12 Amazing Benefits of Drinking Water

If there is one thing you have undoubtedly heard a lot about is the multiple benefits of drinking water. Yes, the Internet is full of articles, videos, and studies that show just how valuable water can be. From rehydrating skin to boosting energy levels, drinking enough water seems to be the remedy for all health issues. But, can this clear, tasteless drink be considered as the fountain of youth and health?

The answer is: Yes. A glass of H2O offers tremendous health benefits to your body. Why? Because it affects the cells and works on a micro-level.

There is so much more to staying hydrated than you can imagine. That is why we are going to name all the health benefits of drinking water.

Let’s start, shall we?

 

Improves Skin Condition

Be honest – how many times have you tried to get that “healthy glow from within?” You used moisturizers, oils, and makeup, but nothing seemed to work just the way you wanted it to.

Well, the key to healthy-looking skin lies in the water.

As WebMD states, when your skin is dehydrated, it looks dry and more wrinkly. Not to mention the fact that skin, the biggest organ on your body, has plenty of water that prevents you from losing fluids.

So, next time you look in the mirror and see a wrinkle or two appearings, it might be time to increase your water intake.

Caveat: Staying hydrated is not one of the ways you can prevent wrinkles and deep lines since that is something that naturally comes with age. To make sure your skin is completely hydrated, be sure to use a proper moisturizer to lock in the moisture. If you are interested in slowing down skin aging, be sure to read our article on 22 ways you can slow down this process.

 

Partner in Crime for Losing Weight

If you are not a fan of strict diets and can’t stay away from Saturday morning pancakes, you might want to consider adding just one new habit to your routine – drinking icy cold water.

Yes, you have read that right, and we can positively say this is one of the most excellent benefits of drinking water! Icy cold water can boost your metabolism because your body has to do extra work to warm it up. That way, it burns more calories than it would if you drank room temperature water.

 

Stomach Bloating and Expanding

Sure, one of the benefits of drinking water is that it helps you to lose weight. But, can it have the opposite effect? It sure can.

After reading that drinking cold water can lead to weight loss, you might start thinking, “Why shouldn’t I drink a gallon of cold water a day to speed up the process?” Let us stop you right there! Drinking too much water is dangerous. Not only can it lead to water intoxication (which we explained later in this article), but it can also give you the opposite results.

As you might know, the stomach consists of muscles. This means it can expand whenever you eat and drink. Bear this in mind for an example: When your stomach grows, it can take up to six cups of water. As a result, your belly naturally bloats after you eat and drink.

But what does this all have to do with losing weight?

Well, if you drink more water to keep your stomach full and not feel hungry, your gut will naturally expand. The flip side to that is that you’ll need more food to stop feeling hungry because there is no more room to fill. And this is how you get the opposite effect!

In the end, if you are trying to lose weight, drink cold water, and drink as many cups as your body is comfortable with.
An added tip: When eating, try to do it slowly with smaller bites, so you can fully enjoy the meal.

 

Improves Digestion

Do you remember what your parents recommended that you did when you had issues with going to the bathroom? They most likely suggested that you try drinking more water and everything would go back to normal again. Guess what? They were right!

One of the well-known facts and benefits of drinking water is that it does affect the digestive system. There are two ways that water does its magic.

First, taking in the recommended daily dosage (8 cups a day) helps all the matter in your digestive tract to resolve more quickly. Second, water has a way of acting as a natural lubricant. It moisturizes your colon, which then improves your ability to pass waste.

 

Take Care of Your Joints, Saliva, Mucus

Just as water can lubricate intestines, it can also act as a basic compound for all the substances that lubricate your other organs – this is another excellent benefit of drinking water. To be more precise, water is the number one ingredient of the joints, saliva, and mucus. That is why you must keep your body hydrated.

 

No More Headaches

Yes! One of the most fantastic benefits of drinking water is its ability to cure headaches. Dehydration headaches, to be precise.

As Medical News Today reports, there are several types of headaches. One of them can be manifested as a severe or mild migraine and is considered to be a dehydration headache.

Dehydration headache is caused by the insufficient amount of fluid in your body. Before you jump to conclusions and start overthinking about your body fluids, you have to know that it is perfectly reasonable to lose water from the body through some natural processes, like sweating or urinating. There is nothing wrong with that. However, not catching up with all the fluid you just lost can be a problem. More precisely, the problem occurs when your body starts to lose electrolytes that are in the water.

But what does it all have to do with headaches? Well, when your body loses fluid, your brain starts to shrink, which causes pain and headache. Shocking, right? Who knew that not drinking enough water could cause brain shrinking?!

So, as soon as you start feeling extremely thirsty and fatigued, with a dry, sticky mouth, be sure to drink water to prevent a dehydration headache.

Additional tip: If you want to know how you can prevent and stop migraines, be sure to read our article on natural remedies for different types of headaches.

 

No More Hangover

One of the best benefits of drinking water is, undoubtedly, its ability to treat another type of headache – the one you get when you are hungover.

A hangover manifests as quite unpleasant symptoms, which occurs after drinking alcohol. These symptoms can be a headache, thirst, fatigue, or mild diarrhea. But, let’s talk about the first of these symptoms – a headache.

A hangover headache is, surprisingly, caused by dehydration. According to a 2010 study, drinking alcohol has a diuretic effect, which leads to dehydration. As you read a few paragraphs earlier, when the body is dehydrated, a headache occurs. That is why it is recommended to drink water between glasses of alcoholic beverages, to keep the body optimally hydrated.

But, if you didn’t take our advice and decided to drink alcohol without water in-between, then you will have to do damage control the next day. Fortunately, water is there to save the day. Just start drinking water, and your headache will begin to subside.

 

Body Temperature Regulation

As you might know, when the body heats up, the water that lies in the skin layers appears on the surface, forming sweat. That is how our body naturally regulates body temperature.

If you are not hydrated enough, your body cannot properly regulate the temperature.

 

Water and UTIs

According to Healthline, a clinical trial completed just a couple of months ago (in October 2018, to be precise) conducted on 140 premenopausal women who were experiencing recurrent UTIs and drank less than 1.5 liters of water daily, showed those who drank more water, experienced less frequent UTIs than those who drank less water.

Not only this, Live Science confirmed that drinking an extra six glasses of water per day can reduce the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs).

How can water have an impact on UTI infection? The reason is quite simple. Water cleans the body and flushes out bacteria and all the germs, including the bacteria that cause UTIs.

 

Reduces Muscle Cramps

If you are a sports fan or have been working out a long time, then you know one of the benefits of drinking water is that it can reduce muscle cramps if you drink it after the workout.

Additional tip: When experiencing muscle cramps be sure to include a magnesium supplement in your routine. You will instantly feel relief.

 

Water for Brain Function

In one of the previous paragraphs, we mentioned that your brain could shrink when the body is not hydrated. That is just a physical condition that leads to a dehydration headache.

But what happens in your brain when you are not drinking enough water?

According to a study conducted on twenty-six young men, mild dehydration had a particular impact on cognitive performance. They had trouble with memory and an increased level of anxiety. So, if you are feeling stressed or anxious, it might be a good time to drink another glass of water. Who knew one of the benefits of drinking water is lowering your anxiety levels?

 

Treating Kidney Stones

Yes, you’ve read that right!

Drinking water can help treat kidney stones.

The reason behind this scientific piece of information lies in the fact water cleans the body. To be more precise, when you increase water intake, your body also increases the volume of urine, which passes through the kidneys. By having more fluid and the necessary minerals, your body has a lower chance of forming clumps and stones. Still not sure? Well, there are a couple of studies with proof:

For starters, results from a 2012 study showed that increased water intake decreases the possibility of urinary stones recurrence. Furthermore, although there are no precise results that showed that increased water intake could reduce the occurrence of kidney stones, there are results that prove water intake can prevent kidney stone formation.

It’s up to you. Will you lower the risk of getting a kidney stone?

 

In the End, How Much Water Should You Drink?

Once you have read all the fantastic benefits of drinking water, all that is left to answer is, “What is the recommended daily dosage of water?”

Some say that the recommended amount of water is eight glasses a day. Others mention that you should take into account your body weight in pounds, divide it in two and the result is the number of ounces you should take daily. The truth, however, is a bit different.

The answer to this question varies from person to person. Sometimes you will feel more thirsty, other times not so much. That is why we advise you to listen to your body, and you will quickly discover how much water your body needs.

 

Water Intoxication

Believe it or not, if you consume a large amount of water in a short period, it can lead to water intoxication. As we mentioned a few paragraphs before, your stomach consists of abdominal muscles that can quickly expand. But the stomach has its limits. Just as you most likely cannot eat 100 hot dogs in 15 minutes, it is not wise to drink 8 glasses (or several gallons) of water in just 15 minutes. The reason you should never try this lies in the fact that water can easily “flood” your bloodstream giving your kidneys no time to process and excrete it.

Some of the symptoms of water intoxication are vomiting and internal organ and tissue swelling. In more severe cases, this condition can lead to death.

 

With So Many Benefits of Drinking Water, Here’s a Challenge

Now that you’ve read all the amazing health benefits of drinking water, we have one challenge for you.

Take a month to take care of your mind and your body. We will leave mental health up to you (we suggest meditation!), but would advise you to change just one thing in your daily routine, and that is the amount of water you drink.

As we mentioned in the text before, the recommended daily dosage is whatever works best for you. So, be sure to listen to your body and create a new routine – a drinking water regimen, if you will, for just a month.

But, that’s not all. We have one more favor to ask.

During those 30 days, try to take 5 minutes each day and write about the body changes you experienced that day. If you have time, you can even take a daily photo and compare how your skin looks in the beginning and at the end of this challenge.

If you feel like sharing your results with the world, please be sure to leave your experience in the comment section below. If not, that’s fine, too.

We hope we inspired you to take one small step towards having a healthier body and mind.

 
Image credits: Pixabay.com. & GetStencil.com

 
Last article update: 10/9/2019