The adult human body is made up of about 60% water. This is as high as 73% in the heart and brain, 83% in the lungs and even 31% in the bones! Despite this most of us are only drinking 5.5 of the recommended 10 cups of water each day. Not drinking enough water can have significant effects on your physical and mental well-being as well as your ability to perform in your daily activities at home and at work.
“The rule of thumb is, if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.”
Dr Irvin Sulapas, Baylor College of Medicine
Benefits of staying hydrated:
1. Increased Energy
Given that over half of our body is made up of water it is essential that we continue to replenish it. One of the first signs that you are dehydrated is feeling fatigued. This is because our bodies need water for all of our basic functions, including converting our food to energy and for mental clarity and alertness.
2. Reduce Headaches
Dehydration is one of the most common causes of headaches and so keeping yourself hydrated can help to prevent them. It has also been shown that keeping hydrated can help to reduce the severity of other headaches such as tension headaches and migraines.
3. Improved Performance
Keeping hydrated will help to improve your performance at work by increasing alertness and concentration. Although did you know that it can also help to improve your physical performance when exercising? If you do not have enough water it becomes harder for your body to replace any fluid lost through sweating, to regulate your body temperature and to transport oxygen and nutrients to your muscles.
4. Bowel Regulation
Good hydration can help to prevent and relieve constipation as well as aiding in the digestive process.
5. Healthy Heart
Dehydration leads to a reduction in overall blood volume. This causes an decrease in blood pressure and subsequently an increase in heart rate to try and raise your blood pressure. The result is excess strain on the heart as it is working harder.
6. Promote Weight Loss
Firstly, water has zero calories! Replacing sugary drinks with water can contribute greatly towards weight loss. It also helps to suppress appetite and make you feel more full. Having a glass of water prior to each meal can help you to manag
e your portion sizes so you don’t need to eat as much.
7. Detoxifies the Body
Drinking water helps to detoxify the body by improving blood circulation and helping to eliminate the bi-products of the bodies metabolic processes. These normal processes produce toxins and waste products which are more easily removed if you are well hydrated.
8. Healthy Kidneys and Liver
By helping to flush toxins and waste products from the body, good hydration supports optimal function of the kidneys and liver. It has also been shown to help reduce kidney stones!
9. Maximise Transport and Absorption of Nutrients
Keeping well-hydrated helps improve blood circulation so that nutrients can be delivered to your organs and tissues. It then also improves how these nutrients are absorbed.
10. Healthy Muscles and Joints
To have healthy muscle and joints they need to be well hydrated! Drinking water helps to maintain joint lubrication, this is super important given that water makes up 80% of cartilage!
Think back to the water that you drink in a day, if you are not getting AT LEAST 2L of water into your day you are not getting enough! Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go, have 1 full glass of water before each meal and make sure you increase your water intake with exercise. You will feel the benefits!
Allissa King
Physiotherapist
