Many people don’t give it a second thought, but water can be one of, if not the most important factor in maintaining good health!
I thought I drank enough water, but it wasn’t until I started making an active attempt at increasing my water intake that I started to notice a huge difference!
Increasing water intake not only keeps you hydrated, but hydration can help your body in a variety of different ways and even aid in the prevention of chronic diseases. Although many think if they have to urinate frequently they are drinking adequate fluids, in reality this is not the case.
Dehydration has been shown to cause disruptions in cognition and mood, and for the very old or very young this can be concerning because they may not notice their lack of hydration as quickly as other age groups. Disruptions in cognition can include loss of short term memory, concentration, and alertness! For young children this can interfere with school performance and even alter the way they interact with others. In the older population, dehydration can sometimes be confused with delirium which can easily present as dementia! The good news is that purely the re introduction of water can reverse these effects completely!
Digestive problems seem to be one of the most common issues individuals suffer from as a result of low fibre intake, medications etc, and just drinking more water can help increase gastrointestinal functioning and reduce constipation!!
Kidneys are also an important organ in regulating fluid balance, blood pressure & filtering waste products from the blood stream, and all of these functions require adequate water in the body to work properly.
Another common issue experienced by many individuals is headaches, which many times are treated with a pain killer such as advil or tylenol, but could easily be alleviated by the addition of water.
As you can see, these are just some of the things that proper hydration can help to prevent or alleviate, and the importance of drinking enough water cannot be stressed enough!
In short, drink up, you’re body will thank you for it!
Below is a link where more information on the benefits of water can be found!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/pdf/nihms210404__1.pdf
