water
Water accounts for 70% of the human body, while it covers about 71% of the earth’s surface. Despite the great effect of drinking water on a person’s health and its necessity for every cell and member of the human body, many people neglect to drink it. (CDC), 7% of the respondents did not record any daily consumption of water. It is worth noting that there is no daily amount of water agreed globally for individual consumption.
Benefits of drinking water
In addition to the importance of water for the survival of all living organisms, it has many benefits to the human body, and we mention the following:
- Protecting and moisturizing internal organs: Spinal cord and joints protect the water. It acts as a lubricant, lining and cushion, and helps maintain body moisture and tissue, including blood, bones, and the brain.
- Disposal of waste: Drinking enough water helps the body to get rid of waste through sweating, urination, and output. Drinking water prevents constipation by softening stool and helping to move food through the intestines.
- Helping digestion: The process of digestion in the mouth begins with saliva, which consists mainly of water, which is also important in the digestion of soluble fibers. With the help of water, the fibers are easily decomposed, helping to form easy-to-remove soft stools.
- Drought prevention: When the body loses fluids during vigorous exercise, sweating in hot weather, fever or diarrhea or vomiting, it is important to drink fluids to compensate for this loss. The doctor may recommend drinking water to treat other health problems such as bladder infections, Urinary tract.
- Treatment and prevention of headaches: Drought-induced dehydration can cause headaches or migraines in some people. Many studies have shown the ability of water to treat headaches caused by dehydration.
- Prevention of kidney stones: Drinking water can help prevent Kidney stones. By increasing the amount of fluid you drink, the amount of urine that crosses the kidneys increases, reducing the concentration of minerals, reducing the possibility of crystallization, and forming lumps or gravel.
- Helping to lose weight: This is because the water stimulates the feeling of satiety, accelerates metabolism, and the timing of drinking water is important. Drinking water half an hour before eating is the most effective. It makes the person feel full, leading to fewer calories, So the body uses extra energy to heat it up to the temperature of the body.
- Improvement of physical activity: Drought is usually a significant effect in the event of loss of less than 2% of the body content of water, in fact it is not excluded athletes lose to 6-10% through sweating, leading to increased fatigue, difficulty in performing physical and mental exercise, Sufficient for fluids, and reduces oxidative stress during vigorous exercise.
- Muscle stimulation: Water protects cells that do not maintain the equilibrium of liquids and electrolytes inside them, reducing their contraction and muscle fatigue caused by this contraction.
- Improve the skin: Drinking water improves skin shape and prevents dryness.
The amount of water you should drink daily
The recommended daily amount of drinking water varies from person to person, depending on factors such as physical activity of the person, amount of sweating, and although there is no universally agreed daily intake of drinking water, there is a consensus on the overall quantity of water, according to the Institute of Medicine The amount of water available to males is approximately 13 Cubans (equivalent to three liters), and the amount of water sufficient for females is about 9 cups (about two and a quarter percent), and many people now believe in drinking Eight glasses of water per day, which equals 1.9 liters per day, which is an amount Close to the recommendations of the American Institute of Medicine for women, and the amount of 8 cups easy to remember for people, it is worth mentioning that pregnant women, or breast-feeding should consult the doctor about the amount of water to drink, the body needs a woman to liquids more than usual, The nursing mother.
Negative consequences of drought
The drought caused by the lack of drinking water has several consequences. The following are some of them:
- Increased blood density: Water accounts for 90% of the blood, so lack of water and lack of drinking water can increase blood density and thus increase blood pressure.
- The worsening symptoms of asthma and allergies : Drought causes constriction or narrowing of respiratory tracts, as a defensive step from the body to reduce the amount of water lost as much as possible, exacerbating symptoms of asthma and allergies.
- The appearance of early wrinkles : Drought can expose skin to dermatological and early wrinkles more.
- Gastrointestinal problems Drought can cause gastrointestinal problems, and may also increase gastric acidity, causing heartburn.
- Arthritis pain : The cartilage located in the joints and spinal disk in the spine contains about 80% of the water, in cases of drought joints become less able to absorb shocks, increasing the pain of the joints.
- Cognitive ability : Drought affects the functions and structure of the brain, and if the drought continues for a long time, then causes weakness in cognitive ability.
Five tips to increase intake of water and fluids
One of the things that helps increase the drinking of water and fluids in general:
- Have a drink with each meal.
- A person’s choice of drinks he loves is likely to increase the person’s drinking fluids if he likes their taste.
- Increase intake of fruits and vegetables that contain high amounts of water.
- Keep a bottle of water in the car, on the desk, or in the bag.
- Choosing a beverage that suits the needs of the individual. If a person is trying to control his calorie intake, he should choose calorie-free drinks.