Importance of water

Is water really important for your body? Yes! According to experts, water is ranked second only to oxygen as essential for life. With more than half of your body weight made of water, you couldn’t survive for more than a few days without it. On the other hand, you can survive without food for weeks

Water is very important for your body 

• Water is used in every cell of your body. Water travels throughout your body carrying nutrients, oxygen, and wastes to and from your cells and organs.

• Water keeps your body cool as part of your body’s temperature regulating system. • Water cushions your joints, and protects your tissues and organs from shock and damage. 

• Water acts as a lubricant for your joints, your mouth and digestive system in saliva, and in your nose, throat, eyes, and stomach as part of mucus. 

• Water aids in digestion and absorption of food, as well as in the removal of wastes from your body. 

• Water also helps you maintain a healthy weight. 

Everyday your body loses 2-3 quarts (8-12 cups) of water through sweat, urination, and evaporation (through your skin and lungs). Your body loses more water when you exercise, live in hot or low humidity environments, consume high fiber diets, and drink beverages containing caffeine or alcohol. It is important to drink at least 8-10 cups of water a day for a healthy body and to avoid heat stroke or exhaustion.

Unusual Signs of Dehydration You Should Know About

1. Bad Breath Is a Possible Warning Sign of Dehydration

Saliva has antibacterial properties, but dehydration can prevent your body from making enough saliva.

2. Dry or Flushed Skin Could Be a Symptom of Dehydration

A lot of people think that people who get dehydrated are really sweaty, but in fact, as you go through various stages of dehydration, you get very dry skin.

Another key skin-related symptom of dehydration is skin that remains “tented” after being pinched and takes some time to return to its normal, flat appearance

3. Muscle Cramps Are a Dehydration Symptom, Likely From Heat Illness

When your body loses enough fluid, it’s unable to cool itself off adequately, leading to heat illness, notes OrthoInfo. One symptom to look out for is muscle cramps, which can happen while exercising, particularly in hot weather.

4. Food Cravings, Especially for Sweets, May Just Mean You’re Thirsty

When you’re dehydrated, it can be difficult for organs such as the liver, which uses water, to release glycogen [stored glucose] and other components of your energy stores, so you can actually get cravings for food.

While you can crave anything from chocolate to a salty snack, cravings for sweets are more common because your body may be experiencing difficulty breaking down glycogen to release glucose into the bloodstream to use as fuel

5. Headaches Could Be a Sign You Need to Drink More Water

even mild dehydration can cause a dehydration headache and trigger a migraine headache.

6. Check your urine.

 If you’re well hydrated, your urine will be mostly clear with a tinge of yellow (the color of light lemonade before it hits the bowl). Darker yellow or orange are the “warning” colors to watch for. If you see those colors, start drinking fluids.

FUN FACT: IF YOU ARE THIRSTY, YOU ARE ALREADY DEHYDRATED.

Health Benefits of Water

1. Water Protects Your Tissues, Spinal Cord, and Joints

Water does more than just quench your thirst and regulate your body's temperature; it keeps the tissues in your body moist. You know how it feels when your eyes, nose, or mouth gets dry? Keeping your body hydrated helps it retain optimum levels of moisture in these sensitive areas, as well as in the blood, bones, and brain. In addition, water helps protect the spinal cord, and it acts as a lubricant and cushion for your joints.

2. Water Helps Your Body Remove Waste

Adequate water intake enables your body to excrete waste through perspiration, urination, and defecation. Water helps your kidneys remove waste from your blood and keep the blood vessels that run to your kidneys open and filter them out. Water is also important for helping prevent constipation.

3. Water Aids in Digestion

Water is important for healthy digestion. Water helps break down the food you eat, allowing its nutrients to be absorbed by your body. After you drink, both your small and large intestines absorb water, which moves into your bloodstream and is also used to break down nutrients. As your large intestine absorbs water, stool changes from liquid to solid. Water is also necessary to help you digest soluble fiber. With the help of water, this fiber turns to gel and slows digestion.

4. Water Prevents You From Becoming Dehydrated

Your body loses fluids when you engage in vigorous exercise, sweat in high heat, or come down with a fever or contract an illness that causes vomiting or diarrhea. If you're losing fluids for any of these reasons, it's important to increase your fluid intake so that you can restore your body's natural hydration level. Your doctor may also recommend that you drink more fluids to help treat other health conditions, like bladder infections and urinary tract stones. If you're pregnant or nursing, you may want to consult with your physician about your fluid intake because your body will be using more fluids than usual, especially if you're breastfeeding.

5. Water Helps Your Brain Function Optimally

Ever feel foggy headed? Take a sip of water. Dehydration is a drag to memory, attention, and energy. It’s no wonder, considering H2O makes up 75 percent of the brain. One reason for that foggy-headed feeling? “Adequate electrolyte balance is vital to keeping your body functioning optimally. Low electrolytes can cause issues including muscle weakness, fatigue, and confusion”.

6. Water Keeps Your Cardiovascular System Healthy

Water is a huge part of your blood. (For instance, plasma — the pale yellow liquid portion of your blood — is about 90 percent water) If you become dehydrated, your blood becomes more concentrated, which can lead to an imbalance of the electrolyte minerals it contains (sodium and potassium, for example). These electrolytes are necessary for proper muscle and heart function. “Dehydration can also lead to lower blood volume, and thus blood pressure, so you may feel light-headed or woozy standing up.”

7. Water Can Help You Eat Healthier

It may be plain, but it’s powerful. people who drank just 1 percent more water a day ate fewer calories and less saturated fat, sugar, sodium, and cholesterol. Water may help fill you up, especially if you drink it before eating a meal.