Water does more than just quenching your thirst. It is a very well-known fact that water is one of the most essential components required for the proper functioning of the human body. It helps in detoxification, brain function, maintaining body temperature, supply oxygen to different parts of the body, and boosts health and nutrition. Read on to know the different health benefits of drinking water.
1. Improve metabolic rate
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism had published a report that said if individuals drink 17 ounces of water, then the metabolism rate in all the healthy men and women is likely to increase by almost around 30%. What’s more, the effect can be evident within 30-40 minutes of drinking water itself. Drinking water boosts your metabolism, which has been associated with a positive impact on energy level.
2. Water For Weight Loss:
Weight gain is an extremely tormenting issue nowadays. However, water is known to assist in even losing weight. This is one of the most surprising benefits of drinking water. And good for people with obesity and unnecessary weight gain due to sedentary lifestyle and detrimental food habits.
Else it may lead to chronic disorders diabetes, heart diseases, and therefore, one must always look out for ways to kill the calories. Water can prove very much useful for losing weight.
The researchers of The University of Birmingham have done extensive studies on the advantages of water. For this, few obese adults were taken into consideration for a 12-week experiment and divided into two groups.
The first group was asked to drink 16 ounces of water half an hour prior to the meals while the other group was simply asked to imagine that their stomachs are full before the meal times. However, quite evidently, the results showed that the first group lost almost three pounds more as compared to the second group.
In that case, it can be clearly stated that drinking water can indeed prove helpful for those who wishes to lose some extra pounds that have accumulated inside the body.
Even if weight loss is not the aim, then also drinking at least six to eight cups of water on a daily basis is a must for every single human being.
Water aids in weight loss because sipping cold water increases your metabolism and your body has to expend more energy to increase temperature after drinking cold H2O. This way you burn more calories, lower body mass index, and improved body composition score. Beverages are high in sugar and calories like soft drinks and juice, so taking excess cold water will help your waistline.
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3. Prevents dehydration
Water keeps you hydrated, which is a must for maintaining the normal functioning of the body. Our bodies are made up of about 60% water and that being dehydrated can begin to affect us both physically and mentally. Dehydration can cause kidney failure, low blood pressure, asthma, swelling in the brain, seizures, low production of hormones, neurotransmitters etc.
Dehydration not only affects the body functions but mood and energy as well. It is also associated with increased fatigue, confusion, anger, and decreased vigour. Staying hydrated keeps your heart rate, blood pressure and immune system normal.
It is therefore imperative to keep an exact record of having appropriate amounts of water before and after the meals. Even any kind of physical activity must be accompanied by ample water intake as well. You may also need more water when the weather is hot because you sweat a lot and feel dehydrated.
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4. Helps fight stress
Less water consumption and dehydration contribute to excess stress in our bodies. It causes bad mood, fatigue, and cognitive problem, which if left unaddressed can exacerbate stress and affect other body functions. Keep sipping water at frequent intervals, don’t wait until you feel thirsty to drink. Thirst means you’re already dehydrated. Adequate water consumption keeps you mentally alert, lowers headaches, and improves mood and cognitive functions. According to a study published in NCBI not drinking enough water can negatively impact your focus, alertness, and short-term memory.
5. Improves skin health
Staying hydrated prevents dryness of skin and delays the formation of wrinkles, laugh lines, black spots and blemishes. Water flushes out toxins and impurities from your body, and improves blood circulation, giving you a healthy, glowing and younger-looking skin. While dehydration increases dead cells in your body and makes your complexion dull, staying hydrated helps you plump up skin cells, strengthen skin collagen and offers you a brighter look.
6. Hydration helps with workout
Dehydration not only affects sports performance but also physiological function too. Drinking sufficient water helps you work out better without feeling drained or muscle cramps. You should drink 5 to 10 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes while you exercise. Drink 2 to 2 1/2 cups of water every 2 hours prior to exercise to make sure you go into your workout well hydrated. Those who sweat a lot should increase their water intake in any form like juices, lime water or energy drink. Hydration affects your strength, power, and endurance!
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7. Hydration supports digestion
To keep your GI tract healthy, you must always keep yourself hydrated. Water helps to ‘keep things moving’ in the digestive system. Experts confirm that drinking water before, during, and after a meal will help your body break down the food you eat more easily, ease digestion. It also helps you absorb more nutrients from your meals by dissolving vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from your food.
Increase the water and fiber consumption to avoid constipation and maintain healthy bowel movements. If you’re already constipated, just try having more carbonated water as well as plain and you will surely get relief.
8. Prevents kidney stones
Less water consumption increases the risk of kidney stones because our body needs ample water to dilute salts/minerals, else they will concentrate on the kidney and become stones. Other than water, you must keep an eye on your sodium intake, because it can increase the calcium levels in the urine. Also, observe the urine colour for any signs of bad health. Your urine should be a pale yellow colour. If it is darker, you may be dehydrated. If it is colourless, you may be overhydrated.
9. It protects your tissues, spinal cord, and joints
Water acts as a cushion for your joints, spinal cord, and tissues. So, stay hydrated to enjoy physical activity and lessen the discomfort caused by conditions like arthritis.
10. It forms saliva and mucus
Drinking water not only keeps your mouth clean, but forms saliva that is much needed for digestion of food. Consuming water instead of sweetened beverages, can also reduce tooth decay. Water is also important to keep the mouth, nose, and eyes moist. This prevents friction and damage.
11. Regulates body temperature
The middle layer of the skin stores water and when we sweat a lot or present in a hot environment, the water comes on the skin’s surface. As evaporates, our body temperature cools down. But, if your body is already dehydrated, this mechanism doesn’t work. As a result, you fail to tolerate the heat strain. Having a lot of water in the body may reduce physical strain.
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12. Lower the chance of a hangover
While partying is all fun, hangover makes you feel wasted. The best remedy is water gain. Unsweetened soda water with ice and lemon alternated with alcoholic drinks can help prevent overconsumption of alcohol.
As you can understand from the post, water is crucial for each and every part of your body. There are plenty of health benefits of drinking water. Keeping yourself hydrated can improve your overall health. So, make sure to track your water intake. Always carry a water bottle wherever you go, and try hard to approach half of your daily recommended water consumption by midday. Water consumption cannot be measured accurately but an optimum level can always be maintained in order to ensure a healthy living without any kind of health abnormalities.
