Why Is it So Important to Drink Water?

February 11, 2020

Drinking water is essential for living a healthy life. However, many people don’t have access to clean and safe drinking water. The United Nations has designated March 22nd as World Water Day to remind people of the importance of drinking water for your health. Why is drinking water so important for your health? Here’s what you need to know about drinking water and the health benefits it provides.

Water Facts

Water doesn’t contain any calories, fat, sugar, or carbohydrates. It can contain certain minerals such as potassium and fluoride, depending on what source it comes from and whether it’s filtered or not. While it may seem to have little nutritional value, drinking water is crucial because our bodies contain up to 60% water. Not drinking enough water can lead to dehydration and without any water intake, we can only expect to live for a few days.

Besides keeping us alive, water has a number of other health benefits. Water regulates the temperature of our bodies, helps us to maintain our blood volume, and transports essential nutrients to the various organs. It can help us to focus and think more clearly. It can also help us to lose weight when we replace high-calorie beverages with water. Drinking plenty of water can also prevent and help alleviate the one billion colds and flu symptoms Americans get every year.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

According to the Health and Medical Division of the National Academies of Sciences, adult women should drink at least 91 ounces of water on a daily basis. Men should drink at least 125 ounces of water each day. These water amounts include the water contained in the food you eat along with the glasses of water you intake each day.

Any time you feel thirsty, that’s a good indication that your body needs water. Older adults and pregnant or nursing women should be drinking water frequently throughout the day to stay healthy. If you regularly engage in strenuous physical activity or spend a large chunk of time in hot temperatures, you’ll need to drink extra water to avoid dehydration. Dehydration can lead to a trip to the emergency room or closest urgent care center and can even be fatal.

Water Sources

There are many food sources that contain water. Typically, the food you eat makes up about 20% of your water intake. All beverages contain at least some water of course. But you can get water intake from even the driest of foods as well such as crackers and toast. Watermelon and soup contain high amounts of water. However, you want to avoid food and beverages that contain sugar or caffeine, as these can have a dehydrating effect.

Is Drinking Too Much Water Possible?

Drinking too much water is a possibility but highly unlikely. You would need to gulp down a couple of gallons at one time in order for that to happen. Water intoxication or hyponatremia is a medical condition that causes you to get sick from drinking too much water. It can cause sodium levels in your body to drop way faster than they should. If you’re sipping water throughout the day, you won’t have to worry about this happening to you.

Drinking water is extremely important if you want to stay healthy. Make it a goal to add more water to your body throughout the day. Your body will thank you for it.