Here are 7 awesome benefits of drinking more water.
1. Improves your mental abilities
Drinking more water and keeping the body well hydrated have shown to help people to improve their cognitive abilities and mental functioning. On the other hand, dehydration reduces the brain’s capacity for short term memory.
2. Improves physical performance
There is a huge amount of evidence to suggest that dehydration and poor water intake are associated with decreased muscle performance and athletic abilities. Good water intake helps increase the physical performance by helping the heart pump better, as it keeps the blood more fluid and increases oxygen transport to the muscles. Furthermore, good water intake also helps to keep the body cool, and the muscles and joints work more efficiently. Not only can athletes use this to their benefit—drinking more water also keeps you energetic and feel less fatigued throughout your stressful day at work.
3. Helps expel toxins
Drinking an adequate amount of water helps to remove water soluble toxins from the body by sweat and through the kidneys. Water flushes your system and cleanses the body clean of certain toxic waste products that tend to build up in tissues and organs.
4. Helps lose weight
You read that correctly! Drinking more water can help you lose those extra pounds. Some studies have shown that people who increased their water intake while dieting lost more weight that those who kept to minimum levels. Drinking more water helps to delay the feeling of hunger, so the next time you feel hungry and find yourself reaching for junk food, drink water instead. As water fills the stomach, it tends to allay the sense of hunger, so the net calorie consumption is decreased. Furthermore, water also increases the body’s metabolism. And of course, drinking water instead of cola when you feel thirsty is definitely going to cut those extra unhealthy calories.
5. Reduces the risk of heart attacks and stroke
Drinking more water helps to keep the blood more fluid. This helps prevent clot formation in blood vessels which supply the heart and the brain that could jeopardize the oxygen supply to these vital areas, result in fatality. Adequate water intake also helps keep blood pressure in check by excreting excess salt out of the body. High salt retention in the body is one of the primary culprits that lead to high blood pressure. By keeping blood pressure in check, most of the complications of high blood pressure can be averted.
6. Improves bowel function
Constipation is common in people who consume less than the adequate amount of water required. Doctors advise their patients to increase their water consumption as a first step in preventing constipation.
7. Decreases cancer risk
Drinking more water reduces the risk of certain cancers like the cancer of the colon and bladder. It’s also been found to reduce the risk of breast cancers. Though strong evidence for these benefits are being sought, there’s no harm in drinking more water as long you don’t overdo it.
Help with the gulp:
- Do not drink more that 3 – 3.5 litres of water, as doing so can result in harm by diluting the body’s electrolytes.
- You can find some apps that can help keep in check with you daily water consumption.
- A simple guide is to drink enough water to produce a colorless urine.
- Always carry a water bottle with you.
