What are the Benefits of Drinking Water?

You have no doubt heard the drinking water “rules.” You probably know that you should drink between 8 and 10 glasses of water each day. But what are the benefits of drinking a lot of water?

What is Water?

Think back to when you were in high school chemistry class. Remember the formula for water? H2O. Two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen. Water is supposedly colorless, tasteless, and odorless. Drinking water is essential to nearly all known forms of life, whether they are plant or animal life.

How Does The Human Body Use Water?

Every cell in the human body requires water. Put them all together, with their load of water, and your body weight is almost two-thirds water. If you weigh 150 pounds (68 kg), about 100 pounds (45 kg) of that is water. You are mostly made up of water, but how does your body use water?

Cells use water as a delivery service. Each cell is separated from its environment by a cell membrane. To do its work, the cell needs to import nutrients and export waste products. Water is the delivery service, bringing in nutrients and taking out the waste. Whether you look at red and white blood cells, muscle cells, or nerve cells, they all need water. Without water, most of your cells would get clogged with waste, and starve to death for lack of nutrients.

Healthy cells, with plenty of water, are kept clean and nourished. Like the clean engine of a brand new automobile, fed a perfect blend of quality gasoline (petrol), healthy cells can do exactly what they were designed to do: keep the human body humming along life’s journey.

Consider Just Seven (7) of the Many Benefits of Drinking A Lot of Water.

1. Brain. Brain cells that have plenty of drinking water are able to circulate fresh, oxygen-laden blood more readily. The brain remains fresh and alert. Even a small drop in drinking water levels can make your brain’s performance level drop as much as 20 to 30 percent!

2. Muscles. Muscle cells with a ready supply of drinking water are able to work longer without tiring. Water delivers a continuous supply of oxygen to muscles. If you are exercising in warm weather, your muscle will need more drinking water every 15 minutes to remain strong.

3. Cooling system. Your body’s temperature is maintained through drinking water. The water regulates body temperature through sweat. To maintain a normal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit on hot days, or when exercising, the body sweats. Sweat cools the body, but sweat uses up water. We must have a lot of water to replenish the supply.

4. Nerves. Nerve cells transmit messages to and from the brain. To do this, they must use electrolytes. Drinking water is an important way to maintain electrolytes at the proper level so that the nerves can do their work.

5. Stomach and Intestinal Tract. Our bodies use water to digest food in the gastrointestinal tract. Insufficient water will slow the process, resulting in constipation and other medical concerns.

6. Eye and Mouth Protection. Water keeps your eyes and mouth moist. It washes dirt and dust away from your eyes.

7. Joints. Water is like oiling your body’s joints. Water lubricates the joints, keeping them flexible, and ensuring smooth motion.

One of the most important benefits of drinking a lot of water is the benefit realized in the kidneys. Urine, which is almost entirely water, removes waste products from the body. As it does so, it leaves your body. Your body must replace that water. Get too little water and toxic levels of waste build up. The body becomes ill and eventually dies.

How To Determine If You’re Dehydrated?

It is sad that much of the world doesn't have a large supply of clean drinking water, we in the U.S. do but many of us are still dehydrated, that just makes no sense.

How do you know if you are dehydrated? There are two very easy ways to figure it out: if you feel thirsty you are dehydrated and if your urine is a deep yellow color you are dehydrated.

If you are getting enough water daily your urine will have a light yellow color, think lemonade. If not you need to drink more water throughout your day.

It is recommended that you drink half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. Failing that, you should drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water daily. You may need more if you are doing strenuous activities.

The difference between a well-hydrated and a dehydrated body and brain is phenomenal and looking into this further will soon have you reaching for the water bottle to take your next sip. For those of you that are not drinking enough water, I wanted to list a few of the benefits that you would see if you started to increase your fluid intake right now.

1. Increased concentration! I noticed this almost immediately. Within a day or two, the increase in my productivity was through the roof and my business certainly enjoyed that boost! Drinking the right amount of water is vital to get full functionality from your brain. This most important organ is made up of 80% water, and this needs to be topped up in order to maintain a good working level. See it as fuel for the brain – just like your car you need to give your brain that regular fill-up too!

2. It can help you shed a few pounds. Drinking water has long been connected with weight loss and this is due to a few reasons. The main one is that it allows your body to properly regulate your hunger. Sometimes those little hunger pangs that we get is actually thirst! So by first of all dealing with that thirst, you can begin to put a lid on that hunger! Increasing your water intake also allows all of your body’s organs to work to full capacity, making it easier to burn fat and digest food. So by adding a few pints (of water!) you could lose a few pounds!

3. It works to boost your energy levels. Unlike caffeine-enriched energy drinks, water does all the right things to give you most of the energy that you need. Along with a healthy and varied diet, drinking water can do wonders for your energy levels and can even boost your libido too!

So there you have it, drinking water is not just a lifesaver, but also adds to the quality of life that you lead! If you are going to change your eating and drinking habits then you may want to consult your medical doctor first.