There are many benefits of drinking water apart from the fact that water makes a complete dining set.
We need water as we take on our daily activities because a certain amount of water has been lost to the environs and if this lost water is not replenished, the whole body system is dehydrated and this can lead to an imbalance in the electrolytes in the body.
The electrolytes mentioned include; phosphate, sodium as well as potassium, etc which help in the transportation of electric signals amongst cells, and at the normal functions of these electrolytes, they are kept in good balance by the kidney.
The inability of the kidney to maintain the balance in electrolytic levels leads to mix-ups in the electrical signal which results in seizures, including loss of consciousness and movement of the muscles involuntarily.
Also, several chronic kidney failures which include anemia, least failure central nervous system damage, etc could occur.
The American College of Physicians in November 2014 made provisions for new guidelines aimed at helping people who over time had developed kidney stones and these guidelines pointed to the fact that an increment in the intake of fluid would faster the decrement in the risk of stone recurrence in the kidney by at least help with no side effect.
At what point can a person be said to be deficient in water?
Before this question is answered, it would be of great interest to know the various water compositions peculiar to certain persons.
Babies and children are said to have greater water content compared to adults. Babies have 78% of water in their system when they are born and it drops to 65% at age one.
Men have a greater percentage of water in their system compared to women and therefore these influence their water intake as well for instance it is generally recommended that to stay on track men should drink about 12.5 cups of fluid whilst women should drink 9 cups or more.
Having known the general recommendations, the approach towards the intake of water should not be limited to just mealtime, nor should one wait to be so dehydrated before drinking water.
How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day
- Men are recommended to take about 125 ounces i.e. about 3.7 liters while women should consume just about 91 ounces i.e. 2.7 liters daily if broken down.
- If broken down, men will have 15.5 cups altogether and women 11 cups respectively per day.
- These recommended water intake should not be limited to just normal water as 80% of the water intake should come from drinks (which includes water) and the remaining 20% from food sources. By drinks, we do not mean alcoholics but caloric and alcohol-free drinks.
Benefits of Drinking Water
There are numerous roles water plays in general, we would outline only a few, they include:
- Skin nourishment
- Reduction of kidney stones
- Building up of muscle tone
- Reduction of high blood pressure
- Weight loss
- Joint lubrication
- Building block for salivary and mucus
- Transport median for oxygen delivery throughout the body
- Regulation of body temperature
- Maintenance of blood pressure
- Primary support to airways
- Buffer for brain spinal cords and
- other sensitive tissue
- Relieve of constipation
- Treatment of headache and countenance boast
- Hangover reduction
- Boast in exercise performance
- Accessibility of nutrients & minerals etc.
What is the Best Time to Drink Water
- Drinking Water Before Bed at Night
- Drinking Water Early in the Morning on an Empty Stomach
- Drinking Water Before and After Meals
- Taking Water Before and After Exercise
1. Drinking Water Before Bed at Night
We have had a lot of complaints from people concerning taking water before going to bed at night. Some persons say they hate waking up at night to go to the toilet to pee, while yet others say the day could be so stressful that when they go to bed at night, they only wake in the morning, hence they feel severe pains on their lower abdomen because of the pee they held all through the night. As a result of these, they’d rather not drink water before going to bed.
However, you must know that the habit of steeping beyond the recommended 7-9 hours at night can result in
- Weight gain may likely lead to obesity if not given proper consideration.
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- High cholesterol
It is recommended to take one to two glasses of water before sleeping in bed.
Benefits of Drinking Water Before Bed
Here are some benefits of drinking water before going to bed at night.
- Boosts your mood: sounds strange right? When as little fluid as 1.5 is lost in the body system, anxiety, slight headache, etc, could be felt, so an intake of water before sleeping boosts focus, strength, and a bright countenance in the morning.
- Detoxifies your system: water is said to be a universal solvent and it is also one of the media for transportation in the system, therefore on dehydration, the body pulls liquid away from the intestines and colons, and at this point they are toxic (i.e poisonous) water, therefore, flushes the system and neutralizes the toxic
- Helps in weight loss: for some persons, it could be so boring gulping about 1-2 glasses of water at a blow, but for the benefits, it’s worth the bearings, as water reduces weight loss by filling up on fluid, therefore, suppressing appetite in food which intern to boosts metabolism and helping the body maintain a healthy balance of fluids.
2. Drinking Water Early in the Morning on an Empty Stomach
Paying attention to our health is of paramount importance and one of the ways of doing that is early morning water consumption before breakfast.
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It could be before and after brushing depending on personnel judgments’ though it would be more preferable before brushing that is why it is necessary to brush before sleeping at night.
Benefits of Drinking Water Early in the Morning on an Empty Stomach
Here are some benefits of drinking water on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning.
- The stomach is totally flushed thereby reducing the risk of disease, this is done by first purifying the colon, thereby allowing the stomach to properly absorb nutrients.
- Gives the skin a glowing look all through the day as toxins are excavated from 6100 streams, new and sterile blood cells are created together with muscle cells, and from what happens on the insides, the result is given on the outsides via a glowing skin.
3. Drinking Water Before and After Meals
Dr. Anju Sood, an Indian nutritionist in her bid to correct the errors committed by taking water during meals pointed to the fact that drinking water is harmful to the body system because it distorts the absorption of natural nutrients in digestion.
Again she laid emphasis on drinking water before eating. In fairness to her, when food passes into the body through the mouth, it first goes through the esophagus, to the stomach to the colon before it is further flushed out of the system.
Therefore drinking water before meals disturbs a fluid- component in the gastric system thereby diluting what we eat afterward and fastening the digestion process because the food is then forced into the large much sooner than it should.
About drinking water immediately after eating, Dr. Sood noted that drinking water immediately after meals distorts the natural time it would have taken for the digestion of the food taken in and therefore increases appetite as one will bloate.
In her recommendations, a 30-minute window both before and after meals was okay as the digestion stage proceeds within these 30 minutes.
In conclusion, taking water before and after meals with accurate timings) fosters proper digestion.
4. Taking Water Before and After Exercise
Anyone paying a visit to the gym might be comfortable without a smoothen bottle or flask in their pack, however, taking water to the gym is non-negotiable.
During exercise, water is lost from the system via the skin. In this case, the body is already dehydrated and will be deficient to send out and therefore could give the muscle a crampy sensation. This could cause indiscriminate fatigue during exercise dizziness etc.
Hence, the intake of water before exercise is important. It is also very important to drink water after exercise in order to replace the fluid content that was lost by reason of the exercise.