Have you felt thirsty recently? What you probably don’t know is that once the feeling of thirst hits you, you’re already dehydrated. Thirst is the sensation that your brain sends the body when it is in need of rehydration.
Since the body is made up of roughly sixty percent water, being dehydrated means that we are affecting a large portion of the performance of our body. And, since a lot of us spend each day dehydrated to some degree, nearly all body functions don’t perform as they should without the proper intake of water. So, what does this mean? Why is it so important that we drink more water?
Water Keeps Us Alive
Simply put, if you don’t drink water, you will die. Depending on the environment that we live in, we can only go for a few days without consuming water or another liquid. However, we can live a lot longer without food. For most of us, drinking water should definitely become more of a priority.
Water Helps Prevent Cancer
Research shows that staying hydrated goes a long way to the prevention of cancer. Regular consumption of water has been proven to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%, reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50%, and it’s also possible that the risk of breast cancer can also be reduced by staying hydrated as well.
Water Lifts Your Mood
If you find that you’re often feeling moody and cranky, it could well be that you’re not drinking enough water. Research shows that being dehydrated can have an effect on your mood and make you feel confused and grumpy. Regular consumption of water can help you to think clearer and also feel happier within yourself.
Better Athletic Performance
There’s a reason why professional athletes are rarely ever seen without a bottle of water in their hands. Proper hydration goes a long way in contributing to increased athletic performance, as water makes up a huge 75% of our muscle tissue. On the other hand, being dehydrated can have a huge negative impact on athletic performance as it causes fatigue, weakness, dizziness and an imbalance of electrolytes.
Water Helps Weight Loss
Shedding a few pounds and getting into that little black dress you have waiting in your closet could be as easy as consuming more water on a daily basis. Sometimes when we think that we’re hungry we are actually thirsty, meaning that a lot of us consume more food even though all our body really needed was a drink of water. For those trying to lose weight, water can act as an appetite suppressant and detoxify your body.
Reduce Joint Pain
Drinking water keeps the cartilage in your joints soft and hydrated, resulting in a reduction in joint pain and aches. If you take anything such as glucosamine for your joint pain, this actually works to help the cartilage absorb more water.
Detoxify the System
In order to function properly, the digestive system needs water. Waste, bacteria and toxins are flushed out of the body in the form of sweat and urine, which is aided by the water that we drink. Not drinking enough water means that the body is less able to flush out this waste and it remains in the body, causing a range of different problems.
Water Prevents Headaches
If you suffer from a lot of headaches, these could be caused by dehydration. Drinking water can help to alleviate head pain or even prevent headaches from occurring completely. Buy alkaline water in order to really see results.
Water Makes Your Skin Glow
No amount of anti-aging or firming creams can quite have the same effect on the skin as drinking enough water can. Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and regular, plentiful consumption of water helps to keep the skin healthy and improve its colour and texture. Drinking water also helps your skin to regulate the temperature of the body through sweating.
Keep Your Body Nourished
Water is essential so that nutrients can circulate properly in the body. Since water serves as the transportation system in the body for delivering nutrients and also disposing of waste, being dehydrated means that things cannot get around quite as well.
Start drinking more water today and watch your health change for the better!