Are people at work or your kids at school all talking about how sick they got recently? Each year, 5 - 20% of the US population gets the flu. While the flu may only last for a few days for most people, it can be a cause of death for others.

What if we told you staying hydrated (with Clearly Filtered water filters obviously) is the most important factor for flu recovery and prevention? Below are the details about hydration, health and your immune system and stay healthy by staying hydrated.

Unfortunately, dehydration is a major wellness issue that people suffering from the flu or other illnesses can find easy to ignore, especially when feeling as if they can't get anything to stay down. So, why is hydration important when sick?

Sickness-fighting proteins transport via bodily fluids. These fluids are made up of predominantly water. We're sure you've heard that the stats that the body is up to 60% water or the brain is 73% water, etc. So because of the important factor that water and these other liquids need to transport our immunity proteins, dehydration creates a hurdle for these proteins as they attempt to move through the body and do their job. In contrast, loading up on fluids will help to reduce headaches, relieve flu symptoms, and strengthen the body’s immune response system, ultimately diminishing the sickness and flushing out the toxins altogether.

Hydrating properly allows you to:

• Improve your oxygen flow, flushing out harmful toxins

• Help your digestion run more efficiently, preventing vomiting and diarrhea

• Keep your eyes and mouth wet, blocking contaminants that can cause infection (bet you didn't know this one!)

So, how do you choose? There are so many options for hydration. Some people choose to drink soup (made with Clearly Filtered water of course) or indulge in juice-rich fruits. For others, sports drinks or water is preferred. These may be adequate, however, some fluids are more effective for fighting sickness. Water is by far the best single form of pure hydration. During times of sickness, many people consider electrolyte packs to add to their water as it also adds salts and minerals.

Water is by far the best single form of pure hydration.

You may not feel like drinking water while sick, but hydration leads to increased liquid in the bloodstream, helping to rebalance electrolytes and blood volume— the two most important factors for recovery from a cold, the flu, and other similar illnesses.

Up to 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration, ultimately increasing the chance of illness. Living a busy lifestyle, it can be easy to disregard the little things that are necessary to remain healthy. Daily routines, both positive and negative, have a compound effect on a person’s well-being. Instead of waiting to hydrate once already sick, people who care about their health should develop a daily habit of proactively drinking plenty of fluids. This will help to strengthen the immune system, optimize the body’s natural operations and prevent illness.

This will help to strengthen the immune system, optimize the body’s natural operations and prevent illness.

The key to preventing illnesses like the flu is developing a hydration plan and committing to it. The good news is that maintaining a healthy hydration plan is actually very simple to do. All it takes to maintain consistency with your hydration is to create a schedule. 

Here are three ways to begin accomplishing this:

1. Set Reminders. For example. you may say, “I’m going to drink water every day at 7:00am, 10:00am, 1:00 pm, 4:00pm, etc.” but setting a reminder on your phone or computer can help you get a good routine in place.

2. Base your hydration schedule off your daily events. If making a strictly time-based hydration schedule doesn’t seem feasible, there are other ways to make a routine that works for you. For example, you can say, “I will drink a glass of water when I wake up, before I go to work, during my lunch break, right before I leave the office, and during dinner.”

3. Tally your glasses. Get to drinking your glasses of water whenever you can but set a goal of at least 8 glasses of water a day. Just make a tally sheet where you can keep track of your drinks. This will ensure you're properly hydrated but lets you choose when you drink.

Watch out! You'll be visiting the bathroom quite a bit so make sure you're washing your hands in there too! Creating a hydration routine that works best for you will give you a better shot at staying healthy during flu season and all year long. It goes without saying that drinking more water is healthier in general, and it's best that the water you are drinking is filtered water that is both clean and safe. Try Clearly Filtered water filters today!