Growing up, we have been cautioned not to drink water while standing
Without even an iota of doubt and without asking the reason for it, we immediately sit down with the glass of water, the moment someone asked us not to stand and drink. Later we were told that drinking water while standing up affects our digestive system, it wrecks the nervous system and the standing position increases the speed of the water going into the body which is in some way detrimental to our health.
Ayurveda says this...
There are different schools of thought on this claim. Ayurveda says drinking water while standing affects the digestive system. The water enters the body with a great force and speed and falls in the stomach, several health reports have quoted Ayurveda experts. This disturbs the balance of fluids and causes indigestion. Ayurvedic experts say that the human body gets the benefits of water only when they drink it while sitting.
Drinking water while standing causes arthritis!
Ayurvedic experts also say that drinking water while standing leads to water accumulation in the joint areas due to which one develops arthritis. Drinking water while standing disturbs the fluid balance in the body and increases toxin accumulation which triggers arthrtis issues.
"There is absolutely no issue in drinking water while standing"
Dr Abby Phillips, who is immensely popular on Twitter for making critical tweets on facts and myths on health claims, had recently tweeted on this. "There is absolutely NO ISSUES with drinking water standing up or sitting down. Do not drink water while lying down because it may lead to aspiration," he had mentioned in a long tweet.
What happens when you drink water?
Whether you stand or sit while drinking water, it gets absorbed in the body rapidly.
Dr Phillips explains: Let me tell you what happens to water when it is consumed orally - whether you stand, sit or close or open your eyes while drinking it.
Water has basically 100% oral bioavailability, and is absorbed rapidly through the gut wall, mainly in the small intestine. Absorption is near-complete, rapid, and mainly occurs in the early part of small bowel.
Absorbed water is then distributed proportionally in the body fluid compartments:
66% into the intracellular fluid
25.5% into the interstitial fluid
8.5% into the circulating blood volume
Elimination is through kidneys, where the filtered fraction is reabsorbed by a highly regulated mechanism.
Focus on hydrating your body in the right way
When the discussion is on water intake, the focus should be on increasing its intake. Our body needs water for several bodily functions and dehydration can cause serious irreversible damage to the body if it is not treated at the earliest. Drink lots of water in a day. Make sure to maintain your mineral intake as well. Make variations to the fluid intake that will help you drink more water. For example, add coconut water, homemade fresh fruit juice, lemon water and smoothies to your diet to increase your fluid intake.
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