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Many times we heard that drinking water is very essential, every one should drink at least 8-glasses of water every day. We all know that drinking water is very important but do we know, Why we should drink water quite often? What body do with the water and what happens to the body when we don’t drink enough amount of water? This blog is about, why hydration is important to the body.

Why Hydration Is Important?

We all know that drinking enough water is important, but did you know that our body is made up of about 60% of water, we are constantly losing it in the form of urine, sweating, digestion process and even in the breathing process, we lose some amount of water from our body. It is equally important to replace this loss, but generally, we are not doing it.

Hydration means, that you are having fluid in the body and the majority of that fluid is water, so you have to have to keep your body hydrated so that it can function well. The reason being getting enough water is, that every cell of your body uses water to function, if it will not get enough water, it may not able to function well.

For instance, If you get dehydrated, the brain cell starts shrinking, you may feel headaches, muscle cramps, brain fog etc. So it is very important to be well hydrated.

How Much Water Do You Need

Health Benefits Of Staying Hydrated

The average human body needs water to perform various functions. Here are some key benefits of drinking enough water:

Skin

The secret of healthy and glowing skin is staying hydrated. If you are not drinking a sufficient amount of water, the toxins cannot be flushed out of the body and create a lot of skin problems like acne, itchiness, irritation, patchy skin, clogged pores etc. On the other hand, when you drink enough amount of water on a regular basis, It flushes out all the toxins from the body, in the form of urine and sweat and as a result, you get clear and glowing skin.

Heart

Hydration helps in oxygen and other nutrient transportation in the blood. Hydration also reduces heart strain as it helps to pump blood around the body.

Brain

85% of water is present in the brain. Hydration helps with the memory, thinking process and improves concentration for long period.

Kidneys

Staying hydrated helps kidneys to remove toxins from the body. The kidney uses water to flush the impurities in the form of urine.

Muscles 

Water present in and outside of the muscle, improve your muscle to endurance and flexibility. Staying hydrated helps absorb and retain essential nutrients and removes toxic acids, which build up during exercise.

Digestion

Drinking an adequate amount of water on a daily basis will improve bowel movement. It also helps to balance pH levels in the body and prevent constipation.

Joints

Water helps to lubricate the joints, reduce friction and thus lowers the chances of arthritis.

Maintaining Healthy Weight

Drinking enough amount of water day-to-day basis boosts the body’s metabolism and help to reduce weight.

How Much Water Do You Need To Drink

Every day you lose water in the form of, breathing, urine, sweating, and bowel movements. For the body’s proper functioning you must refill the fluid intake by consuming water containing fruits, vegetables and beverages.

Water intake is based on several other factors as well:

  • Exercise
  • Environment
  • Overall Health Condition
  • Body Weight
  • Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

According to the studies, on average a healthy adult, living in a temperate climate need adequate daily fluid intake is:

  • Women- 2.7 L
  • Men- 3.7 L

That includes both, 25% of the water comes from the foods and 75% water from fluid and beverages.

What Happens If You Don’t Drink Enough Water?

Make sure that you are drinking sufficient water every day, otherwise frequent dehydration may cause many health problems, some includes:

  • Constipation 

When you do not drink enough fluid, waste movement in the large intestine becomes very slow and this causes constipation.

  • Dull Skin

Dehydration affects the elimination of toxins through the skin and causes skin related problems like dull skin, premature wrinkles and pigmentation etc.

  • Sugar Craving

Dehydration impairs the body’s efficiency to reach into glucose stores in the body for energy and may trigger a sudden craving for high sugar food like chocolate, cookies and candies etc.

  • Bad Breathe

Not drinking enough water reduces saliva production and causes bacteria to grow up on the tongue, gums, and teeth that contribute to bad breath.

  • Fatigue And Low Energy Level

Dehydration causes fluid loss in the body. Loss of water may cause fatigue and low energy as it is difficult for the body to work well without water.

  • Weight Gain

Not drinking enough water can spoil your weight loss efforts as the toxins cannot be eliminated by the body and it will store in fat cells. This fat is hard to shed without staying well hydrated.

  • Frequent Headache

Our brain needs water, drinking an inadequate amount of water may trigger a headache

  • It May Slow Down The Metabolism

    Every cell of our body needs water to function well, so when dehydrated, the metabolism slows down naturally.

Note: If you have any kind of cardiac problem, please avoid drinking too much of water, as drinking too much fluid, forces heart to do extra work.

Hydration Mistakes! What Can Harm You

Water is an essential element for our body. Drinking water is important but drinking water in the wrong way can be harmful, So what is the right way to have fluids, here we share some mistakes, that you should avoid while drinking water:

Avoiding Gulping Water In a Hurry

All of us, many times drinking water in a single breath, should immediately stop this practice as it can be harmful to our body, especially for kidneys, instead, we should drink water in small sips, it strengthens the digestive system and boosts the metabolism.

Don’t Drink Water while Standing

We often heard from our elders that we should not drink water while standing, the reason is when we stand and drink water, it goes to the lower part of the stomach and the body will not absorb the nutrients from the water.

Do Not Drink Water At BedTime

Drinking water before sleep has many benefits but, avoid drinking plenty of water before going to bed. The reason is, it will impact your sleep and can add some extra round of washroom.

Drinking-Water After Workout Session

Carrying a water bottle is a common practice during a workout session, drinking plenty of water before and during the exercise is also very important because minimal dehydration can cause a negative impact on health. Make sure to start your exercise session well hydrated and keep a water bottle handy to avoid dehydration.

Depend Only On Water For Hydration

This is a common mistake people do, though drinking water is a great habit but, water is not the only way to keep you hydrated, you can also have juices, smoothies, water-containing fruits and vegetables.

How Do You Know That You Are Not Drinking Enough Fluid?

Your fluid intake is most likely adequate if:

  • Your urine is dark yellow to brown in colour.
  • You persistently feel thirsty
  • Experiencing dry mouth, cracked lips and eyes
  • Frequently feeling tired
  • Dry skin or reduced skin elasticity
  • Dizziness
  • Heart palpitations
  • Poor concentration
  • Decreased urination
Signs You Are Not Drinking Enough Water

How To Stay Hydrated?

Here we are sharing some tips, on how you can increase your fluid intake, which includes:

Drink Water Empty Stomach Every Morning

Drinking water first thing in the morning helps do a detox as well as hydrate. Having lukewarm water on an empty stomach flushes out the toxins from the body, and it will also give relief from bloating and constipation. Try drinking two full glasses on waking up.

Fill Your Plate With Vegetables

Salads are a great option for boosting hydration. Include water containing vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, carrots, and lettuce on your plate.

Freeze Your Fruits

If you are missing a childhood popsicle, here is some good news for you. You can make frozen fruit popsicles and give your body a delicious hydration boost. Blend the water containing fruits like grapes, watermelon, kiwis, pineapple, oranges etc. and fill the popsicle mould with this, add some more fruits of your choice and freeze for 1-2 hours.

Include Having Soup With Before Every Meal

Much like salad, soup is also a very good option to keep yourself hydrated. Make soup with a whole lot of veggies and add some spices to it. This will satisfy your cravings.

Try Different Smoothies

Smoothies are also a great and delicious way to stay hydrated. Strawberries, spinach, cucumber and mint are great options to make smoothies.

Add Flavor To Your Water

You can just add natural flavour, like lemon, mint, ginger, basil seeds and cut fruits like pineapple, watermelon, cucumber etc into the water. This will give you some fresh taste. Drinking lot of coconut water is also a good approach to be hydrated along with essential minerals.

Drink Water Before or After Half an Hour Of The Meal

For a better digestion process to complete, it is advised to drink water either before or after half an hour of the meal. Consider drinking 1-2 glasses of water post every meals to reach total of 8-10 glasses of water daily.

Carry A Water Bottle With You

Sometimes we ignore the urge of drinking water, just because it is not available nearby. Carrying a water bottle handy, solve this simple but genuine problem.

Keep Track Of Your Water Intake

Nowadays there are many apps available that can help you to keep track of your daily water intake.

How to Stay Hydrated

Conclusion

Hydration is a very crucial part of our overall well-being. Drinking enough fluid can prevent dehydration, especially in hot and humid weather. Our body consists on average 55-60% water for maintaining electrolyte concentration, everyone should get at least 6-8 glasses of water on a daily basis, keeping yourself hydrated is very essential, if you are not liking the taste of water, you can try other fluids as well. Keeping our body well hydrated is the simplest way to stay healthy.