For maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the role of drinking water is prime and undeniable. Usually, while focusing on fitness and well-being we chiefly make amendments with our food habits. However, learning and incorporating the right water intake into our health schedules are coequal.
Most of us don’t realise that we are drinking less water than required and our bodies stay in a state of dehydration for long creating a platform for illnesses to procure.
Water not only quenches your thirst but is a medium to flush out all the toxins from the body which makes its role even more significant towards attaining and sustaining holistic health.
So, how often you should be drinking water in a day?
Right when you wake up, instead of heading to get your coffee or tea, grab a glass of water preferably lukewarm water to get you hydrated after prolonged sleeping hours.
Hydration is essential as it directly affects your mood, memory and visual perception according to the British Journal of Nutrition. Likewise, drinking water before retiring to bed at night is of utmost importance to keep you hydrated during sleep.
Besides, while you are sick, drinking water regularly helps with fluid loss and balances the dehydrating effects caused by certain medicines and thereby plays a vital role in the healing process.
If you are on a weight loss journey, it cannot be accomplished without consuming water timely. A glass or two of water before meals is an excellent way to keep you fuller and keep excess eating in check.
Moreover, a few sips of water during and after the meals also aids in digestion.
Performing any sort of physical activity that has led to sweating — be it a brisk walk, exercise, taking a steam bath, or even cooking in hot weather makes drinking water necessary to replenish the fluid loss.
Now, who doesn’t want to look youthful?
Drinking water is a priceless way to keep your skin supple and fight anti-aging effects and keep away wrinkles.
Whenever outside, do carry a water bottle with you so that you don’t miss out on your body’s water needs. At your workplace, make sure you have your water bottle at your desk so that you don’t miss out on your water intake when you are so immersed in your work and can’t afford to walk a few steps to get water.
On top of this, staying in an air-conditioned environment for longer durations is the most neglected cause of dehydration which quite often leads to headaches.
Just ensure you are not compromising on your body’s water requirements while in such settings. There are scientific studies that emphasised the role of drinking water in alleviating headaches as well as menstrual cramps.
And last but not least when you are travelling on a flight do not miss out on drinking water as the high altitudes are devoid of moisture-laden air and when this air circulates through the aircraft cabin it causes dryness and makes you thirsty.
So now you have comprehended the diverse health benefits of drinking water, you might be wondering how much to drink water in a day?
The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine say more fluid is better for average, healthy adults — 15.5 cups (3.7 litres) a day is ideal for men, while 11.5 cups (2.7 litres) a day from all food and drinks is enough for most women.
But this intake depends on your health status. Any medical conditions which demand an increase to this value such as pregnancy or breastfeeding, the type of climatic conditions you are in, whether your work is centred in a sedentary sitting or involves more physical activity.
Conclusively, safe drinking water is a zero-calorie drink that provides a matchless boon to your health and wellness.
Ensure you give your body plenty of it!
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