What if to ease a pain, you start by … drink water ? Researchers in sports medicine, nutrition and psychology from Massey University (New Zealand) publish in the journal Psychophysiology a study on the impact of insufficient hydration on the chronic pain. To carry out this work, the researchers subjected 17 healthy men, aged 22 to 32, to a dehydration 24 hours, twice. The first time around, the participants did not change their eating habits or their hydration. But the second time around, they ate the same and consumed the same amount of coffee, but restricted their water intake. At the end of these two days, these volunteers took part in a pain resistance test: their feet were placed in a basin of cold water, between 0 and 3 ° C, for a maximum of four minutes. Scientists then took several physiological measures such as water status, pain resistance threshold and respiratory and cardiac activities. The researchers’ conclusions show that the less we hydrate, the more we suffer: in this experiment, dehydration amplified the pain due to the cold. Consequence: The subjects were unable to keep their feet in cold water for as long as with proper hydration, and they exhibited hyperventilation, increased breathing rate, and reduced blood supply to the brain.
Watch out for dehydration in the morning
“If you are in a situation where the sensation of chronic pain is strong, such asosteoarthritis, of Cancer, musculoskeletal disorders or migraines, […] and if dehydration increases your pain level, it doesn’t look good“warns Dr. Toby Mündel, co-author of this study, in a press release from theMassey University. “Common treatments such as pain relievers or cognitive behavioral therapies may be less effective in dehydration“He adds. But dehydration can happen faster than you think:”Everyone has already experienced it. You wake up late, rushed for work, you skip breakfast and until lunchtime you only drink your morning coffee. So, between dinner the night before and your lunch, about 17 hours went by and you only consumed a ridiculous 300 milliliters of liquids instead of the good recommended liter!“warns Dr Mündel. Even if you don’t have time to eat breakfast, be sure to stay hydrated throughout the morning.
>> To read also:
Headache: drink water, THE solution?
Chronic pain: the boom in alternative medicine
Nutrition: why drink 1.5 liters of water per day?
Baby: how do you know if he’s dehydrated?
