10 Reasons why water is essential for good health

Not everyone of us is keen on drinking too much water, especially not on damp and gloomy days. Then, we’d rather be substituting water with steaming cups of tea and coffee while helping ourselves from hot plates of ‘pakodas’ and ‘samosas’. Yet, we all know that 8 to 10 glasses of water per day is the recommended amount. Having said this, have we given much thought as to why water is so essential for good health? And do we have to drink 8 to 10 glasses everyday? Well, let’s find out, shall we?

Why water is essential for good health

As most of us know, about 70% of our body weight is made of water, it certainly makes us curious to find out as to why water forms such a major part, and what pivotal role it plays.

Known to be the ‘elixir of life’, we’ll find out in this post why water is essential for good health and what critical role it plays in preventing several major health problems such as hypertension, obesity, and many more.

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10 ways water acts as a natural curative

1. Water helps in detoxification and stimulates normal functioning of kidneys, and helps with smoother bowel movements.
2. It helps to regulate body temperature, maintain moisture of the internal organs, and maintain consistency of lymph, blood and other body fluids.
3. Helps in transportation of important nutrients and chemical substances such as hormones throughout the body to ensure they reach all vital organs such as the brain, kidney, lungs, and heart.
4. Water content throughout the body helps regulate the functions of minerals, vitamins and other essential nutrients.
5. Also water helps to regulate the acidity in stomach and, thus, helps to cure chronic health problems such as stomach ulcers and dyspepsia.
6. Hot water helps to cure cramps and relieve pain, thus acting as a natural sedative.
7. Water helps to strengthen the muscles around the back bone, reducing joint or lower back aches. Yes, a proper posture and regular exercises can help reduce back aches too. However, one must remember that water contributes to the positive effects of such exercises.
8. Drinking water after a bath helps to prevent high blood pressure. Besides, water plays a pivotal role in reducing the risk of blood cholesterol and helps to control anxiety and depression.
9. Drinking water before meals will reduce the intensity of thirst and prevent overeating, thus helping to reduce the risk of getting obese.
10. Last, but not the very least, water does wonders for our skin. The detoxification clears our skin of unwanted impurities such as acne, dark spots, and prevents dryness.

Why 8 to 10 glasses a day?

Research indicates that we lose approximately 4 litres of water every day. Hence, it becomes of paramount significance for us to hydrate ourselves by drinking the equal amount of water. Inadequate amount of water in the body can lead to dehydration.

We would have read about death turmoil in underdeveloped and also in developing countries due to dehydration. Excessive loss of water due to dehydration can also happen in conditions such as diarrhea, fever, excessive sweating, vomiting and so on.

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Signs of dehydration:

• loss of skin elasticity
• increased thirst
• loss of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and chloride level
• decreased urine production
• severe chronic pains including damage to major organs such as the kidney.

The amount of water required depends upon the gender, age, and climate, type of food consumed, fitness level, and eating habits. Moreover, it is equally important to note that drinking of water should be avoided while eating food as it can hamper the digestive process. When it comes to healthy fluids, there is just no substitute for water. So let’s raise our glasses to more glasses of water and better health!

What are your thoughts? Have you always been an adequate-water-drinker all this time? If not, are you now convinced to start taking note of how much water you drink everyday? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below and don’t forget to like and share this article further.