2 Liters of Water
A friendly reminder to drink water
We often hear that water is crucial for our health. However, why? Well, drinking water is an essential part of our everyday life, as our bodies use it in various ways. In fact, freshwater is so important that we cannot survive without it for longer than a week. Many of us underestimate how important it is to drink water every day and don't truly understand what it can do for us.
Source: USGS science for a changing world
All living things are dependent on water; some organisms consist of 90% water by weight. In the case of humans, approximately 60% of an adult's body is water. Furthermore, we must consume enough water to survive. Of course, the amount depends on a person's age, gender, and where they live. Male adults generally require about 3 liters of water per day, while female adults require about 2 liters of water. Nevertheless, some of the water that a person needs can be found in the food, not only from directly drinking liquids.
As our bodies are primarily comprised of water, this element is involved in numerous functions, including:
- Eliminating waste from our bodies
- Maintaining the bodies temperature
- Enhancing brain function
- Providing lubrication and cushioning for joints
- Preserve the spinal cord and different sensitive tissues
"Think of water as a nutrient your body needs that is present in liquids, plain water, and foods. All of these are essential daily to replace the large amounts of water lost each day," explains Joan Koelemay, a dietitian for the Beverage Institute.
Nephrologist Steven Guest, MD, of Kaiser Permanente notes that: "Fluid losses occur continuously, from skin evaporation, breathing, urine, and stool, and these losses must be replaced daily for good health,".
It is possible to become dehydrated if your intake of water does not match your output. The loss of fluid is heightened in warmer climates, while exercising, in high altitudes, and in elderly or sick people, whose thirst may not be as acute.
Do you know how much water you should drink per day? You probably know that it's important to drink a post-workout drink, an after-workout drink, or simply to drink plenty of water when it's hot outside. However, staying hydrated is a daily necessity no matter what you do or how the weather is like outside. Unfortunately, most of us get less water than we need, particularly the elderly. "Older people don't sense thirst as much as they did when they were younger. And that could be a problem if they're on a medication that may cause fluid loss, such as a diuretic," states Harvard Medical School associate professor and kidney specialist Dr. Julian Seifter.
If you struggle to drink water, you need to learn how to increase your water intake. However, before you can increase water intake, you must know why water is essential to the body. In a nutshell, drinking water can prevent dehydration, a condition that results in unfocused thinking, mood changes, overheating, constipation, and kidney stones.
Obviously, those are just some examples of the advantages of drinking enough water every day and are helpful to create a rough idea about the benefits. Further, there is a list of 9 benefits of drinking water, presented in a detailed manner.
- Maintain mental energy levels
The level of mental energy you have is strongly linked to how hydrated you are. Each of your body's cells needs water, including your brain cells. Oxygen and nutrients are transported by water to the brain, which helps maintain mental sharpness. Dehydration, even in the middle case, will significantly decrease the mental energy levels. Furthermore, dehydration can decrease cognition and memory performance.
- Prevent headaches
It is common for headaches to be caused by not drinking enough water. Dehydration causes temporary contractions of the brain. Specifically, a headache results from the brain retracting from the lining of the skull. In case of headaches occurring frequently, a water tracker or a water reminder would be a good idea to ensure you never forget to drink water.
Next time you suffer from a headache, you might just be dehydrated, so consider drinking some water. After starting to drink more, you can reach a point when the body adjusts to drinking more water and that may lead to fewer headaches.
- Drinking-Water Helps Maintain the Balance of Body Fluids.
A body's water content is approximately 60%. As a result, these fluids perform functions such as digestion, absorption, circulation, saliva creation, nutrient transportation, and temperature regulation.
"Through the posterior pituitary gland, your brain communicates with your kidneys and tells it how much water to excrete as urine or hold onto for reserves," explains a Stanford adjunct professor of medicine.
A low fluid level triggers the thirst mechanism in the body. You should listen to your thirst signals unless you need to take medication that makes you thirsty. Even if the usual quantity of water intake
- Maximize physical performance
It is essential to drink water during intensive exercises. Hydration is key to maintaining a proper amount of fluid in your body and helps you have a good performance.
Perspiration enables your body to maintain a constant internal temperature by evaporating excess heat. While you sweat, your body keeps cooler, but it will get hotter if you don't replace the water you lose. As long as your body is dehydrated, it begins to lose electrolytes and plasma.
Moreover, drinking water helps you recover from an exercise session faster since your muscles don't get tired as fast. As you exercise, lactic acid builds up in your muscles, resulting in soreness. Keeping hydrated helps your body to eliminate lactic acid from your muscles faster. So, post-workout drink and after-workout drink are very important.
- Promote weight loss
Losing weight is actually made easier when you drink more water. Whenever your stomach feels full, it sends signals to your brain that trigger the feeling of fullness. Consequently, you are less inclined to overeat.
Many people are wondering: can you drink water while fasting? Yes, you can drink water while fasting, which is actually beneficial. Water is required by your body to be able to metabolize carbohydrates and stored fat. You are less likely to burn off fat if you have less than the needed water in your body, as your metabolism is less efficient.
- Maintain healthy skin
Just like all the other organs, the skin is made up of cells. If it is not supplied with water, it cannot function, or at least not optimally. More specifically, dehydration leads to dry, tight, and flaky skin. Dehydrated skin is less elastic and more predisposed to flaking. Hence, staying hydrated can make you look younger and fresher while preventing the signs of aging.
Sometimes, a friendly reminder to drink water may be the key to healthy and younger skin. If you wonder how to increase water intake, a water reminder such as the smart reminder offered by the Deep Rio smartwatches may be exactly what you are missing. Such a water reminder helps you make sure you drink water regularly and never reach dehydration.
- Reduce constipation
Insufficient water in the colon may be the cause of constipation. More specifically, as a result of dehydration, water is redirected from the intestinal tract to hydrate the rest of the body. Having less water in your bowels makes your stool dry, hard, and difficult to pass. Getting enough water is crucial to having a healthy bowel.
- Prevent kidney stones
The kidney or urinary tract produces hard deposits of salts and minerals called kidney stones. Minerals can turn into stone if your system does not contain enough fluid to dilute their concentration. Depending on the color of your urine, you can determine whether you are well hydrated. Furthermore, darker colored urine indicates dehydration. A pale yellow or clear urine indicates an adequate amount of fluid in your body.
- It protects your tissues, spinal cord, and joints
Furthermore, drinking water keeps the joints healthy, and that is another important benefit. Drinking water provides lubrication and cushioning for your joints, tissues, and spinal cord.
Thus, drinking water can result in no pain at all, or less pain from conditions such as arthritis will make it easier for you to enjoy your everyday life or physical activity. In case you suffer from a condition such as arthritis or are predisposed to it, finding ways to drink more water, such as a reminder, may prove useful.
Summarizing
In spite of its many health benefits, some people who struggle to drink water regularly in their daily life can sometimes be a tough one. Maintaining a regular water intake prevents your body from becoming dehydrated, and can even aid in weight loss and the prevention of certain medical conditions.
But how can you make sure you properly follow up on how much water do you drink? Well, is quite simple if you use a wearable device that has a water reminder or tracker, such as one of Deep Rio’s smartwatches. The water reminder helps you drink more water and take advantage of all the benefits that drinking water brings.
The smart reminder offered by the Deep Rio smartwatches offers you the alarms regarding drinking water, but not only that. The smartwatch lets you set reminders for things that matter to you, and then you can relax knowing that it will vibrate and announce you. Whether you want a friendly reminder to drink more water, stay active during the day, take a mindfulness break, call someone, or anything else that you want to remind yourself of.
Water reminders are also well established as a tool for measuring fluid intake and have a great positive impact on helping users drink more water. Increased water intake can offer various health advantages and can even help to avoid different diseases.
Written by Adela
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