For the full functioning of our body, you need to drink plenty of pure water every day.
< p>Water is one of the most important resources on this planet. Or perhaps the most important. After all, the human body is 70% water. We often hear and read that you need to drink as much water as possible: at least 2 liters per day. What if we don't want to drink so much? If there is no thirst? What will happen to the body if we drink much more water than we want?You can't even imagine how much water some organs of our body contain. So, for example, in the lungs there is up to 90% of water, and in the brain — about 75%. For the full-fledged work of our body and you need to drink plenty of clean water every day.
Why do we need water? It is a transport for nutrients
Water is involved in metabolism. Circulating along with the bloodstream, it «carries» nutrients and oxygen to all organs and areas of the body. That is, with its deficiency, the body will suffer not only from dehydration, but also from a lack of nutrients, as well as oxygen starvation.
Blood is 80% water. And water deficiency, first of all, affects it, leading to its increased viscosity. Of course, this does not lead to anything good: the risk of thrombosis, varicose veins and even strokes and heart attacks increases.
Water removes toxins
The body removes toxins with sweat and urine all harmful substances, toxins and slags. If the body does not have enough water for these options, the decay products will begin to stagnate in the body. It can even lead to poisoning.
Water is involved in digestion
Water completely accompanies the process of digestion. It is involved in the formation of saliva, the moisture content of the mucous membranes and the quality of food breakdown depend on its quantity. With water deficiency, the production of digestive enzymes slows down, the gastrointestinal tract works sluggishly, semi-digested food ferments in the intestines, causing inflammation.
Another consequence of water deficiency: gastric juice becomes more acidic and too concentrated, and this can lead to gastritis with high acidity and even an ulcer.
Body thermoregulation depends on water
People who don have dehydration problems tolerate both heat and cold more easily. The thing is that water is involved in thermoregulation, it helps us to retain heat in the cold season and lose it in heat.
And joint health
The process of development of arthritis and arthrosis is complex, but to a large extent it also depends on elementary water deficiency. When the body lacks water, it automatically sends this most important resource to «forward positions»: to the brain, blood, heart, kidneys, liver…
And the joints get the remainder. As a result, the cartilage tissue of the joints loses elasticity, becomes dense, the amount of synovial fluid that “lubricates” the joints decreases.
Water saves the skin from wrinkles
This organ is also supplied with water according to the residual principle. Therefore, dehydration is visible, literally “obvious”. Skin that does not receive moisture quickly loses its elasticity, loses its beautiful color and becomes wrinkled.
In addition to the skin, hair and nails also suffer from a lack of water. Nails become weaker and brittle, hair grows dull, falls out and splits.
What happens to the body if you drink too much water
But in everything you need to know the measure. Too much water, and even drunk quickly enough, can harm the body. The kidneys can remove from the body no more than 0.8-1 liters per hour. Therefore, if you decide to replenish your water reserves, so to speak, at once, drinking more than 3 liters in a short period, the body may develop symptoms of overhydration.
This is fraught with rapid weight gain, edema, increased blood pressure and disturbances in the functioning of the most important internal organs: kidneys, heart and lungs.
An excess of water reduces the concentration of electrolytes in the blood. This is especially true for sodium, which maintains a balance between the fluids inside and outside the cells.
How much water you need to drink per day
There is no exact and unified norm. Yes, it would be wrong too, you can’t measure everyone by the same yardstick. According to Soviet norms, adults should consume a milliliter of fluid for every calorie of food. That is, about 2-2.5 liters of fluid per day.
Today, according to various recommendations of nutritionists, the daily dose of water ranges from 30 to 50 milliliters per kilogram of body weight. That is, if we average these recommendations, then a person weighing 60 kilograms needs to drink about 2.4 liters of water per day. Men are recommended to drink 2.5 — 3.7 liters of water per day, women — 2 — 2.7 liters.
How to understand that the body does not have enough water
The simplest and most natural indicator is thirst. This is enough to understand that your body lacks this most valuable resource. However, you need to know that thirst comes when the body loses about 1-2% of moisture. And this is considered the first sign of dehydration.
When losing 2% of fluid from body weight, a person develops a strong thirst, with a loss of up to 10%, dizziness and hallucinations are possible , with loss of 12% — urgent medical attention is required.
The main signs of dehydration: dark urine and a decrease in its daily volume, headaches, fatigue and lethargy, dry mouth and eyes, dry skin, rapid heart rate and low blood pressure.
Should I drink if I don’t feel like it?
Required. As you already understood, thirst is a signal of the first degree of dehydration of the body. You need to drink more water if you exercise and have a physical job, if you walk a lot and if you are constantly stressed.
Start your day with a glass or two of water , 30 minutes before breakfast. During the day, it is advisable to drink water gradually, in small sips. But just before going to bed, just need to stop. At this time, the circulation of the lymphatic system slows down, the fluid stagnates, there is a risk that in the morning you will wake up with swelling.
And one more thing. Nutritionists advise drinking warm water. It is absorbed much better than cold. And the body will spend less energy on its absorption.