Hydration Matters: 10 Reasons to Drink More Water
Your body is made up of 60% water which is required to keep cells, tissues and organs functioning. However, we constantly lose water through sweating, urinating and breathing. So, when we are dehydrated, it affects the performance of our normal body functioning.
Here are 10 major reasons why we must concentrate on drinking more water:
1. Water makes up 75% of the brain: According to studies, even the most minimal dehydration level of about three percent of body weight can affect certain aspects of brain function such as memory, concentration and moods. Acute dehydration is known to lead to fatigue, headaches and anxiety. Since this level of dehydration can occur through daily tasks, it is necessary to drink water from time to time.
2. Water regulates body temperature during exercise: Exercise makes you lose two percent of your body’s water content. This tires you out during exercise, but by drinking water, your body temperature is regulated. For this reason, you feel energetic during an exercise workout, while the water also works to fuel muscle.
3. Keeps skin looking healthy: Drinking 1.5 liters of water per day helps you reduce wrinkles and fine lines and moisturize your skin, leaving it fresh, taut, smooth and glowing.
4. Helps the heart function better: When the body has less water than necessary, a drop of blood volume is recorded that makes it more difficult for the heart work to pump oxygenated blood into the bloodstream and major organs. By drinking sufficient water, this situation can be averted and the heart can function optimally.
5. Water is a fat-buster: Water helps increase your metabolic rate, makes you feel full for longer and prevents overeating. These factors contribute to weight loss in the long-term.
6. Water prevents constipation: Adequate water content in the body means better digestive functioning and prevents constipation, which is due to insufficient water that is unable to break food down adequately and stimulate normal bowel movements.
7. Water relieves fatigue: If you feel tired often, it could well be due to insufficient water in the body which makes your body function sub-optimally. Fatigue is often said to be the first sign of dehydration.
8. Water transports oxygen to body cells: By carrying oxygen to the cells, water helps build and energize the muscles.
9. Water gets rid of toxins: Sweat and urine are the two ways the body gets rid of body toxins. By getting rid of body toxins, kidney function is improved and the risk of kidney stones is reduced due to water diluting the minerals and salts in the urine that cause kidney stones.
10. Water helps in calorie control: Water gives a feeling of satiation, so it’s easy to control calories by drinking water rather than resort to diets.
