10 Reasons Why Water Is Important For Your Body

Have your lips ever felt dry in the middle of the night? Maybe you were laying in bed, craving the perfect drop of water to hit your lips. It may be after you ate a lot of carbohydrates, a meal high in sodium, or after a long night of drinking alcohol. You’re craving water because your body is telling you it’s dehydrated. Water is important for your bodily functions. 

Beyond quenching your thirst, water has so many essential benefits for your body. But, it goes beyond just drinking water. You have to drink water that is going to reach the cellular level so your body can use the water you’re drinking.  In this post, you’ll learn the ten reasons why water is essential for your body, and how to gain the most benefit from drinking it. 

1. Reduces Inflammation 

Water acts as a guard against free radicals that enter your body through food, caused by stress, and your environment. The free radicals are an inflammatory agent. The hydrogen molecules in water deactivate the free radicals and clear them from your system. 

2. Regulates Your Body Temperature 

 Your body loses large amounts of water through sweat when you engage in physical activity, especially in hot environments. When you sweat, it cools your body down. However, your body temperature will increase due to the loss of your body’s electrolytes and plasma if you don’t replenish the water you lost. So always stay hydrated! 

3. Helps You Excrete Toxins and Waste

Sweating, urination, and bowel movements are the three main ways that your body gets rid of your waste. You need plenty of water in your system to have healthy stool and to pass it, as well as to avoid constipation. The main organ responsible for eliminating waste through urination is your kidneys. 

Another reason to have plenty of water in your body is for the adequate functioning of your kidneys and to prevent kidney stones.  

Water detoxifies, moves toxins through your system faster, and optimizes kidney function. Inadequate hydration means inadequate kidney function.

4. Aids in Digestion and Absorption

Your mother or grandmother may have told you not to drink too much water while eating your meal because you would ruin your appetite. And that’s exactly right, but it can be a positive thing. Water can help with the feeling of feeling full and satisfied. 

Drinking water before, during, and after your meal helps with your digestion. In addition to breaking your food down, water enables you to get the most out of your nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and other significant nutrients from your meal. Water helps your body to deliver these nutrients and oxygen to your tissues efficiently. Reaching your daily water intake will help to improve your blood circulation and have a positive impact on your health as well.

5. Maximizes Your Physical Performance and Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight 

 When you hit the gym, play basketball, or any other sport, drinking more water than usual is an absolute essential to avoid cramps, and most of all, dehydration. Staying hydrated significantly affects your strength, power, and endurance, and also your mental stamina.

It also helps in losing weight. When you drink a lot of water, you get hungry less and are less susceptible to eat unnecessarily.  Water can cause you to lose those unwanted pounds that are hanging on your thighs and stomach or help you maintain a healthy weight.

6. Improves Your Mood and Cognitive Function

Research suggests that not drinking the required amount of water has a very negative impact on your brain. Brain functions such as focus, alertness, and short term memory are all affected by your water intake. Dehydration can lead to a bad mood, as well. It may result in fatigue, confusion, and anger over small situations. To avoid that, make sure you fulfill your daily water intake.

7. Benefits Your Cells, Tissues, Joints, and Spine

Cartilage found in your joints and the disks in your vertebral column consists of around 80 percent water. Consuming water will lubricate and cushion your joints, spinal cord, and tissues. It will also help by relieving discomfort when you engage in physical activity and lessen the chances of arthritis or severe joint pain.

All your cells are made of fluid. To regulate themselves, they are continually bringing in water and releasing water. If there’s not enough water, the cells will die. Hydration at the cellular level is the key to staying hydrated.

Here are a few ways to increase the availability of water to your cells.

• Limit exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) like cell towers, wireless networks, and radio towers. These can interfere with your cells natural electrical currents. 
• Increase your electrolytes, but avoid sugary sports drinks. You can try an alternative we wrote about here. Many of your cells run on electricity. The most important balance of electrolytes includes sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. As much as 75% of the general population don’t get enough magnesium or potassium, so start evaluating how much of those two minerals you are getting.
• Increase your fiber intake by eating more veggies. When combined with water, fiber allows your body to digest your food properly. This allows your body to absorb more of the nutrients. 
• Water quality: Getting a water filter for your water is the easiest way to ensure proper water quality. You want to avoid many of the carcinogens that are found in tap water. Here is a guide for finding a filter in your budget. 

8. Forming of Saliva and Mucus

Saliva is essential in breaking down the food you eat and keeping your mouth healthy and clean. Did you know you should be chewing your food 25-30 times before swallowing it? Your digestion begins in your mouth, and water is a significant component in saliva and this digestive process. 

Water also keeps your eyes and nose moist to prevent friction and damage. Water also majorly helps reduce tooth decay if substituted for sodas, and other beverages with sugar.

9. Regulates Blood and Blood Pressure 

A lack of the required amount of water can cause your blood to thicken and increase your blood pressure significantly, which would lead to other serious heart diseases. Your airways and lungs need water more than you think. When you become dehydrated, your airways become restricted by your body to minimize water loss automatically; this can make or cause asthma and cause other allergies to become worse.

10. Rejuvenates Your Skin 

Adequate water intake will help keep your skin hydrated and may promote collagen production. Water also helps your skin to function better. It is your largest organ and functions as a protective barrier to prevent excessive fluid loss and toxins penetrating your body. Avoid expensive creams and cure-alls; water is the best defense against aging and wrinkles in the skin.

How Much Water Do You Need?

Your body is made of 75% water, so it is easy to understand why it is an essential ingredient for your body to lead a healthy life. Your body loses around 2-3 liters of water every day through urination, assimilation, sweating, etc., so you need to gain the lost water back. Another reason to consume as much water as you can, the other beverages that you drink daily, such as coffee, tea, alcohol, soft drinks, all make you lose water. These beverages dehydrate you and do not count toward your daily water goal (sorry!). So drink them sparingly and drink an extra 8 ounces for every cup of other beverage you consume. 

You can gain your water from fresh fruits and vegetables as well, that have a high water content such as apples, cucumbers, watermelon, etc. 

Dry mouth is the last sign of dehydration, so you need to take precaution before that by drinking the required eight glasses of water per day at least. By the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated. Often, too, thirst can be disguised as hunger cravings.

Other signs for dehydration to look out for are constipation, headaches, dark urine, weight gain, fluid retention, and their associated conditions such as colitis, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, etc.

Suggested Water Intake

The amount you need to consume each day can vary due to physical activity, medical condition, age, gender, etc.

According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, overall water intake (from both water and foods) that meet most people’s needs are:

•       about 15.5 cups of water (125 ounces) each day for men
•       about 11.5 cups (91 ounces) daily for women

You can also use the following formula: Drink half your body weight in ounces.

A few tips to make it easy to drink that much water:

-Carry a glass water bottle, mason jar, stainless cup, (or container of your choice) wherever you go

-Keep water at your desk.

-Flavor it with lime, lemon, mint, or cucumber.

-Make sure you fill your glass often.

-Keep track of how many ounces you’re drinking through a glass with measurements or phone app.

Quality water is nature’s best medicine and tastiest beverage that you’ve got. It helps the body recover and heal. Drink it wisely, and always stay hydrated!

REFERENCES

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/why-is-water-important#takeaway

https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water#3

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290814.php

https://www.everydayhealth.com/water-health/water-body-health.aspx

http://www.laleva.cc/environment/water.html

https://www.bulletproof.com/diet/healthy-eating/how-to-hydrate-properly-cells/