Drink More Water! Benefits and Why You Shouldn’t Neglect Consuming H2O

glass of waterThe Most Overlooked Liquid

People simply do not get enough water in their diet. The majority of us will trade water for any other kind of beverage packed with unnecessary additives and sapping the health qualities of water on it’s own.

Water takes up around 60 percent of our body weight . This liquid contributes nutrients needed for cells, flushes toxins  out of vital organs and creates the perfect atmosphere for tissues in the throat, ear and nose. Every system inside your body relies on water. So what do you want your body running on? It’s funny to joke around and say “Yeah, my body runs on coffee”, but it’s an entirely different thing when your body is literally fueled by it!

Now it’s true that all liquids are comprised of some amount of water, but the problem is some beverages actually work against waters original capabilities. More on that later!

Does it matter if I lack water?

We spoke to experts at Nephrology & Hypertension Medical Associates in order to get a full breakdown of what can happen to your body if it doesn’t receive enough water. One of the most common conditions that people incur is dehydration due to a lack of water. Even a minor level of dehydration can leave you feeling sapped of energy since you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out it’s normal functions.

14 things water helps with:

  1. Digestion
  2. Weight loss
  3. Kidney health
  4. Headaches
  5. Replaces potential food so you feel full and don’t overeat
  6. Younger and healthier looking skin
  7. Relieves fatigue
  8. Preventing sickness
  9. Exercise productivity
  10. Reduces risk of cancer
  11. Work productivity
  12. Improves mood
  13. Preventing cramps and sprains
  14. Helps with regular bowel movements

Consuming an appropriate amount of water will aid your heart in pumping blood and deliver essential nutrients to your cells more efficiently. It also helps to transport oxygen in your blood. Additionally, you may want to learn more about Drink HRW where the benefits of drinking something like hydrogen water are further expanded upon. To provide an interesting example, boosting your muscles and preventing cramps is another helpful trait of water. This can be a fairly significant property if you find yourself always feeling tired while working out. You should be chugging back a couple cups of H2O around two hours before you exercise. Water will reduce fatigue during exercise and and activities  in addition to helping you keep more alert and awake. If you tend to work often and for long hours this can be one of the single best things you can do to keep in check.

different drinks in convenience store

Water vs. Other Liquids

Some companies try to sell the idea that their drink product can be better than water. This is not the case! There’s a major difference between drinking water and drinking something that contains water. The water obtained from a bore or well may be passed through a well water whole house filtration system, but some positive effects of water on it’s own are masked because of added ingredients.

Caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea and pop are frequently chosen before water. Although it may taste better, the water contained in these beverages does not help the body as effectively as just drinking water on it’s own could. These processed liquids stimulate the adrenal glands in the body and act as diuretics. High amounts of phosphorus are found in soft drinks which could result with calcium depletion in your bones.

Even a lot of fruit juices that we associate with being healthy can have harmful effects on the body. Pop and fruit juices can stimulate the pancreas due to their high sugar content. Blood glucose is converted by your body to energy through a hormone called insulin. Eating too much sugar in one sitting isn’t too big of an issue as your pancreas can handle the extra insulin. However, if you frequently eat too much sugar, your pancreas may “age” faster than the rest of your body. Ultimately, this can result in pancreatic failure or diabetes. An average can of pop contains over 9 teaspoons of sugar, not to mention a decent load of calories. These particular beverages can therefore cause some undesired effects.

Some people like to consume sports drinks especially after an intense workout. Now this can be useful however they contain syrup and among several other ingredients that aren’t beneficial to your body in the long run.

There are a fair amount of people who don’t like drinking water because of the lack of flavour. Although it’s highly recommended to drink this precious liquid on it’s own, here are a few healthy ways to improve the taste of water if you really must:

  • Add some fresh lemon, orange slices, lime or mint to your water
  • Put a handful of frozen berries into your water bottle. As the day passes on the frozen berries will help keep the water chilly and infuse the fruit flavour.
  • Make natural herbal iced teas without adding sugar to use in place of plain water.
  •  Fruits on their own can be up to 90% water content so one of these suckers can boost your fluid intake on it’s own

dry cracking skin dehydrated

Lack of water?

Thirsty? You may already be dehydrated!

When your thirst mechanism kicks in, your body is signalling that you are already dehydrated. When exercising you ideally want to be drinking water before, during and after the exercise. This ensures that you don’t reach the stage where you feel thirsty.

Pitting edema is when a section of your body (usually a limb) is so swollen that when you press your finger down on their skin, the finger print hole stays for several minutes. It is an additional symptom that occurs with dehydration in some of the elderly and needs to be checked every so often if they are on prescriptions that might reduce this. If you think you have this or any other condition but would like to get a professional opinion, you can always get a virtual consultation from Renee Rouleau. They will be able to assess your skin and tell you if they find any irregularities, as well as inform you on how to better take care of your particular type of skin. A lot of people prefer to be looked at by a professional to ensure they are taking proper care of their skin, mainly in order to avoid things getting too bad or perhaps even out of hand, and the good news is that that’s what they’re there for!

You can avoid the condition completely by drinking lots of water and using products from AcneFoundation.org to retain the glow of your skin.

Signs and symptoms for dehydration in adults and teenagers:

  • Dry mouth
  • Dizziness
  • Weakness
  • Dry lips
  • Nausea
  • Low blood pressure
  • Dry eyes
  • Vomiting
  • Muscle cramps
  • Lack of sweat
  • Dark urine (orange/yellow coloured and an especially strong odor)
  • Inability to urinate

Dehydration signs and symptoms in children and infants include:

  • Crying without tears
  • Over three hours without a wet diaper
  • Dry mouth and tongue
  • General fatigue
  • Irritability
  • High fever
  • Sunken eyes cheeks or abdomen
  • Pitting edema

glasses of water filled

How much water is needed per day?

You have probably heard  that you should be drinking eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day. This isn’t necessarily accurate but is at least an easy thing to remember and to have as a base amount. The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of fluids per day. The AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of fluids per day. But drinking just the right amount of water isn’t an end to your worries. Drinking the right kind of water also matters a lot, especially to keep your vitals from functioning normally. waterboss water softener sterilises and converts Hard water into more potable water.

Every day you lose water from breathing, perspiring, urinating and bowel movements. For your body to function properly it’s important to replenish this water supply. If you spend time in hot or dry weather, exercise or consume a significant amount of caffeinated drinks you may need more water! Best filtered water is available at https://www.lenser.de/en/#/applications/mining.

Can you drink too much water?

Realistically you can take in too much of any liquid or solid than your body can physically handle.

It’s pretty rare but there’s a condition called water intoxication. Drinking too much water will dilute the electrolytes in your body which can affect your heart. There’s even been athletes getting heart attacks because they consumed too much water, but it’s extremely uncommon. Don’t worry, your body won’t get over hydrated drinking 15 cups of water a day. You’d have to be drinking a ridiculous amount of water to reach that level of extreme.

Wrap Up

On average, people aren’t getting enough liquids in their body and even less are primarily consuming pure water on it’s own. This is a critical and essential asset to your health. Keep your body running on the cleanest liquid fuel around and it will do wonders. Don’t forget most fruits primarily consist of water so you can never go wrong with indulging in them!

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Comments

  1. Really awesome blog! People always give me strange looks and call me crazy when I tell them that I usually drink 2-3 liters of water a day (which I’ve been doing for 5+ years now). I drink coffee, which dehydrates your body, so I usually drink a little more water to supplement that. I’ve been sick with a cold once in the past 3 years, and Im a sucker for salty foods so I know it helps to flush all that out. Great read though, I knew I wasn’t crazy! Haha :)

  2. Thanks for the valued info.

    Peace & Light

  3. Thanks for subscribing to my blog. I really like the material you post. Amazing reminders. We need more people like you informing people about living healthier and eating right!

  4. Great post and a wonderful insight into the benefits of water. Liked it and shared this post on my Twitter timeline!

  5. Very informative blog! not what i usually go for but i actually enjoyed it, and i’m sure i’ll be back for more :-)

    Not sure if you do requests, but i would love to read something in the same format about the sun, and how the lack of exposure would affect a person, what are the benefits etc…

    again, brilliant posts!

  6. David, thank you very much for your interest in Gwichyaa Zhee. Here, like everywhere else, we are addictied to sugar and drink anything else before we will reach for water. I teach science and every year one of my students wants to do their science fair project on this subject. This year, I will make sure my students read your informative posts on these two subjects as part of their research.

  7. I know all these wonderful things but I have to consistently remind myself to do better. Right now I am only allowing myself my one cup of coffee and water for the rest of the day. Been a month now and I still miss sugary drinks but I know it will be worth it in the end. DAMN YOU PEPSI COLA

  8. Well I’m just a tad bit different my morning coffee uses 6 spoons of sugar, anything else that use with sugar deserves the same happily amount..

  9. Thanks for the 411 on the H2O, good stuff

  10. Yes, don’t worry…. I mean, if you start having seizures from hyponatremia it’s NORMAL. keep drinking more water!!! JUST KIDDING. don’t do that.

  11. This post made me thirsty!

  12. Very helpful post – I shared it with my facebook friends!

  13. That skin picture definitely made me go get a glass of water IMMEDIATELY!

    Great share on something many overlook!!!

  14. Water is the best drink indeed! Loving your blog! -mc

  15. Water is my drink of choice. Since we are “ugly bags of mostly water” (Star Trek original series), it’s essential that we keep replenishing ourselves.

  16. Great article on why water is so important. It still amazes me when people say they don’t drink water usually because they think it doesn’t taste good. In my opinion, there is nothing better to taste or drink then a fresh cool glass of water. I absolutely love water and it’s the only liquid I drink besides unsweetened almond milk on occasion.

    Since our adult bodies are usually 60-70% water, it only makes sense to drink more of it–and by more of it I’m saying purified clean water and none of that flavored or Vitamin Water nonsense. Water is the essential compound and common denominator for all life, including us. Without it, we cannot live. Sorry for the short rant, but I don’t think people really understand how important water is, like you explain in your article.

    Once again, great post!.

  17. Thank you for this. I have often wondered why I get tired quickly. I think that you have provided the answer. Unfortunately the water from the tap where I live is pretty awful so I am going to have to think of a solution to that. I will also consider buying water instead of a soft drink when I am out. Again, thank you.

  18. Very nice, very informative! I’ll definitely drink more water now! I was reading this with a dry throath and dry lips, really tired, so it was a reminder on how I actually should drink way more than I usually do.

  19. This is a good reminder for me. I live in a super hot climate and find myself thirsty most of the day, and during the night. I can’t get in lots of water before my workout as I exercise first thing in the morning, so I try to make it up during and after my workout.

  20. Very helpful, thorough and informative. I drink lots of water, to the point of sometimes getting sick of the taste. It’s nice to know there are ways to make water more drinkable and enjoyable at the same time. And it’s true, one apple does wonders with its juiciness.

  21. very beautiful article, nice blog, worth for visit more, thanks for writing such informative blog, keep it up.

    regards
    the deepak sharma

  22. It’s good you notice that water is H2O. Therefore, you have it in coffee, tea, milk, as well as lemon juice.

    Plain water and soda bread were prisoner ‘diet’ not so long ago, when the sun king Luis was trying to manage France, for example.

  23. Very informative! Thanks for sharing all this information with us!

  24. Thank you very much. Quality of water is critical now more than ever. Pure water hardly exists. City water in California was just reported to be a hazard to health with Monsonto Roundup contamination with GMO’s so severe it upped women’s risk of breast cancer by thousands and thousands of percent. Perhaps most organic soil is now contaminated by Monsanto Miracle Gro as well. Water is vital to life, clean filtered water may save life, and what we do and where we go from here is important as ever it was.

  25. Thank you for the post. I really need it due to lack information of the dizziness and low blood pressure I had lately. I should go seeing a doctor but…that’s just me, I think. Anyway I have followed you :)

  26. I’ll definitely be drinking more water after this! It was a really good post! Your blog seems really interesting! :D

  27. Thanks for your informative posts about health and wellness. The healthcare industry is so complex, yet the simple information about how to take care of oneself properly is hard to weed out. Thank you again!

  28. Great post! I’ve been banging on for years about the benefits of drinking water. I’ve shared this on my blog with a link back to yours.
    http://thebipolarplace1.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/drink-more-water-benefits-and-why-you-shouldnt-neglect-consuming-h2o/

  29. I love water it’s my preferred beverage! I’m so glad you shared the benefits with everyone.

  30. Do more homework/research about the source and quality of your drinking water. Not all tap and bottled waters are healthy or hydrating.

  31. I feel oh so vindicated after reading this post. I have been big on water for quite some time. I drink it at room temperature, basically, so as to not shock my system with the icy cold equivalent. On average, I drink anywhere from 48 to 64 ounces daily. Thanks for this!

  32. Thanks Dave, I’ve posted a link to this post on my blog. It’s inspirational and informative. Karyn – lots of h2o

  33. Water – there’s nothing like water. I couldn’t agree with you more and am grateful to you for writing this comprehensive blog post.

  34. Excellent and informative!! Definitely sharing. I look forward your future posts.

  35. Truer words have never been spoken! An overabundance of soft-drinks, energy drinks, teas, etc. have spoiled us for the beauty of water. There is some evidence to suggest that artificially sweetened drinks can contribute to sugar cravings, and possibly derail dieting efforts. My Coke addiction was tough to leave behind, but utterly necessary.

    Note – Perrier or other sparkling mineral waters are free of calories, fat, unnatural sweeteners, caffeine, and tastes pretty darn great. Add some fresh fruit for some fun and kick back with a guilt-free refresher.

    Looking forward to reading more from you.

    Stef

  36. Drinking water while reading. Serious ;)

  37. Great post! Shared on Facebook and Pinterest

  38. Look forward to seeing more of your posting here!

  39. Oh I’m horrible at getting enough fluids in a day! I normally drink unsweetened herbal iced tea. I’ve learned that frozen fruit makes for great ice cubes! I very rarely use agave to sweeten drinks. I thought it was a better substitute than sugar, but recently someone tried to tell me it’s just as bad as high fructose corn syrup. Do you know anything about that? I don’t want to believe it! Thank you for all the information!

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