Skip to content
Use code LATTE29 to get two flavors of Cold Brew Latte for $29.99 + FREE SHIPPING! Buy Now
  • Shop
  • Health Upgrades
  • Subscribe & Save
  • Recipes
  • Learn
  • Main Menu
  • Shop
  • Coffee
  • MCT Oil
  • Proteins
  • Food & Drink
  • Supplements
  • Other
  • Shop All Products
  • Main Menu
  • Health Upgrades
  • Guides
  • Supplements
  • Shop All Products
  • Main Menu
  • Subscribe & Save
  • Main Menu
  • Recipes
  • Snacks
  • Breakfasts
  • Main Dishes
  • Beverages
  • Desserts
  • Keto
  • Paleo
  • Shop All Ingredients

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Main Menu
  • Learn
  • Where to Start
  • Health Upgrades
  • Bulletproof Blog
  • Books
  • Shop All Products
  • Shop
  • Ground
  • Whole Bean
  • Single-Serve Pods
  • Starter Kits
  • Cold Brew
  • Creamers & Mix-Ins
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Shop
  • Brain Octane Oil
  • MCT Oil
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Shop
  • Collagen Protein
  • Collagen Protein Bars
  • Collagen Protein Plus Support
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Shop
  • Protein Bars
  • Cold Brew
  • Fatwater
  • Chocolate Bars
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Shop
  • Mood & Memory
  • Performance & Immunity
  • Detox & Gut Health
  • Sleep
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Shop
  • Tech
  • Coffee Mugs & Bottles
  • Books
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Health Upgrades
  • Immune Boost
  • Sleep Hacks
  • Brain Upgrades
  • Weight Loss & Diet
  • Anti-Aging
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Health Upgrades
  • Mood & Memory
  • Performance & Immunity
  • Detox & Gut Health
  • Sleep
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Recipes
  • Snacks
  • Breakfasts
  • Main Dishes
  • Beverages
  • Desserts
  • Keto
  • Paleo
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Learn
  • About Bulletproof
  • Bulletproof for Beginners
  • Bulletproof Coffee: The Official Recipe
  • What makes Bulletproof Coffee Beans Different?
  • What are MCT Oils?
  • What is Collagen Protein?
  • Starter Kits
  • Newsletters & Guides

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Learn
  • Immune Boost
  • Sleep Hacks
  • Brain Upgrades
  • Weight Loss & Diet
  • Anti-Aging

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Learn
  • Diet
  • Recipes
  • Supplements
  • Sleep
  • Gut Health
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
  • Learn
  • Super Human
  • Game Changers
  • Head Strong
  • The Bulletproof Diet
  • Bulletproof The Cookbook
  • View all

Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

Learn More
Bulletproof Logo
  • Shop

    Coffee

    Ground Whole Bean Single-Serve Pods Starter Kits Cold Brew Creamers & Mix-Ins View all

    MCT Oil

    Brain Octane Oil MCT Oil View all

    Proteins

    Collagen Protein Collagen Protein Bars Collagen Protein Plus Support View all

    Food & Drink

    Protein Bars Cold Brew Fatwater Chocolate Bars View all

    Supplements

    Mood & Memory Performance & Immunity Detox & Gut Health Sleep View all

    Other

    Tech Coffee Mugs & Bottles Books View all Shop All Products

    Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

    Learn More
  • Health Upgrades

    Guides

    Immune Boost Sleep Hacks Brain Upgrades Weight Loss & Diet Anti-Aging View all

    Supplements

    Mood & Memory Performance & Immunity Detox & Gut Health Sleep View all Shop All Products
    Chocolate Dipped Collagen Protein Bar

    Limited Time Offer

    CHOCOLATE DIPPED BAR

    For a limited time only get new Chocolate Dipped Bars for $19.99 ($35.98 value).

    Shop

    Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

    Learn More
  • Subscribe & Save
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    Snacks Breakfasts Main Dishes Beverages Desserts Keto Paleo View all Shop All Ingredients
    making a smoothie

    Featured Recipe

    BULLETPROOF COFFEE: THE OFFICIAL RECIPE
    VIEW RECIPE
    Collagen Protein Tub

    Featured Product

    UNFLAVORED COLLAGEN PROTEIN
    SHOP NOW

    Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

    Learn More
  • Learn

    Where to Start

    About Bulletproof Bulletproof for Beginners Bulletproof Coffee: The Official Recipe What makes Bulletproof Coffee Beans Different? What are MCT Oils? What is Collagen Protein? Starter Kits Newsletters & Guides

    Health Upgrades

    Immune Boost Sleep Hacks Brain Upgrades Weight Loss & Diet Anti-Aging

    Bulletproof Blog

    Diet Recipes Supplements Sleep Gut Health View all

    Books

    Super Human Game Changers Head Strong The Bulletproof Diet Bulletproof The Cookbook View all Shop All Products

    Subscribe & Save 10% + Free Shipping over $35

    Learn More
Skip To Content
Account
Cart
Skip To Content

Share

product
https://www.bulletproof.com/diet/healthy-eating/how-to-hydrate-properly-cells/ article-25312 What’s the Best Way to Stay Hydrated? Focus on Cellular Hydration https://www.bulletproof.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/How-to-Hydrate-Properly-at-the-Cellular-Level_header-300x160.jpg 1 USD InStock Healthy Eating Energy Mitochondria article Diet

What’s the Best Way to Stay Hydrated? Focus on Cellular Hydration

By: Dave Asprey
October 8, 2018

What’s the Best Way to Stay Hydrated? Focus on Cellular Hydration
  • There’s a lot more to hydration than drinking 8 glasses of water a day. What’s really important is how much of that water reaches your cells, and how your cells use it.
  • Your mitochondria use the hydrogen in water to make energy. The hydrogen in water also binds to free radicals and gets rid of them, keeping your inflammation low.
  • Use electrolytes, fiber, EMF protection, and better water quality to hack your cellular hydration and improve your performance.

When people go to the emergency room for dehydration, doctors will sometimes give them several liters of water over the course of a couple hours. Somehow, they still don’t get hydrated.

That’s because there’s a lot more to hydration than just water. The advice to drink 8 glasses of water a day is oversimplified; what’s really important is how much of that water actually reaches your cells, and how your body uses it.

The benefits of hydration

benefits of hydrationIf you’ve ever been dehydrated, you know that hydration matters for your performance. Your cells use the hydrogen molecules in water (that’s the H in H2O) to make ATP, the basic unit of energy that your cells use to run your body. Hydration keeps your energy bank account high.

Water is also one of the body’s best defenses against inflammation. Your body is constantly dealing with inflammatory free radicals from stress, environmental toxins, and byproducts of your body’s normal processes. The hydrogen in water deactivates free radicals and clears them from your system. It makes a major difference, too: One study found that people who drank hydrogen-rich water saw a 39% increase in their antioxidant ability![1]

Cellular hydration matters for your performance. There are a few different ways you can increase it. Electrolytes are a big part of hydration — you may have heard of them from commercials for a certain sugar-filled sports drink. How much fiber you eat affects your hydration, too. So does EMF exposure. Let’s talk about all of them, as well as a couple other cool biohacks to help you hydrate better at a cellular level. First, let’s cover how you can measure hydration in your cells.

Phase angle: See how hydrated you really are

how to stay hydratedHave you ever used one of those scales that sends an electrical charge through your body to measure your body fat percentage?

They usually aren’t too accurate for measuring body fat, and probably aren’t worth your time. However, running electricity through your cells is an ideal way to test your cellular hydration. When your cells are hydrated, their membranes stay tight and organized, and they can hold and pass on an electrical charge.

When your cells are dehydrated, those membranes get loose, and an electrical charge leaks and dissipates before they can pass it on.

Your phase angle measures how well your cells carry and pass on an electrical charge. A phase angle of 10 means your cells are hydrated and in perfect shape. A phase angle of 3.5 means you’re probably dead. Most people hover around a phase angle of 6. You want to get up to an 8 or a 9 if you can. Cellular hydration is one of the best ways to increase your phase angle.

Now let’s talk about how to improve cellular hydration.

Get electrolytes for better hydration

best ways to hydrateElectrolytes dissolve in water and give it the ability to conduct electricity. Water on its own doesn’t actually conduct electricity. If you were to zap pure, distilled water, the electricity wouldn’t go anywhere; it’s only when you add electrolytes to water that it can hold a charge.

A lot of your cells run on electricity, and you want plenty of electrolytes dissolved in your cellular water so that your cells can carry an electrical charge. Many of your brain cells, for example, have voltage-gated ion channels. That’s a fancy way of saying they only communicate with other brain cells if you shock them with enough of an electrical charge. You want to make sure you have plenty of electrolytes so your cells can communicate electrically with one another.

The most important electrolytes are:

  • Sodium
  • Chloride
  • Potassium
  • Magnesium
  • Calcium

You want a balance of sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium to make sure your cells stay as hydrated as possible. Electrolyte drinks don’t actually make a difference in your hydration levels. In a recent study, people drank either a high-sugar sports drink, pickle juice, or water; none of them saw a difference in their electrolyte levels.[2]

In order to increase your electrolytes, you want to take them directly as supplements.

Sodium and chloride: Most people get plenty of sodium and chloride from table salt, and don’t need to supplement.

Quick side note: It’s not salt that causes high blood pressure. It’s an imbalance between sodium and potassium. Balance your salt and potassium intake and you don’t have to worry about making your foods bland on a low-salt diet.

Calcium: Many people don’t need to take extra calcium. You can get a fair amount of it by drinking mineral water every day. (Heads up: This doesn’t apply to women whose doctors have told them to take extra calcium for bone health. Listen to your doctor.)

Magnesium: Magnesium and potassium are the important ones. I take them every day, and I suggest you do too. About 80% of people are deficient in magnesium.[3]

You want 400-800 mg of magnesium a day. Here’s a guide to the best magnesium supplements.

Potassium: About 97% of people are deficient in potassium.[4]

The cheapest and easiest way to get plenty of potassium is by buying a potassium chloride salt substitute. You can find them next to salt at most grocery stores for a couple bucks. You want 3,000-4,000 mg of potassium a day.

Start slow with both of these. Too many electrolytes at once can cause disaster pants.

Related: Mineral Water Benefits: Why I Drink San Pellegrino Every Day

More Diet Tips From Bulletproof

A colorful assortment of local produce

Locavore 101: How to Shop, Cook and Eat Locally

Bacon cheeseburgers on grill

Dirty Keto vs. Clean Keto: Everything You Need to Know

A woman holding a mug and a bag of Bulletproof Coffee Beans

#BETHEPROOF: How Coffee Literally Saved My Life

Clock next to plate of food

Types of Fasting Diets and How to Choose the Right One

Fiber for gut hydration

how to stay hydratedFiber keeps you hydrated, too. Fiber adds bulk to your food and makes food stay in your gut longer, which allows you to digest food more fully and get more nutrients out of it.

Veggies are packed with fiber, as well as antioxidants, lots of nutrients, and polyphenols that make your brain stronger. That’s why veggies play such an important role in the Bulletproof Diet (download the complete one-page roadmap for free).

Electromagnetic fields mess with cellular hydration

hydration and EMFsElectromagnetic fields (EMFs) from WiFi, cell phones, radio towers, and other wireless electronics interfere with your cells’ natural electrical currents.

Your cell membranes have little gaps in them called tight junctions that organize and direct the flow of electricity across your cell membrane. Tight junctions also control what can get in and out of your cells. They keep damaging compounds out.

EMFs loosen your tight junctions. A recent study found that exposing brain cells to an EMF signal loosened junctions in the blood-brain barrier, the lining of your brain that keeps it safe.[5] Loosening your tight junctions also causes electricity to leak and messes with electrical communication across your cell membrane, even if you have plenty of water and electrolytes.

Water quality matters, too

how to hydrate properlyFiltering your water is one of the simplest ways to upgrade your biology. Tap water contains potent carcinogens like chlorine and chloramine, as well as fluoride that messes with your thyroid hormones.[6]  And as outdated water infrastructure collapses, there’s a greater and greater chance that your water contains heavy metals from corroding lead pipes. Get a good water filter; even a $20 one makes a huge difference in the quality of the water you drink.

Related: The Best Water Filters for Every Budget

Stay hydrated, and thanks for reading.

Join over 1 million fans

Sign-up for the Bulletproof mailing list and receive the latest news and updates!

Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for direct, individual medical treatment or advice. It is the responsibility of you and your healthcare providers to make all decisions regarding your health. Bulletproof recommends that you consult with your healthcare providers regarding the diagnosis and treatment of any disease or condition. Products sold on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About Dave Asprey

Dave Asprey is founder of Bulletproof, and creator of the widely-popular Bulletproof Coffee. He is a two-time New York Times bestselling author, host of the Webby award-winning podcast Bulletproof Radio, and has been featured on the Today show, Fox News, Nightline, Dr. Oz, and many more.

References

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831093/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19771282
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12949381
[4] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2014.90...
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10899769
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5805681/

TAGS

EnergyMitochondria

Related Bulletproof Diet Tips

A colorful assortment of local produce

Locavore 101: How to Shop, Cook and Eat Locally

Bacon cheeseburgers on grill

Dirty Keto vs. Clean Keto: Everything You Need to Know

A woman holding a mug and a bag of Bulletproof Coffee Beans

#BETHEPROOF: How Coffee Literally Saved My Life

Clock next to plate of food

Types of Fasting Diets and How to Choose the Right One

STAY BULLETPROOF: SUBSCRIBE TODAY

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

SHOP

  • Coffee
  • MCT Oils
  • Proteins
  • Food & Drink
  • Supplements
  • Other
  • All Products

Learn

  • Bulletproof for Beginners
  • Recipes
  • Newsletters & Guides
  • Bulletproof Blog
  • Books

CUSTOMER CARE

  • Contact Us
  • Shipping Policy
  • Return Policy

COMPANY

  • About Us
  • Press
  • Careers
  • Customer Reviews

PARTNERS

  • Store Locator
  • Wholesale
  • Affiliate Program
  • Coach Training
  • Students

†Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for individual medical advice. | ©Bulletproof 360, Inc. 2013–2021

  • Privacy Policy |
  • Terms |
  • Reseller Policy