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Knowingly or unknowingly many people ignore the importance of staying hydrated. And the easiest and cheapest way to stay hydrated is to drink WATER!

Many people also consider water as ‘life’. It is, in fact, one of the most essential elements of life. A person who drinks sufficient water every day is often able to prevent and fight lots of health problems and live better than the one who doesn’t. Well, not everyone loves to be a water guzzler. People who don’t like to drink plenty of water throughout the day, can sometimes alternate it with other fluids like, lemon water, coconut water, fruit juice, milk etc. Some people also prefer homemade detoxifying drinks by mixing water with cucumber, lemon, mint, different fruits, aloe Vera, etc.  to stay hydrated.

As water is the cheapest and most easily available fluid with no side effects, it is wise to choose water as a drink and live better. Most importantly, it is also one of the necessary food nutrients for our body.

There are many health benefits of drinking water. Let’s have a look at some of them-

Increase brain power:

First of all, one of water’s many benefits is an increase in our brain power. Since our brain is mostly water, drinking it helps us in a number of ways, including:

1. Improving concentration and cognition
2. Maintaining memory function
3. Helping to balance your mood and emotions
4. Increasing blood flow and oxygen to your brain
5. Preventing and relieving headaches
6. Reducing stress

Water helps in digestion:

Water helps in digestion.Drinking sufficient water boosts our metabolism and helps the body properly break down the food we eat. It is advisable to include sufficient fluids in your breakfast, as it is the most important meal of the day. This helps our body function well throughout the day.

Improves physical performance:

Our physical performance can suffer due to dehydration. Water helps our body perform better. It helps lubricate cells and prevents contractions in muscles. The natural liquid helps energize muscles and improves the functions of stiff and sore muscles by expanding the oxygen and providing nutrients and revitalization to cells. So, it is advisable to hydrate before a busy work day or anytime you need to perform physically.

Flush out toxins:

Our body contains lots of toxins. Well, water consumption helps our body flush out waste products and other toxins through sweat and urination. This certainly reduces the risk of kidney stones and urinary tract infections (UTI).

Helps amazingly in weight loss:

Water, the zero-calorie drink, can assist in weight loss. It not only quenches our thirst, but can also increase our metabolism (the number of calories our body burn while resting). Besides, drinking water before meals helps us to feel fuller and suppress our appetite. Drinking plenty of water also prevents fluid retention, because our body won’t try to retain water if it’s getting enough. Therefore, managing our cravings could be as simple as drinking more water.

(It is advisable to avoid sugary drinks and alcohol, as these have a high calorie content resulting in weight gain, while making our body more thirsty, which can lead to dehydration.)

Promotes healthy skin:

Our skin contains lots of water and functions as a protective barrier to prevent excess fluid loss. Water helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturizes our skin, as well as increasing its elasticity. Water is said to be the best anti-aging treatment around as it moisturizes our skin, keeping it fresh, soft, glowing and smooth. It helps to reduce and prevent wrinkles. Therefore, don’t miss out to stay hydrated in order to get a healthy skin.

Helps build stronger and healthy muscles:

It is very important to be adequately hydrated when exercising. It helps prevent muscle cramping and lubricates the joints in our body. Additionally, drinking sufficient water can actually make our muscles stronger. Water carries oxygen to the cells of your body, including those of our muscles. Being well hydrated enables our muscles to work longer and harder before they feel tired, and this will help our body build muscle even more.

Helps to keep away kidney stones:

Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and salt that form inside our kidneys. Dehydration increases the risk of developing a kidney stone. Drinking more water causes more fluid to pass through our kidneys and break up mineral buildup that could otherwise crystallize and form clumps. Drinking water help flush out toxins and sodium from our kidneys. This helps to prevent forming stones in kidneys. Thus, stay hydrated and help your kidneys function better.

Prevents constipation:

Constipation, infrequent bowel movements and difficulty passing stool, is a common problem among many people. Increasing fluid intake helps to avoid and get rid of constipation. And in this case, water is again the easiest and cheapest fluid option with no side effects.

Boosts immune system:

Don’t be surprised to know the easiest way to stay healthy during the cold and flu season- drink more water!

Healthy immune system is one of the most common overlooked health benefits of drinking water. Drinking sufficient water helps our immune system in several ways. Drinking plenty of it carries oxygen to the blood cells of our body. This results in better function of our body’s functions. Besides, water allows our kidneys to remove harmful toxins from our body. Rapidly flushing toxins from our bladder also reduces the risk of bladder cancer. Above all, drinking water also helps to keep our digestive system strong and digest food better. Not drinking sufficient water could give us constipation, and develop even more serious digestive problems. Drinking plenty of water also ensures that our cells will get adequate nutrition from our blood.

Prevents headaches:

Importance of drinking water is immense. One of these is preventing and relieving headaches often caused by dehydration. It increases brain power. A dehydration headache usually occurs when our body loses essential fluids to function properly. Dehydration can cause our brain to temporarily shrink from fluid loss. It results in a dehydration headache, as this mechanism causes the brain to pull away from the skull, causing pain.

Helps prevent other health problems:

Staying hydrated, specially by drinking water helps our body in several other ways.

Drinking water helps lubricates the joints. This helps to prevent arthritis and joint problems to some extent.

It helps to fight depression, since without adequate amounts of water your brain can’t produce enough serotonin.

Since our brain needs water to produce melatonin, it helps fight insomnia.

It also helps to treat leukemia and lymphoma, since drinking plenty of water ensures that our body produces adequate amounts of blood cells and immune cells, and that they circulate appropriately.

Regulates body temperature:

Drinking sufficient water replenishes our body’s cooling system source – sweat. Since water is a key ingredient of our sweat, our body needs plenty of water to properly regulate our body’s temperature through perspiration.

Keeps away bad breath:

This is a problem many people feel embarrassed of. Drinking water certainly helps beat bad breath by keeping our mouth moist and washing away food particles and bacteria. It also dilutes the smelly compounds created by the oral bacteria. So, don’t miss out to drink water regularly and feel better.

Puts us in a good mood:

Just as a well-oiled engine gives better performance, similarly a well hydrated body can give better performance. We are more likely to feel better about ourselves when our internal systems and organs run better. This certainly results in a good mood.

Essential element during pregnancy:

Taking special cared during pregnancy is certainly very important. It is specially and highly recommended to drink plenty of water during pregnancy. Staying well hydrated during pregnancy is something that cannot be avoided at any cost. Drinking water reduces the risk of infection by diluting the urine of the mother to be. Moreover, dehydration can cause contractions triggering preterm labor. Without a well-hydrated during pregnancy, it may cause cramps, headache, nausea, etc. and make the journey harder for the mother.

Helps us stay Alive:

Last but not the least, it helps us stay alive! Yes, you read it right. It helps us stay alive. We can stay alive without eating solid foods for a couple of weeks. But it is hardly possible to stay alive even for a week without fluid intake, especially drinking water. We can avoid foods we dislike, or substitute them. But drinking water is unavoidable as well as unsubstitutable.

Many people believe drinking water after waking up is most beneficiary. On the other hand, some people focus on drinking water before bed for better results. Well, some drink water or other fluids throughout the day to stay hydrated. Some people prefer plain water, where others bring a change in fluid intake by mixing water with lemon, or with vinegar, or other fruits and make it a detoxifying drink. Some people drink plenty of water to help weight loss, some to get a healthy and fresh skin, some for a better performance with a healthy body, and of course some just to stay alive. No matter what the preferred time of drinking water is, or how it preferred to be drank, or whatever the reason is, it is definitely the best habit one should adopt for a healthy and better life.

So, stay hydrated and live well!