Drinking an adequate amount of quality water is essential for maintaining optimal health. Every organ in our body requires water to function properly and carry out internal processes, meaning that our body depends on water to survive. Additionally, drinking water is even more important because a lack of it in your body can lead to dehydration, which can reduce your energy and make you fatigued. About 20% of a person’s water needs are satisfied by the foods they eat, which means that we only need to actively drink the other 80%.
Why Is Water Necessary?
Water regulates your body temperature, helps flush out toxins, aids in weight reduction, and improves the oxygen circulation within your body. Water also possesses immense skin benefits, including making your skin feel and look bright, fresh and natural.
Furthermore, drinking enough water can prevent several medical conditions because water carries helpful nutrients and oxygen to your entire body. Water is the main component of saliva, meaning that frequent consumption of water keeps the mouth healthy and hydrated. Water also provides us with strength and energy, which helps improve physical and athletic performance.
How Much Water Should I Drink?
Ideal water intake varies between people due to fluctuations in age, condition, and gender, but the generally-agreed suggestion is about 15.5 cups of water (125 ounces) each day for men and around 11.5 cups (91 ounces) daily for women. There are also more specific recommendations with men of age 19 or older needing 131 ounces and 95 ounces for women of age 19 or older. This includes the fluids from anything you eat or drink that contains water. The water recommendation for children varies from what is suggested for adults. Girls and boys between the ages of four to eight years old, should drink five cups per day, and the amount increases to eight cups per day with ages nine to 13 years. With teenagers who are anywhere from 14 years old to 18 years old, 11 cups of water should be drunk.
Many people only drink water when they feel thirsty, but this is a mindset that must be countered. We should drink eight liters of water every day, which means that you should keep yourself hydrated even when you don’t feel thirsty. It is recommended to drink one liter of water before 10 a.m.. in the morning, and also drink one to two hours before bed to help improve your sleep quality.
We constantly lose water through breathing, perspiration, and urine, so we need to hydrate ourselves frequently to counter this loss. Furthermore, if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, you may need additional water to stay hydrated. During hot weather, you may need to drink more water than usual to make up for the water you have lost through sweating. It is also important to drink water before, during, and after workouts since we lose a lot of water when sweating.
How Do I Know If I’m Drinking Enough Water?
An easy method to determine whether or not you are drinking enough water is monitoring your current state. If your mouth feels parched or your body feels sluggish, you might have to pick up your water bottle more frequently. It is also helpful to monitor the color of your urine: colorless or light-yellow is a sign of adequate water consumption.
However, it is also important to stay cautious of drinking too much water. Drinking too much water is rarely a problem for healthy, well-nourished adults, but for some people, when they drink too much, their kidneys can’t get rid of the excess water, which can pose health risks. Though this is true, drinking “too much” water is not considered a major issue, with athletes drinking more water than they need to prevent dehydration during long exercise and to keep their temperature normal.
Health Benefits of Water
There are numerous significant and easily-acquired benefits that come out of drinking enough water like facilitated digestion, constipation prevention, normal blood pressure, stable heartbeat, protected joints, organs, and tissues, reduced aching, and full-body hydration. These countless effects of water consumption communicate how vital it is to keep yourself hydrated and take this simple step to improve your health.