Why Should You Drink Lots of Water?

An Experiment

A 42-year old woman, Sarah Smith, consulted a neurologist about her frequent headaches, and a nutritionist about her poor digestion, and was given the same advice by both. She should drink up to three litres of liquid a day. At the time, she only drank less than a litre of fluid every day.

She decided to embark on a 28-day experiment, during which she drank three litres of water a day, and observed the effect on her body. The results were more far-reaching than the headaches and poor digestion that she had meant to target.

What does Water Do?

Water regulates our body temperature, transports nutrients to our cells and flushes waste from our bodies, and maintains the healthy condition of the skin, mucous membranes and spinal discs.

Can these apparently straightforward functions have such far-reaching effects?

Temperature Regulator

Water helps us keep the body cool. When perspiration evaporates, heat is lost from the body, and the skin is cooled. It’s important to stay hydrated so that the water in the body can be readily used for perspiration to keep the body cool and avoid heat exhaustion.

Medium of Transport

A big role of water in the body is as a medium of transport.

There’s a saying, “Blood is thicker than water”. But blood is also more than 80% water.

Blood is an important medium of transport in the body. The red blood cells carry oxygen all parts of the body, and transport carbon dioxide back to the lungs to be purged from the body. Nutrients are transported to our cells and wastes flushed from the cells and out of our body.

Side effect of dehydration: blood viscosity --> higher cardiac load, elevated blood pressure

If there is not enough water in the body, the blood would be viscous and would flow slowly. So the rate of delivering oxygen to the cells would reduce, directly impacting the health of all the cells and organs in the body. (Imagine, oxygen-starved cells!)

Furthermore, the heart would have to beat harder to circulate the blood around the body, and blood pressure would increase.

Side effect of dehydration: slowdown in removal of toxins from body

Blood returning from the tissues pass through the liver, where waste matter is removed from the blood and transported to the kidneys. The kidneys then excrete the waste matter together with excess water in the form of urine. If there is insufficient water in the body, this removal of toxins from the body would be slowed down.

Side effect of dehydration: urinary tract infection (UTI)

During urination, the urine flow washes out any bacteria that has accumulated or reached the urinary tract. If a person doesn’t drink enough water, the interval between urination would be longer. That gives any bacteria present in the urinary tract enough time to travel up the urinary tract to the bladder. The result – urinary tract infection. That’s why the doctor tells you to drink more water if you get UTI, to “flush out” the bacteria.

Side effect of dehydration: constipation

Water is also important in the other process of elimination – moving the bowels. The food that we eat makes its way from the stomach to the small intestines, then the large intestines or colon. If there is insufficient water in the body, the large intestine soaks up water from the food waste. This makes hard stools that are difficult to pass.

Body Protector

Water also serves an important function in protecting the body.

Skin

The primary barrier between the outside world and our body is our skin. If the skin is broken, dirt, bacteria and viruses are able to get into the body.

Water keeps the skin moist and supple. When the skin is healthy and moist, it can fully serve its function as a barrier.

Mucous Membranes

Water is a key component of the tears in our eyes, and mucus in our nose and nasal tract.

Tears wash away any foreign objects in the eyes. Tears also keep the surface of the eyes moist so that the eyelids can glide over the eyes more easily.

Mucus in the nose and nasal tract help to trap dirt and foreign particles that get breathed in. So the air is filtered before reaching the lungs, protecting the lungs.

Sufficient water in the body ensures that these mucous membranes remain moist and can serve their function properly.

Spinal discs

The spinal discs serve as cushions to absorb any upward or downward forces on the spine. The discs also cushion each vertebra from its immediate neighbor. By reducing the likelihood of friction between adjacent vertebrae, the risk of arthritis or spinal degeneration is reduced. Reducing the likelihood of a vertebra pressing on another also lowers the risk of impinging any nerves in the process.

Because the fluid in the spinal discs is mainly water, the discs can maintain their volume and thickness only if there is sufficient water in the body.

Summary

It’s important to drink enough water so that it can serve its function in the body, namely as

• Temperature regulator
• Medium of transport
• Body protector

Side effects of dehydration range from constipation to risk of infection to elevated blood pressure.

Therefore, it is important to drink enough water on a daily basis.

Result of the Experiment

As a result of drinking three litres of water a day, Sarah Smith:

• Had fewer headaches
• Had smoother bowel movements
• Lost two pounds in weight and one inch from her waistline
• Felt more flexible
• Saw improvements in her complexion, including even skin tone, reduction in wrinkles, better skin elasticity
• Felt fitter, leaner and healthier

If you’re curious, you can read the article at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2480491/How-drinking-litres-water-day-took-years-face.html


The next article will describe how to know when it’s time to drink water, how much to drink and how to drink it.