Daily water consumption remains one of health experts and professionals’ main recommendations for leading a healthy life. There are many reasons and motives listed for drinking water. Now, why is it so necessary?
“Thousands have survived without love, none without water,” said poet and essayist W. H Auden. However, drinking water does much more than help you survive. You might be surprised at how much you can benefit from being properly hydrated. Let’s dig deeper.
“Water, air and cleanliness are the main products of my pharmacy.”
-Napoleon Bonaparte-
Main reasons why you should drink water
Drinking too much water can be dangerous for your health, but drinking too little can also affect your daily performance. Although there are many reasons why being well hydrated is important, science has shown that drinking enough fluids mainly has the following benefits.
Water allows you to perform at your best
Exercising leads to increased sweating and therefore will cause dehydration, as well as an increase in the body’s need for water.
Physical performance can be seriously affected by losing just 2% of body fluids, causing fatigue, loss of body temperature control and less motivation. In addition, doing any physical activity will be much more difficult, both organically and mentally. For this reason , fluid replacement is so important for good health.
Some studies show that good hydration levels not only prevent all of this from happening but can even reduce the oxidative stress that accompanies high-intensity activities.
Promotes brain function
Hydration levels have a major impact on brain function. Studies show that even a modest level of dehydration (between 1 and 2%) can affect concentration, mood, and even lead to headaches. Moderate fluid loss has also been found to increase feelings of fatigue and anxiety, and reduce working memory .
Brings nutrients to the entire body
Although pure water does not contain any nutrients in itself, it can absorb some minerals and carry them to different organs in the body. For example, bottled mineral water can sometimes contain healthy minerals that the body needs such as sodium, magnesium, and calcium.
In addition, this liquid is responsible for transporting nutrients into the cells, while helping to eliminate waste products from them.
Help your body regulate temperature.
Water is excellent at absorbing and transferring heat within the body. It is the main mechanism for humans to regulate their temperature.
Water has a relatively high heat absorption capacity. This means that the fluid in every cell of the body can act as a shield against sudden temperature changes. This is also the reason why professionals always recommend drinking plenty of water in hot climates or environments .
Helps prevent and treat headaches
Dehydration headaches can feel like a dull ache or a severe migraine. In some cases, they occur only in cases of severe fluid deficiency, but in others, they come on very easily.
Dehydration is often the main cause of migraines for many people. However, new studies show that water may be an effective way to treat and even prevent non-migraine-related headaches.
How much water should you drink a day?
Most scientists and health professionals agree that there is no one exact amount of fluid for everyone. It is much better to drink water depending on your sex, weight, level of physical activity and climate .
Calculating this can be difficult, but technology makes it easy. Nowadays, many apps help you not only control the water you drink per day but also calculate how much you should drink based on all these parameters.
It should be noted that when we talk about the reasons why you should drink water, we are referring only to this liquid. However, you can supplement your intake in many ways, for example by drinking infusions, juices, smoothies, milk, yogurt, soups and creams, or even fruits and vegetables.