If you’re living with the liver disease primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) — previously called primary biliary cirrhosis — you may have heard a lot about what foods to eat and which ones to avoid. Your healthcare provider has likely talked to you about how a balanced diet can keep your liver healthy and your quality of life high.

You may not know that hydration can also be important when it comes to your well-being when living with PBC. If you haven’t heard about hydration and liver health or you want to learn more, here’s what you should know.

How Hydration Helps the Liver

Hydration is very important for the health and functioning of your liver. It lowers the burden on your liver because it helps eliminate waste. If you’re living with PBC, it’s likely that your liver is already dealing with quite a bit. PBC can make it difficult for the liver to function properly. Since hydration can help ease the burden on your liver, it might make it easier for the liver to do its job. In theory, this could help people with PBC feel better.

Makes Digestion Easier

Drinking plenty of fluids also helps with digestion. Your liver produces bile, which is essential for digesting fats. Bile helps turn fats into substances your body can actually use. PBC affects your bile ducts and makes it harder for bile to leave your liver. So, easing digestion could support you when liver damage is making digestion harder.

Helps Produce Bile

Bile is made up of water and other components. If you don’t have enough water available in your body, it makes it harder for your liver to produce bile acid. Since problems with the flow of bile or bile buildup are central to PBC, it makes sense that staying hydrated should be a priority.

Dehydration and PBC Symptoms

You may wonder, “Does water help your liver recover from PBC?” While water won’t cure the condition, it might help you feel better. Not drinking enough water can also make PBC symptoms worse. If you’re experiencing a PBC flare, staying hydrated might help with the issues discussed below.

Dry Eyes and Dry Mouth

About 35 percent of people living with PBC are also living with another autoimmune disease called Sjögren’s disease. Two of the most common symptoms of this condition are having dry eyes and a dry mouth.

While problems with hydration aren’t part of Sjögren’s, staying hydrated can help make sure that these symptoms aren’t any worse than they need to be. Taking sips of water regularly throughout your day can help keep your mouth moist. Staying hydrated may also help you if you experience dry eyes. Being dehydrated may make these symptoms worse.

Fatigue

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of PBC. It’s the first symptom for up to 65 percent of people who are eventually diagnosed with the condition. One study says that over 50 percent of people living with PBC will experience fatigue.

Dehydration can make fatigue worse. While drinking plenty of fluids won’t make the fatigue from PBC go away, it will help ensure that you’re not experiencing any worse symptoms than you have to. If you sense that you’re more tired than usual when dealing with PBC, make sure you’re getting plenty of water, and talk to your doctor about how you can manage this symptom.

Constipation

Some people living with PBC experience constipation as part of the condition. Others might experience it as a side effect of the medications prescribed to treat PBC. Not drinking enough fluid is another common cause of constipation. If you experience constipation when your PBC flares up, make sure you’re drinking enough water.

How To Stay Hydrated

Sometimes, staying hydrated is hard. This is even more true if you aren’t feeling well because of your PBC symptoms. Here are some ways to make it easier to get enough fluid every day.

Change It Up

You can make hydration easier by making your water taste like something other than water. Infuse it with other flavors, like lemon or other citrus fruits, cucumber, strawberries, and more. Some people wonder, “Does lemon water help your liver?” The truth is that it might if it helps you drink more water every day.

If infusion isn’t your thing, you could also try adding a splash of coconut water. If you prefer carbonation, get a home carbonation machine to add bubbles to all of your beverages, or keep some sparkling waters stocked in your fridge.

Avoid Alcohol

You should probably be doing this anyway if you’re living with a chronic liver condition like PBC. In addition to making life harder for your liver, drinking alcohol can also dehydrate you. Eliminating it as an option, then, can help you feel better on a number of different levels.

Drink Fluid Regularly

Some people don’t like the idea of chugging a bunch of water. If this is you, remember that you don’t have to drink that way. Consuming sips of water little by little throughout the day is a good way to get enough water without ever feeling like you have to drink a bunch at one time.

Make this happen by carrying a water bottle with you wherever you go. If that’s not something you can do or want to do, make sure you take advantage of every chance you have to drink something. Drink fluids with all of your meals, whenever you swallow medication, and anytime you think of it throughout the day.

Consume Your Beverage of Choice

If you just can’t drink enough water every day to meet your hydration needs, that’s OK. You can drink other things, too. Anything with water as a base will add to your hydration levels. Some people even meet some of their daily water needs by drinking milk. Make sure you avoid drinks with too much sugar or caffeine, as they can cause other problems in your body.

Get Fluid in a Different Form

If the act of drinking just isn’t something you enjoy, try to get at least some of your need for water met another way. You can freeze water or juice, then suck on the cubes like popsicles. These are particularly nice when it’s warm outside because they can also help you cool down.

You can also increase your hydration with the foods you eat. Some fruits and vegetables have a high water content, so adding them to your healthy diet can help keep you hydrated. You probably can’t get all of your hydration this way, but you can get enough that you won’t have to drink so often.

How Much Fluid Is Enough?

Different bodies need different amounts of water every day. Additionally, your ideal water intake may be limited based on how PBC is affecting your liver. Thus, the best thing you can do is talk to your hepatologist about how much you should be drinking. They can balance your need to have plenty of fluids with what they know about the way your liver is currently functioning. Your hepatology team should give you a target amount. Once you know that, you can start working toward your goal hydration amount every day.

Talk With Others Who Understand

On myPBCteam, the social network for people with primary biliary cholangitis and their loved ones, members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their tips with others who understand life with primary biliary cholangitis.

Did you drink enough water today? What helps you stay hydrated? Share your experiences in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.