Introduction




https://www.quora.com/Is-drinking-water-good-for-blood-circulation


Water is essential for cellular homeostasis and life. Without water, humans can survive only for days, and severe dehydration leads to cognitive dysfunction, delirium, and coma.

During sporting events, dehydration is associated with decrements in the athletes' physical performance. Mild levels of dehydration alter mood and cognitive function and reduce concentration, alertness, and short-term memory in children and young adults.

In the elderly, dehydration is well known to compromise cognitive function.

Aging blunts thirst and drinking responses, making older people more vulnerable to body fluid imbalance, and increasing their susceptibility to cognitive decline. Indeed, dehydration is a predisposing factor for confusion in long-term care residents.

Furthermore, plasma hypertonicity, a marker of dehydration, increases the risk of ischemic stroke in hospitalized patients and may precipitate cerebral ischemic events in susceptible elderly individuals.

The mechanisms responsible for these effects have not been clearly elucidated. Dehydration leads to reductions in brain volume and changes in neural activity in brain areas involved in fluid homeostasis, but little is known about the factors responsible for the alteration in cognition.

One possibility is that dehydration disrupts critical cerebrovascular homeostatic mechanisms, such as the increases in cerebral blood flow (CBF) induced by neural activity or by endothelial cells, that assure that the brain receives a supply of oxygen and glucose well matched to its energy needs.

In support of this possibility, alterations in cerebrovascular regulation are often associated with cognitive dysfunction.

Furthermore, vasopressin (AVP), the plasma level of which increases with dehydration, is involved in the cerebrovascular dysfunction induced by administration of slow pressor doses of angiotensin II (ANGII).

The effect is due to AVP-mediated expression of the potent vasoactive peptide endothelin-1 (ET-1) in cerebral blood vessels, which, in turn, is responsible for the cerebrovascular alterations.

Therefore, in this study, we sought to determine whether dehydration alters the mechanisms regulating the cerebral microcirculation. We found that dehydration induces a profound disruption of the ability of neural activity, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells to regulate CBF, which is associated with cognitive dysfunction assessed using the Y-maze. The effect depends on AVP-mediated oxidative stress and induction of ET-1 in cerebral blood vessels.

The findings provide the first evidence to date that dehydration alters critical regulatory mechanisms of the cerebral circulation, which may reduce vascular reserves and contribute to the associated cognitive dysfunction and increased stroke risk.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4013763/


Circulatory system


circulatory system, also called the cardiovascular system or the vascular system, is an organ system that permits blood to circulate and transport nutrients (such as amino acids and electrolytes), oxygen, carbon dioxide, hormones, and blood cells to and from the cells in the body to provide nourishment and help in fighting diseases, stabilize temperature and pH, and maintain homeostasis. The study of the blood flow is called hemodynamics. The study of the properties of the blood flow is called hemorheology.


The human circulatory system (simplified). Red indicates oxygenated blood carried in arteries, blue indicates deoxygenated blood carried in veins. Capillaries, which join the arteries and veins, and the lymphatic vessels are not shown.



The circulatory system is often seen to comprise two separate systems: the cardiovascular system, which distributes blood, and the lymphatic system, which circulates lymph. The passage of lymph for example takes much longer than that of blood. Blood is a fluid consisting of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets that is circulated by the heart through the vertebrate vascular system, carrying oxygen and nutrients to and waste materials away from all body tissues. Lymph is essentially recycled excess blood plasma after it has been filtered from the interstitial fluid (between cells) and returned to the lymphatic system.


The cardiovascular (from Latin words meaning "heart" and "vessel" system comprises the blood, heart, and blood vessels. The lymph, lymph nodes, and lymph vessels form the lymphatic system, which returns filtered blood plasma from the interstitial fluid (between cells) as lymph.

While humans, as well as other vertebrates, have a closed cardiovascular system (meaning that the blood never leaves the network of arteries, veins and capillaries), some invertebrate groups have an open cardiovascular system. The lymphatic system, on the other hand, is an open system providing an accessory route for excess interstitial fluid to be returned to the blood.[4] The more primitive, diploblastic animal phyla lack circulatory systems.

Source:- Wikipedia

Scientists have performed some pretty interesting studies related to the effects of dehydration on the body. In one particular study, scientists sought to uncover the effects of dehydration on the circulatory system, specifically the cerebrovascular regulation (normal brain function). In simplest terms the body is an amazing machine; one that can operate for long periods under stress and neglect (with diminished capacity over time) and it is very sensitive (treat it well and it will function well). It would appear, based on some pretty good scientific analysis, that hydration is the fuel that keeps the system in check, and keeping the system at the level of homeostasis is critical.

Drink more everyday


https://www.quora.com/Is-drinking-water-good-for-blood-circulation