Why Staying Hydrated is Essential to Your Wellbeing
There’s a myriad of compelling reasons that should motivate individuals to solidify their water drinking habits. Scientific studies have ascertained that the body can survive weeks destitute of food, but the case doesn’t apply to water. Life sustainability is virtually impossible when there is a dearth of water. At least two-thirds of the human’s body is composed of water, which emphasizes how essential this element is. As we perform our daily tasks, we tend to lose fluids due to various body functions. Therefore, there is a need to regularly replenish and stay hydrated.
There is a plethora of health benefits associated with drinking water although they are often understated. Read on to understand how your body gains from drinking water regularly.
– Body Temperature Regulation
Water plays a critical role in maintaining the core body temperature. When your surrounding environment gets heated up, or if you participate in a vigorous physical activity, your body temperature rises. The body is able to cool off through perspiration. As the sweat evaporates, it dissipates a significant amount of heat from your body. This helps to prevent the effects of heat strain. The rate of heat dissipation is dependent on how hydrated one is.
– Flushing out Body Toxins
Water is crucial for excretion. The body gets rid of toxins through sweating and urination. These two processes have one thing in common, which is that they heavily depend on water. The lack of enough fluids compromises the body’s ability to detoxify, and this can lead to serious health conditions such as kidney stones and urinary tract infections. These health hazards can be easily avoided through hydration. Water also enables efficient solid waste removal and keeps constipation at bay.
– Protecting Joints and Muscles
Most people are unaware of the fact that dehydration takes a serious toll on their joints and muscles. Muscle cramps, back and joint pains can be attributed the lack of enough water in the body. Water acts as a natural lubricant and cushion to your joints and tissues. Joint cartilages contain about 85% water. The lack of efficient shock absorption and lubrication from is what leads to back and joint pains.
Dehydration amplifies muscle cramps and sprains. Sweating usually leads to the loss of water and important electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. The electrolytes are essential to muscle functions. Dehydration tends to cause an imbalance between fluid and electrolyte concentration in the body. This imbalance inhibits muscle endurance, and it leads to muscle cramps and sprains.
Contact a Sunbury Chiropractor today to get the much-needed relief from back pains, joint aches and muscle sprains.
– Natural Headache Remedy
Dehydration is a major cause of headaches. The brain is made up of over 80% water. When water levels in the body decline, the brain tends to shrink and this is what causes the headaches. They are common after a night of heavy drinking or profuse sweating from a vigorous activity. Keeping yourself hydrated at all times helps reduce these types of headaches.
Through a Sunbury Chiropractor, you’ll get to learn more about headaches and get the right treatment for your headaches and migraines.
– Maximizing Mental and Physical Performance
Dehydration gradually decreases mental and physical performance. Research has shown that even a slight dehydration can have a significant impact on your mental performance. A loss of about 1.5% of your body mass can alter your moods and affect your focus and alertness.
Dehydration severely impacts your physical performance. Blood usually gets dense when water is lost. This reduces the blood pressure, and this reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to the muscles and the brain. The lack of enough oxygen in the brain can cause light-headedness and dizziness, and a low oxygen amount in the muscles compromises their strength and power. As dehydration also undermines heat dissipation in the body, the effects heat strain can affect your performance.
The importance of staying hydrated cannot be overlooked. It is a pillar of healthy living and plays a major role in maintaining physical and mental health. The amount of water that one needs to take per day is variable, but there are various warning signs that you need to watch out for to avoid dehydration. Thirst and dry lips are a precursor to dehydration.
