Drinking Water Helps Maintain the Balance of Body Fluids. Your body is composed of about 60% water. (Men have more water than women as a percentage.) The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients in the body, and maintenance of body temperature, flushing toxins, digesting food, and more.
Water Helps Keep Skin Looking Good. The skin can become more vulnerable to skin disorders and premature wrinkling. Your skin contains plenty of water, and functions as a protective barrier to prevent excess fluid loss. Certain toxins in the body can cause the skin to inflame, which results in clogged pores and acne . water will flush out these toxins and can reduce the risk of pimples. “Dehydration makes your skin look more dry and wrinkled, which can be improved with proper hydration,” he says. “But once you are adequately hydrated, the kidneys take over and excrete excess fluids.” –WebMD
Muscle fuel Sweating at the gym causes muscles to lose water. And when the muscles don’t have enough water, they get tired and shrivel, which can result in muscle fatigue. [[Fatty tissue has less water than lean tissue.]]
Kidney function & Dehydration Kidneys helps cells take in nutrients, control blood pressure, remove waste from the blood and urine, and balance fluids. Every day, the kidneys filter around 120-150 quarts of fluid. Approximately 1-2 quarts are removed from the body in the form of urine, and the rest is recovered by the bloodstream. Water is essential for the kidneys to function. If the kidneys do not function properly, waste products/toxins, and excess fluid can build up inside the body, this compromises the immune system.Dehydration happens if we use and lose more water than the body takes in. It can lead to an imbalance in the body’s electrolytes. Electrolytes, such as potassium, phosphate, and sodium, help carry electrical signals between cells. The kidneys keep the levels of electrolytes in the body stable when they function properly. When the kidneys are unable to maintain a balance in the levels of electrolytes, can lead to seizures, involving involuntary muscle movements and loss of consciousness. In severe cases, dehydration can lead to kidney failure, which can be life-threatening. Possible complications of chronic kidney failure include anemia, damage to the central nervous system, heart failure, and a compromised immune system.
Water Can Help Control Calories. Dieters have been drinking lots of water as a weight loss strategy. Water helps people feel full, and as a result consume fewer calories.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Joints in the human body are prone to continuous friction and weathering. A decrease in water consumption may lead to rheumatoid arthritis. Aching joints, muscle cramps, and strains can all occur if the body is dehydrated. Water keeps the cartilage around the body’s joints hydrated, ensuring the joints stay lubricated.
Breathing. Water plays its role in distributing oxygen all over the human body while collecting the carbon dioxide from all these parts and dissolving these gases. When dehydrated, airways are restricted by the body in an effort to minimize water loss. This can make asthma and allergies worse.
Water Helps Maintain Normal Bowel Function. Adequate hydration keeps things flowing along your gastrointestinal tract and prevents constipation. When you don’t get enough fluid, the colon pulls water from stools to maintain hydration — and the result is constipation.
Prevents Cardiovascular Diseases Blood is more than 90 percent water. A lack of water can cause blood to become thicker, increasing blood pressure. Water can prevent cardiovascular disorders to a large degree. It maintains the proper viscosity of blood and plasma and fibrinogen distribution.
Boosts Metabolism. Water is the carrier of oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to the body parts and also provides a medium for the removal of toxins, dead cells, and waste material. The proteins and enzymes involved in various fundamental processes also require water for their proper functioning.
Backaches. The back of our body rests on the spinal cord. Water protects our spinal cord and tissues, keeping us healthy from the inside out. Cartilage, which is the rubbery material that coats our bones, is about 85 percent water. The spinal disk core is made up of a large volume of water and dehydration, which leads to back pain in many individuals.
Productivity boost If you’re going to need to concentrate for long periods of time, keep water handy to help you stay refreshed, hydrated, and focused. Dehydration can impair your attention span, memory, and motor skills. Feeling tired is one of the first signs of dehydration. Dehydration can affect brain structure and function, and prolonged dehydration can lead to problems with thinking and reasoning.
Soaking in a warm bath or shower may make us feel less lonely. Researchers have concluded that when people are lonely and seeking connectedness, they spend more time in warm baths and showers, substituting physical warmth for emotional warmth . Doing so seems to ease loneliness and feelings of isolation. Warm baths may also cue oxytocin, the hormone responsible for making us feel relaxed and bonded with others. Typically released when we’re experiencing closeness to others.
Its sounds are soothing. Exposure to unpleasant noises (screams, scrapes, electric drills, subway trains, perhaps?) can elevate our pulse and blood pressure and cause stress hormones to be released. The sounds of water flowing has also been found to have therapeutic effects.
Living near it is good for our health. One study showed that good health is more prevalent the closer one lives to the coast. Whether it’s the proximity to sea air, greenery, or on the beach, spending time near the water makes us healthier.
Pregnant Women & Nursing Mothers A pregnant woman carries a new life in her womb that develops from her body’s resources. The nutrients and other factors needed for its growth can be carried from mother to the fetus via blood, which in turn needs water. Constipation, bladder infections, and hemorrhoids are common during pregnancy and these can be avoided by drinking excess water during these periods.
Babies and children have a higher percentage of water than adults. When babies are born, they are about 78 percent water, but this falls to 65 percent by the age of 1 year.