Drinking water is one of the most overlooked aspects of your day. Water makes up 50% to 70% of our body weight and maintains our body’s internal temperature. As we already know, our body needs water to survive, so if you don’t drink enough water, it might affect your body’s equilibrium. So, in order to maintain that balance in our body, we need to stay hydrated.
When you don’t get enough water in your system, you can suffer from dehydration which leads to seizures and kidney stones. On the other hand, you will experience nausea and vomiting if you drink too much water due to overhydration. Water deficiency or excessive waste consumption can have dire consequences on your body, so keeping track of how much water you consume is essential.
One way to keep track of your water intake is by using a water tracker app that tracks your water consumption and gives reminders to avoid excess water intake, such as Lasta, a free water drinking app. You can check it out here.
Let’s turn to research to know whether or not US citizens consume enough water.
Statistics on Water Intake
Even though we talk about drinking enough water, there is no universally agreed quantity of water intake that we should follow. Every individual’s body is different, and their consumption level will be different too. According to the research experts, various methods can calculate your daily water intake. A commonly used method for counting your water intake is to calculate it based on your body weight.
But do you think netizens meet the need for adequate intake of water? Well, researches show that US adults drink an average of 44 ounces daily. Unfortunately, this indicates that the need for adequate water consumption is not met, leading to individuals not realizing the importance of drinking water for their bodies and not reaping its benefits.
To understand why everyone insists on drinking enough water, you must know how it benefits your body.
The Role of Water in Your Body
Water affects your body in different ways. For example, it makes blood flow easier in your body as blood is 90% water and even helps curb many chronic diseases. And even though you would like to replace plain water with other flavored fluids, here are some reasons why water is still the better choice.
1) Maintains balance in body fluids
The body fluids help digestion, regulate body temperature, absorption, etc. When there is an imbalance of these fluids, the stomach sends a signal to your brain that you are thirsty. If you don’t drink enough water, your body might suffer the consequences of urinary infections or kidney failure. Drinking water helps overcome the imbalance and maintains your body’s equilibrium.
2) Helps avoid and treat headaches
As one of the most common dehydration symptoms, headaches make for a painful occurrence. Yet they can be curbed by drinking enough water. In addition, even migraine sufferers can experience momentary relief from headaches by drinking water. It can even prevent hangovers, so remember to stay hydrated the next time you drink alcohol.
3) Lubricates and cushions joints along with the nervous system
By reducing the shock-absorbing ability of the joints, dehydration results in joint pain. Besides relieving joint pain, drinking enough water can also improve brain function, as it affects the hormones and neurotransmitters while enhancing your thinking and reasoning.
4) Boosts skin and heart health
Drinking enough water helps prevent aging and dry skin. However, due to dehydration, your skin might become flaky and loose, making you look much older. Keeping yourself hydrated can slow down this aging process, and you can maintain a healthier and clearer skin.
Drinking water even improves your heart’s health. For example, research shows that individuals who drink one glass of water before bed are at a lesser risk of heart failure than individuals who don’t. To prevent heart attacks, you should consume more water.
5) Aids in weight loss
Losing weight is not as easy if you turn to snacks when bored. This phenomenon of emotional eating can be aided by drinking water, which makes your stomach feel full, making you less likely to overeat. As a result, it makes losing weight easier. In addition, water even helps increase your metabolism by aiding in burning more calories daily, which results in weight loss.
Conclusion
So, take advantage of nature’s best resource and drink more water to elevate your mood and energy levels, help deliver oxygen through the body, regulate your body temperature, and prevent overeating. Both Dehydration and overhydration affect your mental and physical health so figure out the necessary water intake for your body based on your weight and lifestyle and make sure you abide by it. To drink sufficient water, you can invest in a water bottle to carry around, along with a water tracker app such as Lasta that aids you in keeping a check on your hydration levels.
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