For most of my life, I felt like I was constantly dehydrated. No matter how much water I drank, my mouth always felt dry, headaches were a regular thing, and I still felt thirsty. I’d down nearly a gallon of water a day and yet… I never actually felt hydrated.
The wild part? I genuinely thought that was normal—like maybe everyone felt that way.
I never did anything fancy—never added anything to my water or paid attention to what kind it was. But the truth is, all of that matters. It plays a huge role in how much water your body actually absorbs on a cellular level.
Since 2022, my hydration journey has taken a lot of twists and turns. It’s been full of trial and error, but I’m so happy to say I’ve finally found the key to feeling truly hydrated. And honestly? It’s way simpler than I expected.
Hydration 101
Before we get into how to hydrate properly, let’s talk about why hydration matters in the first place. It’s not just about drinking water when you’re thirsty. Hydration is the foundation of how your body functions on every level.
The human body is made up of about 60% water. Your cells need it to bring in nutrients, eliminate waste, and keep your metabolism running smoothly. Even your energy production depends on it. The electron transport chain (which produces most of your ATP—your energy currency) actually creates water as part of its function and requires a well-hydrated environment to keep working.
When you’re dehydrated, your blood thickens, oxygen delivery slows, your brain gets foggy, and your whole system starts shutting down.
Staying well-hydrated keeps your body moving like a well-oiled machine. It’s one of the simplest but most powerful ways to support your health every single day—which makes learning how to optimize it essential.
It’s also important to limit or balance certain things that contribute to dehydration, including:
• Table salt
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Refined sugar
• Diuretic herbs
The Type of Water Matters
It’s easy to assume that all water is the same—that it doesn’t matter what kind you drink. But I’m here to tell you that’s just not true. And I might ruffle some feathers here, but: reverse osmosis water isn’t helping your hydration. Spring water is a much better choice.
Sure, reverse osmosis is way better than purified city water because it removes things like fluoride and chlorine. But it also removes all of the minerals. When water is stripped of minerals, it pulls minerals from your body to balance itself out. So the more you drink mineral-depleted water, the more you deplete your body’s own mineral stores.
For water to be truly hydrating, it needs to contain minerals your body can absorb and use. That’s why spring water is a great option—it naturally contains minerals. Ideally, it should come straight from the source (not bottled), because fresh spring water is living and hasn’t been filtered or processed like store-bought water.
Drinking demineralized water does your body no good. But that doesn’t mean you have to ditch reverse osmosis water altogether—it just means you need to add minerals (like electrolytes) to make it hydrating again.
What Are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are essential minerals that carry an electric charge when dissolved in water. They’re critical for hydration, nerve function, fluid balance, muscle movement, and pH regulation.
The most important mineral for hydration? Salt.
But not just any salt—the right kind of salt. You can dive deeper into this in our Salt Basics blog, which explains which salts to use, their benefits, and how other minerals help balance sodium levels.
The key minerals for hydration are:
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Magnesium
These three work together in a delicate balance. Too few electrolytes can leave you dehydrated no matter how much water you drink, and too many can also throw things off. At a minimum, it’s a good idea to drink at least one glass of water per day with added electrolytes.
Best Electrolytes
With so many electrolyte supplements on the market, it can get overwhelming. Many are loaded with refined sugars, artificial flavors, colors, and synthetic ingredients your body doesn’t need (and probably doesn’t want).
All you really need is good salt, a small amount of natural sugar, and some potassium to keep things balanced.
My personal favorite is Earthley’s Electrolyte Powder—it’s super clean, completely natural, and works really well. It’s made with high-quality salt, maple sugar, and cream of tartar. It gives you the three main electrolytes that you need to be hydrated. A great minimalist option that can provide the trace minerals you need to help your electrolyte balance is Trace Minerals Drops.
DIY Electrolyte Recipe
Want to make your own? It’s easy—and a great option if you like keeping things homemade.
Ingredients:
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/8–1/4 tsp Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt
• 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
• 1 tsp raw honey or maple syrup (optional—for taste and quick energy)
• 2 cups filtered water
Instructions:
1. Add all ingredients to a glass or jar.
2. Stir or shake until fully dissolved.
Tip: Start your morning with electrolytes to help kickstart your hydration for the day.
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