The Importance of Hydrating and Moisture in Your Body

You are often told to drink at least eight glasses of water daily for your health, but why is this so important?  From a logical viewpoint, you can understand that if 60% of an adult's body weight is water, it is easy to deduce that replenishing that water could be critical.  Mild dehydration has symptoms of fatigue, muscle cramps, and headaches. Chronic dehydration can lead to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, as well as kidney stones. 

Staying hydrated, on the other hand, has enormous benefits. When properly hydrated, you experience increased physical performance, better mental functioning, and improved digestion.  This is because almost 2/3 of the weight of our brain and heart is from water.  Therefore, not getting enough fluids slows down our circulation.  As mentioned before, the kidneys regulate the body's water levels by increasing or decreasing urine flow. The kidneys also work to control normal levels of sodium and other electrolytes. That is important. Many systems in our body rely on the presence of water, and while we can survive for weeks without food, we can only survive days without water.

If that wasn't enough to convince you to quench your thirst regularly with water, then maybe the positive effects of proper hydration on your looks will do the trick.

With good hydration, the blood flow to your skin is better to even out your skin tone and complexion.  You are also less prone to dryness, which causes wrinkles and fine lines. Clogged pores and acne are less likely if the oil and water content of the skin is balanced.

Using a humidifier in the winter can help replenish the moisture in the top layer of your skin. Consider limiting your baths or showers to 5 to 10 minutes daily. Spending more time in the shower can strip away your skin’s oily layer, which can cause it to lose moisture. Consider products that contain Hyaluronic acid. It is very good at retaining water, as a quarter-teaspoon of hyaluronic acid holds about one and a half gallons of water.  There are skin and hair products that contain this ingredient necessary for moisture. 

Does all your fluid intake need to be from water?  The answer is no, but the suggested eight glasses of water daily is pretty standard.  However, your age, gender, and activity levels can impact how much you need.  If you drink a lot of coffee or soda, you may need to add to those eight glasses as high amounts of caffeine act like a diuretic to flush water from your system.  One additional source of necessary fluids can come from eating more fruits and veggies with a high water content.  Examples are - grapefruit, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, raspberries, celery, and cucumbers.  

Lastly. consider your source of water and the container you drink from.  If possible, make your travel bottles of glass or stainless steel.  If you have to use a plastic bottle, opt for polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET, which is also usually BPA-free. Not only do chemicals from plastics leach into your water, but disposable bottles are a serious environmental problem.

"Drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle." - Stephen Curry

"Drinking water is like taking a shower on the inside." - Fsmstatistics.fm

"Sometimes I drink water just to surprise my liver." - Unknown

"I feel like water solves all problems.  Want to lose weight?  Drink water.  Clear face? Drink water.  Tired of a person?  Drown them."  - Unknown