Why Is Water Important?
16 Reasons to
Drink Up
Saliva Weight loss
Body temperature Circulation
Lubrication Immunity
Toxins Energy
Physical activity Cognitive function
Bowel movements Mood
Digestion Anti-aging
Nutrients Dehydration
What’s the big deal?
It’s common to hear that water is essential for your
health. But why?
This substance makes up a majority of your body
weight and is involved in many important functions,
including:
flushing out waste from your body
regulating body temperature
helping your brain function
More ways Water can help improve your
well-being.
Your body generally produces
1. It helps create saliva enough saliva with regular fluid
Water is a main component intake. However, your saliva
of saliva. Saliva also production may decrease as a
includes small amounts of result of age or certain
electrolytes, mucus, and medications or therapies.
enzymes. It’s essential for If your mouth is drier than usual
breaking down solid food
and increasing your water intake
and keeping your mouth
isn’t helping, see your doctor.
healthy.
2. It regulates your body temperature
Staying hydrated is crucial to maintaining your
body temperature.
Your body loses water through sweat during physical
activity and in hot environments.
Your sweat keeps your body cool, but your body
temperature will rise if you don’t replenish the water you
lose.
That’s because your body loses electrolytes and plasma
when it’s dehydrated.
If you’re sweating more than usual, make sure you
drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
3. It protects your tissues, spinal cord,
and joints
Water consumption helps lubricate and
cushion your joints, spinal cord, and tissues.
This will help you enjoy physical activity and
lessen discomfort caused by conditions like
arthritis.
4. It helps excrete waste through
perspiration, urination, and defecation
Your Your kidneys are also
body uses water to
sweat, urinate, and have bowel important for filtering out
movements. waste through urination.
Sweat regulates body Adequate water intake helps
temperature when you’re your kidneys work more
exercising or in warm efficiently and helps to
temperatures. You need water prevent kidney stones.
You also need enough water
to replenish the lost fluid from
sweat. in your system to have healthy
stool and avoid constipation.
5. It helps maximize physical
performance Negative effects of exercise
Drinking plenty of water in the heat without enough
during physical activity is water can include serious
essential. Athletes may perspire medical conditions, like
decreased blood pressure
up to 6 to 10 percent of body
and hyperthermia.
weight during physical activity.
You may be more susceptible
Extreme dehydration can
cause seizures and even
to the effects of dehydration if death.
you’re participating in Hydration also affects your
endurance training or high- strength, power, and
intensity sports such as endurance.
basketball.
6. It helps prevent constipation
Eating fiber isn’t the only way to prevent constipation.
It’s also important to maintain your water intake so your
bowel movements contain enough water.
If you don’t consume enough water, magnesium, and
fiber, you may be more likely to experience constipation.
If you’re already constipated, you may find that drinking
carbonated water as well as plain water can help ease
your symptoms.
7. It aids in digestion
Contrary to what some believe, experts confirm
drinking water before, during, and after a meal
will help your body break down the food you eat
more easily. This will help you digest food more
effectively and get the most out of your meals.
Research shows the body adapts to changes
in the consistency of food and stomach contents,
whether more solid or more liquid.
8. It helps with nutrient absorption
In addition to helping with food
breakdown, water also helps dissolve
vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients
from your food. It then delivers these
vitamin components to the rest of your
body for use.
9. It helps you lose weight
Studies have linked body fat and weight loss with
drinking water in both overweight girls and women
.
Drinking more water while dieting and exercising
may just help you lose extra pounds.
10. It improves blood oxygen circulation
Water carries helpful nutrients and oxygen to your
entire body.
Reaching your daily water intake will improve your
circulation and have a positive impact on your
overall health.
11. It helps fight off illness
Drinking enough water can Water also helps you
help prevent absorb important vitamins,
certain medical conditions. minerals, and nutrients from
These include: your food, which will
constipation increase your chances of
kidney stones staying healthy.
exercise-induced asthma
urinary tract infection
hypertension
12. It helps boost energy
Drinking water may activate your metabolism. A boost in
metabolism has been associated with a positive impact on
energy level.
One study found that drinking 500 milliliters of water boosted
the metabolic rate by 30 percent in both men and women.
These effects appeared to last over an hour.
13. It aids in cognitive function
Proper hydration is key to staying in tip-top
cognitive shape.
Research indicates that not drinking enough
water can negatively impact your focus,
alertness, and short-term memory.
14. It helps improve mood
Not
getting enough water can also affect your
mood.
Dehydrationmay result in fatigue and
confusion as well as anxiety.
15. It helps keep skin bright
Adequate water intake will help keep your
skin hydrated and may promote collagen
production. However, water intake alone
isn’t enough to reduce the effects of aging.
This process is also connected to your
genes and overall sun protection.
16. It prevents overall dehydration
Dehydration is the result of your body Make sure you drink
not having enough water. And because enough water to make up
water is imperative to so many bodily for what’s lost through
functions, dehydration can be very
sweat, urination, and
dangerous.
Severe dehydration can result in a bowel movements to
number of severe complications, avoid dehydration.
including:
swelling in your brain
kidney failure
seizures
How much should you drink?
Being attentive to the amount of According to the
water you drink each day is National Academies of Sciences, Engin
important for optimal health. Most eering, and Medicine
people drink when they’re thirsty, , general water intake (from all
which helps regulate daily water beverages and foods) that meet most
intake. people’s needs are:
about 15.5 cups of water (125
ounces) each day for men
about 11.5 cups (91 ounces) daily
for women
People
You’ll have to increase your water
get about
20 percent of their daily intake if you’re exercising or living
water intake from food. in a hotter region to avoid
The rest is dependent on
dehydration.
Other ways to assess hydration
drinking water and water- include your thirst and the color of
based beverages. your urine.
So, ideally men would Feeling thirsty indicates your body
consume about 100 ounces is not receiving adequate hydration.
(3.0 liters) of water from Urine that is dark or colored
beverages, and women, indicates dehydration. Pale or non-
about 73 ounces (2.12 colored urine typically indicates
liters) from beverages. proper hydration.
The bottom line
Water is important to nearly every part of
your body. Not only will hitting your daily
recommended intake help you maintain
your current state of being, it may even
improve your overall health.
Here are some ideas for how you can be sure
you drink enough:
Carry a water bottle with
you wherever you go. This
way you can drink whenever
the need strikes.
Keep track of your intake. Aim
to take in optimum amounts every
day, a minimum of half your body
weight in ounces.
Pace yourself to approach half
of your recommended
consumption by midday. You
can always finish about an hour
before you plan to sleep.
THANK YOU!!!
SOLOMON P TANAY JR, RN,MAN
