Water is one of the essential elements of life and makes up 60% of your body. Yet nearly 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration. This affects our performance because your body needs water to function blood flow, kidneys system, electrolyte balance, and digestion.
In addition, our muscles are made up of 85% water, and dehydration results in premature fatigue in performance. The Dietary Reference Intake for water is about 3 liters of water per day, but it can vary from person to person. Other than daily functioning, water has so many other benefits you may not have thought of. Here are 7 keys reasons to drink more water.
Increases performance
Our muscles are made up of 85% water. When adequately hydrated, you can reduce the effects of stress on your body after exercise and delay fatigue during activity. In addition, mental performance is improved with proper hydration. A study suggests, those in a dehydrated state may notice a lack of concentration and moodiness. This results in slower cognitive performance with work or school.
Prevents Headaches
One reason why people suffer from headaches is dehydration, and drinking water can help relieve those symptoms. In addition, not all headaches are caused by dehydration, but a study found that the intensity and duration can be reduced through water consumption.
Cancer prevention
According to, The U.S. National Library of Science and the National Institutes of Health, staying hydrated can reduce the risk of colon cancer and bladder cancer by 45%.
Less Joint Pain
Proper hydration protects the fluids around your joints. When you’re dehydrated, your body pulls fluid from other sources in your body, which can lead to decreased cushioning in those areas.
Helps to Cleanse and Digest
Water aids in the breakdown and digestion of food. If you’re not drinking enough, the food you eat will sit there, causing the pain and back up with digestion. Excess waste is also removed through the assistance of water, which is filtered out through sweat and the kidneys. Without proper hydration, waste sits in the body causing conditions like constipation.
Heart Function
Drinking water may affect heart function. Water intake directly affects blood volume which is linked to heart rate and pressure. Have you ever felt that dizzy feeling when standing up from a seated position? This is associated with blood volume distribution and in severe situations may lead to fainting. A way to alleviate this is to add water!
Water and weight loss
- Water is the essential edge to weight loss. As we know, sometimes when we are hungry, we are actually thirsty. If we stay hydrated, we can reduce unnecessary overeating.
- Drinking water before meals has been found to help increase satiety resulting in less caloric consumption.
- Water increases metabolism because it makes the digestion process in your body more efficient. A study found that drinking 500 milliliters of water daily, helped burn about 30% more calories.
- During a dehydrated state, your body holds on to whatever it has inside and will not release anything making you appear bloated.
- Drinking cold water helps you to burn more calories. This is because your body needs to warm up the water before it processes it, using more calories.
Take Note
Believe it or not, it is possible to drink too much water. By overhydrating, your kidneys will have difficulty expelling the extra water, and diluting the sodium in your blood. This can be life-threatening. In addition, there’s a lack of research promoting drinking water and skin improvement, so if you are drinking water in hopes that it improves don’t get your hopes up.
Check out this calculator to figure out exactly how much water you should be drinking a day.
