4 Health Benefits of Drinking Enough Water
Our bodies are around 60% water, give or take. It is commonly recommended to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day (the 8x8 rule). Another good way to know how much water you should intake is to cut your body weight in half and drink that in ounces. (ex: 100lbs/2 = 50 ounces of water)
Here are 4 evidence-based health benefits of drinking plenty of water:
1. Water Helps to Maximize Physical Performance.
If we do not stay hydrated, physical performance can suffer.
This is particularly important during intense exercise or high heat.
Dehydration can have a noticeable effect if you lose as little as 2% of your body's water content. However, it is not uncommon for athletes to lose up to 6-10% of their water weight via sweat.
This can lead to altered body temperature control, reduced motivation, increased fatigue and make exercise feel much more difficult, both physically and mentally.
Optimal hydration has been shown to prevent this from happening, and may even reduce the oxidative stress that occurs during high intensity exercise. This is not surprising when you consider that muscle is about 80% water.
So, if you exercise intensely and tend to sweat, then staying hydrated can help you perform at your absolute best.
2. Drinking More Water May Help Relieve Constipation.
Constipation is a common problem, characterized by infrequent bowel movements and difficulty passing stool.
Increasing fluid intake is often recommended as a part of the treatment protocol, and there is some evidence to back this up.
Low water consumption appears to be a risk factor for constipation in both young and elderly individuals.
Carbonated water shows particularly promising results for constipation relief, although the reason is not entirely understood.
3. Water Helps Prevent Hangovers.
A hangover refers to the unpleasant symptoms experienced after drinking alcohol.
Alcohol is a diuretic, so it makes you lose more water than you take in. This can lead to dehydration.
Although dehydration is not the main cause of hangovers, it can cause symptoms like thirst, fatigue, headache and dry mouth.
A good way to reduce hangovers is to drink a glass of water between drinks, and to have at least one big glass of water before going to bed.
4. Drinking More Water Can Help With Weight Loss.
Drinking plenty of water can help you lose weight.
This is due to the fact that water can increase and boost your metabolic rate.
In two studies, drinking half a liter (17 ounces) of water was shown to increase metabolism by 24-30% for up to 1.5 hours.
This means that drinking 2 liters of water every day can increase your total energy expenditure by up to 96 calories per day.
The timing is important too, and drinking water half an hour before meals is the most effective. It can make you feel more full, so that you eat fewer calories.
In one study, people who drank half a liter of water before meals lost 44% more weight, over a period of 12 weeks.
It is actually best to drink water cold, because then the body will use additional energy (calories) to heat the water to body temperature.
Research by Joe Leech, MS
Style Bell “Wellness Coach”