FindItMore | Our body is constantly losing water through sweat and urine. And to prevent dehydration, our body requires adequate amounts of water. There are different opinions on how much water one should drink daily. Health authorities recommend around eight glasses or 2 liters of water every day.However, there are other health experts who believe that one should sip water constantly throughout the day even when they are not thirsty.
Most people are not aware that the water we need depends on both internal and external factors.
Effects of Water on the Brain and Our Energy Levels
Many people believe that if one does not stay hydrated through the day, the first things that begin to take a toll are your brain function and energy levels. One research shows that fluid loss of around 1.36% in women led to impaired mood, the loss of focus and even headaches after a workout. Another study showed that mild dehydration can be bad for your brain function. Mild dehydration is also associated with a negative physical performance which leads to less endurance.
Drinking Water to Lose Weight
A common misconception is that drinking more weight makes you bloat. The truth is that water can help you lose weight.It does this by reducing your appetite and boosting your metabolism. Now about exactly how much water you need to make this work? According to research, you need 500 ml of water to increase the body’s metabolism by 24% – 30%. Findings also estimate that drinking 2 liters in a single day boosts the energy you spend by 96 calories. It is also believed that dieters who drink 500 ml before a meal are more likely to lose 44% weight in 12 weeks.
Is Drinking More Water Good or Bad
Constipation is a common problem can be fixed through higher water intake. A lot of studies show that people who drink adequate amounts of water everyday lower their risk of colorectal and bladder cancer. Kidney stones can be avoided by more water intake. On top of this more water is good for hydrating the skin especially in drier months of the year.
Does Consuming Other Liquids Mean Consuming Water?
Plain H2O is not the only thing that contributes to your body’s total water consumption. There are beverages and foods that increase your water intake too. There is a myth that caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee do not hydrate but the opposite since caffeine in all forms is a diuretic. Research, however, busts this misconception by showing that this effect is super minimal.
Drinking According to Your Thirst
Maintaining water balance is imperative to one’s survival. Because of this, the human body has a sophisticated system in place which regulates how much water or liquid you drink. You feel thirsty when this system detects low than required water levels. The interesting thing about this system is that it works quite similar to our breathing mechanism. A healthy body will let you know when it is thirsty instead of you timing yourself for fear of hydration or you needing to think about the number of glasses of water you drink in a day.
It is also important to note that certain circumstances may also need you to drink more water than usual. There are instances where you perspire a lot, for example, during exercise, a hot day, or when the weather is dry. Athletes need to replenish not just with water but electrolytes as well.
Certain conditions require that you drink more water like when you are breastfeeding, or when you are suffering from conditions like diarrhea.
Drinking Too Much
When you drink more than you should and your body cannot get rid of the excess, you may have a condition called Hyponatremia. This means because of too much water intake the minerals present in your blood are now diluted, and because of this, the sodium present in your blood is decreasing. Technically your blood cells have swelled, and this can lead to life-threatening problems.
How Much Water is best
No one can tell you the amount of water you should have in a day. It is different for everyone depending on their body, diet, and other routine lifestyle habits. If you want to know how much water is ideal for you, you can always experiment. Quality of drinking water matters too. You must ensure that the water you drink is safe for human consumption. Installing a water treatment system at home can help with this. Some people perform better than others with more water intake, but for some, it only results in going to the bathroom more.
However some fundamentals of staying hydrated and making sure that the body stays healthy by getting adequate amounts of water include drinking when you are thirsty, not drinking water when you are not thirsty, and sipping water during a hot day to replenish the lost fluids.
