The reasons you should prioritize drinking water have been demonstrated across the lifespan. We are meant to take in enough water and many of our body’s systems work better when we consistently drink water.
It is common for you to hear that water is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless substance. As much as this is a cliche, it is the truth and perhaps something you must have heard in your Health Edu classes.Â
In Chemistry, they categorize water as a chemical. A solvent, having the formula H2O. Just as several relative definitions of water exist in different fields, water can also be hot, cold, or tepid. Most importantly, water is water.
Water has been in existence from the dawn of time. It has been on the surface and the deep. In our blood, in our person (from 31 percent in bones to 83 percent in the lungs). Research also has it that water makes up 60 percent of the human body, 90 percent of water is contained in the blood, and water covers 71 percent of the world.
Water is an impeccable and useful substance needed by both plants and animals; It is crucial and vital for the survival and existence of the human race. You can get it from springs, dams, rain, rivers, lakes, boreholes, wells, etc.Â
Even in literature, the importance of water is relevant in several genres. Its universal essence is recorded in different fields. Artists have gone ahead to mark its usefulness in songs.Â
Aside from the body, some of our daily activities require water. You need portable water for drinking. You also need to drink water to survive. People use water for cooking almost every food. Further, you use it for bathing, washing clothes, dishes, and eating utensils; such as crockery, cutlery, billies, and saucepans.
Water is also used for cleaning and tidying up places, houses, and most appliances irrespective of where they are stationed or located.
Recreational activities like; swimming requires water. Plants need water to grow. Even photosynthesis requires water as part of its process. All animals also need water to survive, especially aquatic animals.
Water is also used in industries to create and manufacture products. The use of water can never be exhaustively discussed or stated as the list goes on and on.
But how important is water? How trivial it may sound: water! Nevertheless, have you ever sat down to truly, truly analyze water? Its essence and its indispensability for you to stay alive. Besides, you use water for everything. I mean, you drink it, bathe it, wash with it, use it to form solutions, also use it to make other products, waste it even, sometimes.
Just like air, it has become so available that you rarely acknowledge its significance; and it’s a possible scarcity to most people. Even more, did you know that the human body loses water through different activities- running, sweating, excreting, etc., and thus the need to replenish this loss of water is imperative and incessant?
Given what you know about water, here are some other importance of drinking water you should know and why you should prioritize drinking water.
1. It Helps To Maintain The Body Temperature
Water regulates your body temperature. Especially when dehydrated. Drinking lots of water helps to fight against heat stress generated from exercise or some other activity. The reason why you crave cold water during hot weather and tepid water when it is cold.
2. Water Aids Digestion
Proper digestion is made possible through the intake of water. Digestive problems and other issues such as heartburn, constipation, acidic stomach, and stomach ulcer can all be prevented and mitigated through dehydration.
3. It Helps To Discharge Body Waste
Water makes it possible for you to eliminate body waste such as sweat, feces, and urine. Getting rid of harmful body waste is essential to retaining good health and well-being.Â
Defecation and urination are perhaps the most common way of discharging waste from the body. Aside from these two, staying hydrated also helps with perspiration.
4. Water Is A Great Skincare Recipe
Water intake helps to reduce the effects of aging. Hydration helps to keep the skin calm and smooth. It wards off wrinkles and eliminates skin disorders.
5. It Puts Mood Swings In Check
Water can also determine a person’s mood. Lack of water sometimes results in mood swings which can come as a result of dehydration. Dehydration also causes distress, distraction, and even fatigue. Just as much as a hungry man is an angry man, a thirsty man can as well be a furious man.
6. Water Prevent Kidney Failure
The kidney can be affected by a lack of water. Water readily makes nutrients and minerals available to the body. It helps to discharge waste products which can help the kidney carry out its function of filtering fluid from the body.
About 120-150 quarts of fluid are filtered from the body daily. If the kidney cannot carry out these functions, it will lead to severe medical conditions such as kidney stones.
7. You Need Water While Eating
It is simple logic. Having a glass of water while eating helps in consuming food. It can prevent choking, coughing, or even thirst. Besides, let us face it, you can’t eat without water. Or can you?
8. Water Provides Oxygen To The Blood
You can find 90 percent of water in the blood. Water enables the blood to provide oxygen to various parts of the body. Importantly, it takes nutrients to all cells in our body and supplies oxygen to the brain. Interesting, right?
9. It Absorbs Nutrients For The Body
Water provides the body with nutrients, minerals, and even vitamins extracted from food. Water enables the body to absorb and act on these substances, making it possible for the body to stay healthy.
10. Water Is Good For Exercise
Water serves as an energy booster during exercise. Research reveals that “dehydration reduces performance in activities lasting longer than 30 minutes.”
11. Protects The Joint
Water is a good lubricant for joints and helps protect the spinal cord and tissues during physical activities.[5] Prolonged dehydration can damage the joints to absorb shock, which can lead to joint pains.
By the way, did you know that Cartilage found in joints and the disks of the spine contains around 80 percent water? Weird, right?
12. Water Helps Produce Saliva
Saliva is created and formed through water or fluid intake. Water keeps the mouth moist and capable of regenerating some components of saliva such as enzymes and electrolytes. Saliva is important for digestion, and drinking water is necessary to aid digestion.
13. It Takes Care Of The Brain
Dehydration makes it problematic to reason. It also affects the function and structure of the brain and the production of neurotransmitters and hormones. Long-term dehydration can damage your brain and result in trauma or difficulty in thinking.
14. It Prevents Constipation
Drinking plain and carbonated water can help prevent constipation. You can avoid this by taking enough water, fibre, and magnesium. Water aids in proper bowel movements. Are you having a hard time defecating? Drink lots of water, then.
15. Water Maintains Blood Pressure
Increased blood pressure can be traced to a lack of water and dehydration as one of its causes. Enough water in the body also helps to maintain stable blood pressure and prevent blood clots.
16. It Presents Weight Gain
Drinking water is also a great way to achieve weight loss. Proper intake of water during dieting and exercise helps in burning body fat. Aside from this, it is highly recommended to drink water before meals to prevent overfeeding.
