Water
is vital to nearly every part of your body. Adult humans are 60 percent water,
and blood is 90 percent water. Around 71 percent of the planet’s
surface is covered by water. Perhaps it is the ever-present nature of water
that means drinking enough each day is not important to many people’s
priorities.
Getting
your daily recommended intake of water will help you improve your overall
health. People get about 20
percent
of their daily water intake from food. The rest is dependent on drinking water
and water-based beverages. Carry
a water bottle with you wherever you go so that you can drink
whenever need to.
Consume
about 11.5 cups (91 ounces) daily if you’re a woman and about 15.5 cups of
water (125 ounces) everyday if you’re a man. Plan to pace yourself in consuming half your
recommended amount by midday. You can always finish about an
hour before you plan to sleep. Below are a few suggestions:
Water boosts performance during exercise, and aids in weight loss-Consuming
more water may enhance performance during strenuous activity. Dehydration reduces
performance in activities lasting longer than 30 minutes. Drinking plenty of water during physical activity is
essential. Athletes may perspire up to 6 to 10 percent of body weight
during physical activity. Hydration also affects your strength, power, and
endurance.
Negative effects of exercise in the heat
without enough water can include serious medical conditions, like decreased
blood pressure and hyperthermia. Extreme dehydration
can cause seizures and even death. Water may also help with weight loss, if it
is consumed instead of sweetened juices and sodas.
“Preloading” with water before meals can help
prevent overeating by creating a sense of fullness. Studies have linked body
fat and weight loss with drinking water in both overweight girls and women. Drinking more water
while dieting and exercising may just help you lose extra pounds.
Water boosts skin health, beauty, and cushions the brain,
spinal cord, and other sensitive tissues -With dehydration, the skin can become more vulnerable to
skin disorders and premature wrinkling. Adequate water intake will help keep
your skin hydrated and may promote collagen production. Water intake alone
isn’t enough to reduce the effects of aging.
This process is also connected to your genes
and overall sun protection. Dehydration can
affect brain structure and function. It is also involved in the production of
hormones and neurotransmitters. Prolonged dehydration can lead to problems with
thinking and reasoning.
Water flushes body waste, helps maintain blood pressure,
and helps airways -Water is needed in
the processes of sweating and removal of urine and feces. Your body uses water
to sweat, urinate, and have bowel movements. Sweat regulates body temperature
when you’re exercising or in warm temperatures. You need water to replenish the
lost fluid from sweat.
You also need enough water in your system to
have healthy stool and avoid constipation. If you also don’t consume enough
magnesium and fiber, you may be more likely to experience constipation. If
you’re already constipated, you may find that drinking carbonated water as well as plain
water can help ease your symptoms. Your kidneys are also important for
filtering out waste through urination.
Adequate water intake helps your kidneys work
more efficiently and helps to prevent kidney stones. A lack of water can cause blood to become thicker,
increasing blood pressure.
When dehydrated, airways are
restricted by the body in an effort to minimize water loss. This can make asthma and allergies worse.
Water helps create saliva-Water is a main component of saliva. It also
includes small amounts of electrolytes, mucus, and enzymes. Saliva is essential
for breaking down solid food and keeping your mouth healthy. Your body
generally produces enough saliva with regular fluid intake.
Your
saliva production may decrease as a result of age or certain medications or
therapies. If your mouth is drier than usual and increasing your water intake
isn’t helping, try a commercially made product for dry mouth first before
seeing a doctor.
Water lubricates the joints, forms saliva and mucus, and delivers oxygen
throughout the body-Cartilage, found in
joints and the disks of the spine, contains around 80 percent water. Long-term dehydration can reduce the joints’ shock-absorbing
ability leading to joint pain. Water consumption helps lubricate and cushion
your joints, spinal cord, and tissues.
This will help you enjoy physical activity
and lessen discomfort caused by conditions like arthritis. Saliva
helps us digest our food and keeps the mouth, nose, and eyes moist. This
prevents friction and damage. Drinking water also keeps the mouth clean.
Consumed instead of sweetened beverages, it can also reduce tooth decay.
Blood is more than 90 percent water, and
blood carries oxygen to different parts of the body. Water carries helpful
nutrients and oxygen to your entire body. Reaching your daily water intake will
improve your circulation and have a positive impact on your overall health.
Water prevents kidney damage-Every day, the
kidneys filter around 120-150 quarts of
fluid. Of these, approximately 1-2 quarts are removed from the body in the form
of urine, and the rest is recovered by the bloodstream. If the kidneys do not
function properly, waste products and excess
fluid can build up inside the body. Untreated,
chronic
kidney disease can lead to kidney failure.
The
organs stop working, and either dialysis or kidney transplantation is required.
Urinary tract
infections (UTIs) are the second most common
type of infection in the body. They account for around 8.1 million visits to
health care providers in the U.S. every year. If infections spread to the upper
urinary tract, including the kidneys, permanent damage can result. Sudden, or
acute, kidney infections can be life-threatening, particularly if septicemia
occurs.
The
leading cause of kidney stones is a lack of water. People who report them often
do not drink the recommended daily amount of water. Kidney stones may also
increase the risk of chronic kidney disease. The guidelines state that increasing fluid intake to
enable 2 liters of urination a day could decrease the risk of stone recurrence
by at least half with no side effects. When the kidneys are unable to maintain
a balance in the levels of electrolytes, these electrical signals become mixed
up. This can lead to seizures, involving involuntary muscle movements and loss
of consciousness.
Water regulates body temperature-Water
that is stored in the middle layers of the skin comes to the skin’s surface as sweat when the body heats up. As it evaporates, it cools
the body. Some scientists have suggested
that when there is too little water in
the body, heat storage increases and the individual is less able to tolerate
heat strain. Having a lot of water in the body may reduce physical strain if
heat stress occurs during exercise.
Your sweat keeps your body cool, but your
body temperature will rise if you don’t replenish the water you lose. If you’re
sweating more than usual, make sure you drink plenty of water to avoid
dehydration. Dehydration is the result of your body not having enough water. Because
water is imperative to so many bodily functions, dehydration can be very dangerous.
It can lead to an imbalance in the
body’s electrolytes. Electrolytes, such as potassium, phosphate, and sodium, help carry electrical signals
between cells.
The
kidneys keep the levels of electrolytes in the body stable when they function
properly. In severe cases, dehydration can lead to kidney failure, which can be
life-threatening. Possible complications of chronic
kidney failure include anemia, damage to the central nervous
system, heart failure, and a compromised immune system.
“The mind is like water. When
it’s turbulent, it’s difficult to see. When it’s calm everything becomes
clear.” (Prasad Mahes)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“Fifteen benefits of
drinking water” by James
McIntosh
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