Should You Drink Water After Your Massage?

You've probably been told before to drink a lot of water after your massage. But what's the reasoning behind it? Does it make a difference?
​
The Myth
There are a lot of myths that get thrown around concerning massage, and one of the them is that "You need to drink water to flush out the toxins that get circulated during a massage".
​

---

 This is simply not the case. Massage does not release toxins from  muscle tissue. 

Does it still matter if I drink Water after a Massage?

Probably nothing bad will happen if you don't. However, it's still a good practice nonetheless. Most people don't drink enough water as it is. Most people (including myself) walk around in a state of constant dehydration. A good test to see if you're dehydrated is to check the color of your urine when you pee. The more yellow or dark colored it is, the most dehydrated you are. If you are drinking enough water, your urine should be clear. 

Also, massage has a diuretic effect, meaning it causes an increased passing of urine. As we manipulate the tissues, we are stimulating the lymph vessels just underneath the surface of the skin, pushing lymphatic fluids through to the larger lymphatic vessels and the kidneys to be filtered out. We also are stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which causes the body to relax and which causes also the bladder to relax, which is why many people feel the need to go to the restroom post massage. 

So it's not mandatory to drink water after a massage, but it's a good habit to get into. Our goal should be to drink close to a gallon of water a day, so having a canteen or bottle with you at all times is a great idea. We humans could go weeks without food, but without water, we would only last a couple of days. So water is crucial! 

I hope you learned something valuable  from the article, let me know if you liked it!

Cheers, 
​Alex S.