Water Works Wonders: The Surprising Ways Hydration Affects Your Health

Written By Uzair N.

Are you feeling tired, sluggish, or mentally foggy? The solution might be as simple as drinking more water. Studies show that 17% to 28% of adults in the United States are known to be chronically dehydrated [1]. A common misconception about hydration is that you only need to drink water when you are thirsty. Your body may enter a state of dehydration before the sensation of thirst ensues.

Hydration – The Laymen's Concept

The concept of “drinking enough water” is not just about preventing thirst and avoiding dehydration. When it comes to health and wellness, hydration is often overlooked. Even though our bodies are 70% water, most people don't get enough of it daily. We focus on things like diet and exercise but forget that water is just as important for our overall well-being.

The Impacts on Health

Hydration means adding back the water that is lost from the body. Proper hydration is important for a wide range of bodily functions, including regulating body temperature, maintaining healthy skin, supporting kidney function, weight management, and aiding digestion. Water is a critical nutrient because it improves athletic performance and sleep-quality, boosts cognitive function, and promotes overall health and well-being.

Here we discuss the impacts of adequate hydration on different aspects of health:

1. Digestion

Water acts as a medium for reactions in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). It affects the breakdown, absorption, and distribution of all the nutrients taken in the diet. Impairment of water balance can create indigestion, bloating, and constipation. Taking enough water can help prevent all of these problems.

2. Weight Loss

Weight management is a technical approach to healthy living. Hydration is known to aid weight loss in different ways. Taking water before meals reduces the appetite and increases satiety. The stomach fills faster, suppressing hunger. Water also mildly speeds up the metabolism which increases the rate at which the body burns calories. Replacing water with sweetened beverages is also beneficial in losing weight for people who are diet conscious.

3. Skin Health

Adequate hydration keeps the skin intact and protects it from external damage. Increasing water intake improves extensibility and elasticity. Proper hydration refreshes the skin and prevents aging. People who drink water more often are less likely to have wrinkles, scar marks, and soft lines. On the other hand, failure to hydrate the skin can cause the skin to dry up and forms unnecessary pores. Itchy and irritable skin is also a sign that the nutrient balance is offset.

4. Nutritional Status

All oxidative reactions occurring in the body take place with the help of water. Hydrolytic reactions utilize water for fat breakdown. Moreover, stomach acids are also secreted when a person drinks water. Hence, the metabolic needs of the body are catered to with adequate hydration. When the body is well hydrated, it can more easily absorb and utilize nutrients from food. Dehydration can decrease appetite and impair nutrient absorption which can contribute to malnutrition.

5. Cognition

Hydration is a broader concept that affects all aspects of health. A lapse of as little as 2% to 3% of total body water affects overall performance. Aiding this water gap improves short-term memory in mildly dehydrated people [2]. Cognitive functions, mood, performance, motor control, and fatigue are also affected when the water balance in the body differs from normal.

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Lesser-Known Facts on Hydration

Hydration is known to prevent and treat certain types of headaches [3]. Water balance supports kidney function. Consequently, dehydration is a risk factor for kidney stones. Brain health also depends highly on the water status of the body.

        How To Assess Your Water Requirement?

Water represents a critical nutrient whose absence will be lethal within days. When assessing the need for water, you will find a lot of misinformation on the internet. Water intake depends on body weight, age, gender, physical activity, and the metabolic needs of the body. The recommended daily fluid intake of 3,000 ml for men and 2,200 ml for women is more than adequate [4]. High fluid intake does not have convincing health benefits, except in preventing (recurrent) kidney stones.

Tips on Hydrating Well

1) Drink water regularly between meals.

2) Take 150-200ml of water 30 minutes before exercise. Consider drinking during and after exercise as well.

3) Carry a water bottle with you at all times.

4) Assess the color of the urine to check for hydration status – light yellow and transparent is good, whereas darker colored urine means the body is at risk of dehydration.

5) Drink water before you get thirsty.

6) Hydration, as a concept, is different from the misconceptions around it. Don’t forget to evaluate your water input – the water you drink, you eat, and what you produce, and the water output – the water lost through the kidneys, and skin via sweating.

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REFERENCES

1) Weinberg AD, Minaker KL. Dehydration. Evaluation and management in older adults. Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association. JAMA. 1995 Nov 15;274(19):1552-6. [PubMed] [Reference list]

2) Fadda R., Rapinett G., Grathwohl D., Parisi M., Fanari R., Calo C.M., Schmitt J. Effects of drinking supplementary water at school on cognitive performance in children. Appetite. 2012;59:730–737. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2012.07.005. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

3) Spigt M.G., Kuijper E.C., Schayck C.P., Troost J., Knipschild P.G., Linssen V.M., Knottnerus J.A. Increasing the daily water intake for the prophylactic treatment of headache: A pilot trial. Eur. J. Neurol. 2005;12:715–718. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2005.01081.x. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

4) Meinders AJ, Meinders AE. Hoeveel water moeten we eigenlijk drinken? [How much water do we really need to drink?]. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2010;154:A1757. Dutch. PMID: 20356431.