Stay Hydrated with Crohn's Disease

If you are one of the 800,000 people struggling with Crohn’s Disease, then you are probably on one or more anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroids, antibiotics, and immunosuppressants to help manage your symptoms. Your doctor might even have suggested a specialized diet or prescribed certain supplements. While managing different treatments, it’s all too easy to forget one of the simplest yet most effective inputs for your body: WATER. Read on to understand the importance of good old H2O in managing your Crohn’s symptoms.  

Understanding Crohn’s - Causes and Symptoms 

Crohn’s is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes digestive or GI tract inflammation. While it can affect any part of the digestive tract, from mouth to the anus, it usually involves the ileum, which is the end of the small intestine or the beginning of the colon.  

Crohn’s is considered an autoimmune disorder, which means that the immune system attacks the healthy gut tissue, resulting in inflammation. Symptoms typically include abdominal pain, fatigue, diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition.  

Medical professionals have yet to find a cause for Crohn’s, but research indicates that genetic and environmental factors, microbiome imbalance, and immune dysfunction contribute to it. While there is no cure for Crohn’s, treatment typically revolves around managing symptoms and involves a mix of medication, diets, stress management, and lifestyle modifications.  

Crohn’s disease and hydration - A vital link  

A crucial part of managing symptoms of Crohn’s Disease involves ensuring your body receives adequate hydration. Insufficient water intake can lead to dehydration and loss of electrolytes, especially among those with persistent diarrhea. Inflammation of the gut, a characteristic of Crohn’s disease, leads to reduced absorption of fluids and electrolyte imbalance. This can lead to muscle cramping, fatigue, and dizziness, all of which can be alleviated with optimal water intake.

Since those with Crohn’s often suffer from malabsorption, proper hydration ensures nutrient absorption by supporting intestinal lining and nutrient transportation. Adequate hydration is also necessary for some medications, such as anti-inflammatories and immunosuppressants, to be absorbed in the body effectively.

Hydration strategies for those with Crohn’s 

• Consult with your doctor and set daily water intake goals.
• Sip on fluids throughout the day, even when not thirsty, to meet your hydration targets.
• Keep electrolyte-enhanced water and oral rehydration solutions handy, especially if you are going through a flare-up or diarrhea episode.
• Avoid caffeinated, carbonated, and sugary drinks that irritate your gut or worsen your symptoms.
• Ensure that the color of your urine is light yellow, an indication that you are well-hydrated.
• Invest in a smart hydration system to track and help meet your water consumption goals. 

HidrateSpark - Helping you manage your symptoms the ‘smart’ way 

With medications, diets, exercise schedules and stress levels to manage, it can get tricky! The HidrateSpark smart water bottle and app takes the work and stress out of keeping track of and reminding you to take a few sips of water, no matter how busy you are.  

1. Set personalized hydration goals - Calculate your ideal daily water intake numbers on the HidrateSpark app or set a goal based on your lifestyle or in consultation with your doctor.
2. Glow reminders - Our smart water bottles remind you to hydrate yourself with customizable glow reminders so that you can stay on track to meeting your water intake goals everyday.
3. Sip Sense technology - Hate inputting numbers or don’t have the time to do it? Our advanced SipSense technology takes care of that and calculates how much water you drink during every water break. 
4. Track your progress - Track your daily, weekly, and monthly progress. The app integrates with Apple Health, Fitbit, Google Fit and other popular health apps. 

Explore the HidrateSpark range of innovative water bottles and find out more about why it is considered the world’s most advanced hydration system. 

Want to know more?  

Find out everything you need to know about the link between kidney health and hydration, POTS and hydration on the positive impact of hydration on weight management.