the proportion of adipose tissue and muscle. It decreases as you get older. In obese people, the percentage of water in the body is lower than in the case of thin people. Irrespective of this, the amount of water taken in the day with food is equal to the amount consumed during the day’s activity.
It happens, however, that water retains in the body, a visible symptom of which is edema – swollen eyelids, swollen fingers, swollen ankles. The excess of water in the body before the period, co-occurring with PMS symptoms, is particularly troublesome for women. The accumulation of water in intercellular spaces is fostered, among others, by passive lifestyle, unhealthy food or some medicines.
The amount of water in the body – causes
The causes of excess water in the body are varied. Collection of liquids in excessive amounts can be associated with physiological changes as well as the impact of external factors. Most often the retention of water in the cells of the body is the result of taking insufficient amounts of fluids, which is treated by the body as a signal to save them. The first symptom of dehydration is dry mouth.
However, hormonal changes that occur regularly in the woman’s body during the various phases of the menstrual cycle are much more likely to be responsible for the retention of water in the body. An important role in this case is played by progesterone, whose level increases in the second phase of the cycle, usually around 15-28 day. it is quite typical to stop water before the period, manifested by swelling and weight gain.
What else does it cause water to stop in the body?
The body tends to retain water and reduce its excretion in response to high ambient temperatures. This is a kind of defense mechanism to prevent excessive fluid loss from body tissues. Especially in the spring and summer months, the body tends to accumulate excess water.
An unhealthy way of feeding is also a factor that can cause excess water in the body. A diet characterized by a high content of table salt contributes to the retention of fluids in the body. When there is too much water in the body, you should give up salt in favor of a mixture of spices.
Among the causes with a similar side effect are also mentioned some diseases, mainly renal, heart or liver failure, chronic lung diseases (eg emphysema) or allergic reactions. Regardless of the immediate cause, excess water in the body manifests itself in the form of edema locally (most commonly in the fingers, palms or entire lower limbs) or swelling of the whole body, which is the reason for increasing the total body weight by about 3-5 lbs.
Water retention and cellulite – signs of excess water in the body
The most noticeable result of excessive accumulation of water is swelling of the body – both swollen feet and swollen fingers of the hand (manifesting, for example, in the inability to remove jewelery from the fingers of the hands, oppressive shoes at the end of the day). Limb edema is not the only effect of excess water in the body. The symptoms to be mentioned are also:
- feeling heavy legs,
- stiffness of joints,
- swelling on the face (swollen eyelids, so-called bags under the eyes),
headaches, - increase in body weight by approx. 3-5 lbs.
- water cellulite.
In the case of hormonal fluctuations, symptoms of water retention in the body often appear simultaneously with symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.
How to get rid of water from the body – pills and home-made methods
Pharmacological agents regulating the water level in the body are available on the market. Tablets for excess water most often contain extracts from herbs, helping to remove liquids accumulating in too large quantities. These include dandelion, supporting the detox organism, nettle, green tea and goldenrod. Drinking infusions from these medicinal plants is also a good way to get rid of excess water from the body.
There are also a few simple recommendations, the use of which allows you to control the proper balance of water in the body and stabilize water and electrolyte management (if, of course, excessive accumulation of water does not have any underlying cause). How to remove water from the body when it causes edema?
It is important to take sufficient amounts of water in the form of liquids – it is recommended to drink at least 1.5-2 l of water. It is the amount that allows to cover the body’s average fluid needs. To eliminate excess water, it is recommended to use a varied, well-balanced diet. At the same time, reduce the amount of table salt consumed, eg by limiting its addition to dishes during cooking, eliminating salty snacks (eg crisps, salted peanuts), controlling the consumption of processed food (eg vacuum-packed meats, cold meats) that contain large amount of salt.
Removing water from the body requires limiting the consumption of some beverages – strong tea or coffee. It is worth considering drinking green tea or vegetable infusions containing, for example, a leaf of the aforementioned dandelion, horsetail, cranberry or nettle, which are very desirable when we suspect excess water in the body. A good way to excess water in the body is also regular physical activity, which has a beneficial effect on the whole body, for example, daily walk or jogging activates muscles that, shrinking, affect the walls of venous vessels and stimulate circulation.
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