6 Insane Reasons to Drink Water
As a human you are more than half water! Would you drink a glass of water that has been out for days? When you aren’t replacing the water in your body, you are that glass! Now imagine a smoothie cup that had some water in it, that you left out for days, and now it’s all caked and smelly, and dried out, that’s you when you are dehydrated!
Drinking water is EASY. It’s often overlooked, many people ‘don’t like water’ and or lived in a chronically dehydrated state. This leaves you at a greater risk for many issues in the long term, and in the short term can make you feel less effective and less clear.
1. Feeling good, cognitively efficient
Studies on hydration have trouble finding statistical significance in the change in mental effectiveness and resilience due to dehydration, but it is widely reported and experienced by people. I personally will get quite out of sorts when I am dehydrated, I will not think clearly, and my prioritization can suffer. I feel out of sorts, not good, self image suffers. I usually drink 1 gallon of water, but when I have less than a half I can absolutely feel the effects. Chronic dehydration is associated with poor health, and even brain changes and neurological disorders. Drink water!
2. Preventing strokes and other cardiac events
Long term dehydration (by relation vasoconstriction) has shown relationship to increased risk of cardiac events, and strokes. Dehydration is also associated with ventricular enlargement (a chamber in your heart), which can weaken it. Nobody wants to have a cardiac event or a stroke, so drink water!
3. Avoiding constipation
Imagine trying to squeeze dry dirt through a hose, that’s your guts when you are dehydrated. Now think about squirted frosting out of a pastry bag, that’s hydration. The lining of your guts are sensitive, and easily damaged, they also can replenish in several days so you rarely notice. That said, in a state of reduced hydration none of your fluids will flow as well, they will thicken, and your tissues will stiffen. Keep hydrated to keep things moving! When I volunteered in the hospital in college, I saw more than one person come in because they thought they were dying and it was just discomfort related to trapped gas and constipation! Drink water!
4. Avoid gall stones, kidney stones
Due to similar reasons that dehydration leads to constipation, dehydration can also greatly increase your chance for kidney stones and gall stones. When you are dehydrated, the waste in your body is not as diluted, and thickens like your fluids. When this is happening, those waste materials can form ‘stones’ or hardened, dried out deposits in your kidneys, and gallbladder. Additionally, your liver can suffer also as it filters more concentrated waste out of your blood!
5. Preventing or reducing headaches
Research has not shown statistical significance in a causational relationship between hydration and increased headaches, but there is a lot of self report, and anecdotal evidence that dehydration DOES lead to headaches. There is evidence to support that hydration can reduce the severity of headaches though. Think about it, if you can have brain changes, if your fluids will thicken without water – surely your cerebrospinal fluid will thicken as well, and that could definitely make your brain uncomfortable!
6. Avoiding pain and discomfort, especially low back pain
If you are a person with aches and pains in your muscles and joints, dehydration will make it worse! Your joints, and muscles, and even your tendons and ligaments need to stay hydrated or they won’t work as well. Existing inflammation can worsen, and pain increases! Dehydration can also cause acute back pain, I once had a stomach bug while staying in the rainforest in Costa Rica. I couldn’t keep down any food or fluids, and I had the worst back pain of my LIFE after about 6 hours of fluid loss. Thankfully, it was just for a day! People pay a ton of money to avoid and treat pain, some of them could just drink more water. Drink Water!!
With all the issues that come with a lack of water up to and including death, drinking water is an absolute no brainer! If you aren’t sure of how much water you are drinking in a day, try drinking it all from a 1 gallon jug so you can see what it looks like!
Some quick tips on consuming more water throughout the day for beginner hydrators
- Drink a tall glass of water right when you wake up! (after you brush your teeth hopefully), it will start you off right, and ahead!
- Drink a glass of water between cups of coffee (coffee is not hydrating)
- Associate drinking water with a regular activity, like getting up to do a task.
- Keep water nearby, and when it’s empty, fill it up!
In a later article I will detail your options for quality water, and poor sources of water. Quality is important! It is much less important if your quantity is already suffering.
References
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/73/suppl_2/97/1930742
