Not drinking too much water but drinking enough water in a right way!

One of the common tips is to stay hydrated. However, not everyone knows how to drink enough water in the right way to replenish water. Therefore, this article is aimed to provide the most necessary information for each person to know how to drink water properly. Also, it is about how to choose and drink water for the best effect for the body.

The importance of water for the human body

Up to 60% of the human body is water. Therefore, water plays an important role in keeping the body functioning smoothly and efficiently. Water benefits for health include:

When we dehydrate or drink too much water, we may have a headache or migraine, which affects our brain’s capabilities.

According to HH Mitchell in Journal of Biological Chemistry 158(1), 73% of brain and heart, 83% of lungs, 64% of skin, 79% of muscles and kidneys and 31% of bones is respectively water.According to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition(2), dehydration affects people’s cognitive abilities and mood.Even severe dehydration can affect short-term memory.

• Water helps the body digest, circulate, absorb, transport nutrients throughout the body and maintain body temperature.
• Water helps digestion work better. Lack of water in the body can lead to constipation.
• According to HH Mitchell, up to 75% of tissues and muscles is water. Water supplements oxygen to muscles, helping muscles work more efficiently and persistently. Staying hydrated helps to prevent cramps and helps us exercise more effectively at the same time.

Importance of daily water drinking to the skin

For the skin, water also offers great benefits. Here are the benefits of water to the skin which we can observe and feel:

When we are well hydrated regularly, water helps skin retain intracellular moisture

Drinking enough water helps slow aging and reduce wrinkles and fine lines on the skin. Having a closer observation about it, we will find that women with a habit of drinking enough water regularly has fewer wrinkles.

Drinking enough water helps improve the skin’s surface

Drinking enough water helps the digestive system function properly, eliminate toxins from the body through other ways: sweat, urine, … Healthy inner body will have no symptoms such as acne, inflammation, fatigue, hyperpigmentation on the skin

At least 2 glasses of water should be drunk per day to maintain evenly-toned skin

Drinking enough water helps to significantly reduce acne naturally

40 – 45% of adults aged 20-40 suffer from acne

This is a common skin problem that can be improved by drinking enough water. Water helps to eliminate toxins from the skin and shrink pores, thereby reducing the risk of clogging pores which causes acne.

Drinking enough water helps relieve itches

Dry skin is more likely to be chapped, flaky, and itchy. Drinking enough water and moisturizing the skin shall markedly cure the skin problems.

Other benefits for the body when we maintain the habit of drinking enough water regularly

Drinking enough water in a proper way on a daily basis helps the body stay hydrated. When staying well hydrated, the body enjoys following great benefits:

Keeping the body hydrated makes your body more energetic Cells in the body need water to function well. Lack of water makes cell membranes become less permeable, obstructs nutrients from coming into cells and causes toxins not to be excreted, which can lead to cell damage.Therefore, keeping the body hydrated makes every organ work smoothly and more efficiently and the body more energetic.Memory improvement and concentration increase According to a study(4) published in the British Journal of Nutrition, dehydration affects people’s cognitive abilities and human mood and severe dehydration can even affect short-term memory.

Drinking enough water helps prevent us from eating junk food, which supports us in losing weight more effectively

If you’re a fan of junk food even though you know that junk food isn’t really good for your body, try drinking a glass of water. Dr. Ronald Navarro – orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, at Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center said in an interview⁽⁵⁾ said that the frequent snacking / wish to snack makes many people think that their body is hungry. However, if we drink little water instead of eating that junk food, we will feel fuller. Drinking water properly can be a way to curb appetite and help with weight loss.

Drinking enough water every day helps digestion better Constant bloating, constipation, or digestive problems may be due to drinking too little water.The unhealthy digestive system will lead to many consequences for the whole health of the body.Therefore, staying hydrated every day is highly recommended.

Better mood when drinking enough water The more water you drink (but still enough, not too much), the less stress, depression and anger you get.

Some notes to drink water properly

All three parts of the article mainly discuss the role and benefits of water for the body and skin. So, what should we do to make sure water brings these benefits to the body? The answer lies in drinking water properly.

It is assumed that the more water is drunk, the better it is; but actually, drinking water properly is important. Therefore, it is the most important part in the article which helps us adjust our habits and assumptions about drinking water.

Drinking the adequate amount of water according to each person’s physical condition

We are often advised to drink 2 liters of water or 8 glasses of water per day. However, the daily necessary amount of water differs from person to person. Drinking too little or too much water is not good for the body. The need for individual water replenishment depends on many factors: health status, weight, age, gender, level of exercise.

According to the National Academy of Sciences of the United States – NAE⁽⁶⁾, the amount of water needs to be replenished every day:

“About 3.7 litters of water for men

About 2.7 litters for women”

This recommendation includes fluids from water, beverages and other foods. About 20% of daily liquid intake usually comes from food and the remainder comes from drinks.

We can refer to a formula for calculating the amount of water for the body by weight. It is to multiply weight (kg) by 0.03.

For instance: 55kg x 0. 03 = 1.65 litters

72 kg x 0.03 = 2.16 litters

The factors that affect the need for water replenishment vary from person to person

Understanding your health condition helps you to choose a suitable drinking way

Doing exercise

If we do any physical activities which causes us to sweat, we need to drink more water to make up for the lost amount of water. It is important that we need to drink water before, during and after exercise. If we do intense exercise for more than an hour, we can drink electrolyte-enhanced water.

Environment

Hot, humid weather can also make you sweat and need to drink more water.

Health status

Fever, vomiting or diarrhea can cause dehydration. Therefore, it is necessary to quickly replenish water or follow the doctor’s instructions.

Being pregnant or breast-feeding

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding need to replenish fluids in order to stay hydrated. According to Women’s Health, pregnant women and breastfeeding women should drink about 2.4 liters of fluid and 3.1 liters per day respectively.

How to drink water properly

Many people have a habit of drinking water quickly and simultaneously to quench their thirst. However, this habit does more harm than good. The correct way to drink water is to take small sips, holding it for 2-5 seconds in your mouth, then swallowing it.

“Drink water slowly and take small sips”

This is a way to prevent the flow of water from coming into the body too quickly which damages the stomach wall.

It is also a way to signal to the kidneys that water is entering the body which prevents the kidneys from getting hurt. Any disturbance to kidneys’ activities can affect kidney function and health.

We should drink water when being seated

Besides, drinking water in a sitting position is better than standing, lying or other positions. When water is drunk, water flows into the mouth, passing through the esophagus, entering the stomach and, then to the kidneys and is excreted from the body. This is the summary of the path of water into the body. Once water is drunk in a sitting position, it will be taken into the body in a natural way.

Good time to drink water:

Should be put into practice to form a habit of drinking water scientifically

• Morning: after waking up
• Noon: after finishing lunch
• Afternoon: in the middle of the afternoon, before finishing work and getting ready to go home
• Evening: 1 hour before going to bed

Some notes on water drinking

• Water shouldn’t be drunk right before bed time since it can negatively affect the quality of sleep
• During exercise time, take small sips of water, avoid drinking too much water.
• Signals that the body is well hydrated or dehydrated: Too dark, yellow urine indicates that there is a shortage of water in the body. If the urine is clear and colorless, the body may have excessive water. When we drink enough water, urine is yellowish.

Above is all the necessary information about drinking and choosing water properly. Hopefully, each of us will have a better overview of water and how to drink water properly for a healthy body and skin!

Reference sources:

⁽¹⁾https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/water-you-water-and-human-body?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

⁽²⁾https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/effects-of-hydration-status-on-cognitive-performance-and-mood/1210B6BE585E03C71A299C52B51B22F7

⁽³⁾https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17352748?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

⁽⁴⁾https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/effects-of-hydration-status-on-cognitive-performance-and-mood/1210B6BE585E03C71A299C52B51B22F7

⁽⁵⁾https://blog.lafitness.com/2018/07/11/7-foods-to-help-hydrate-your-body-this-summer/