Why Drinking Enough Pure Water is Important

When we complain of being thirsty, our body is telling us that we need more water.  Water is made up of two simple ingredients: two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.  Water is an important part of our lives and while humans depend on water for survival, most people take water for granted. 

Making up approximately two-thirds of our body weight, water is essential—without it, a human could die within a few days.  Lack of enoguh water can cause or worsen headachs heartburn, sore muscles,  high blood pressure, kidney stones, and fatigue. Even a small amount of decrease in our body's water supply could trigger your body into believing it is dehydrated.  Different symptoms of dehydration create such things as a fuzzy short-term memory, difficulty focusing on smaller print, or doing basic math computations.  In fact, approximately seventy-five percent of people are in a constant state of dehydration.

In essence, the body cannot function without water—cell and organ functions are dependent on water in order to properly function.  Specifically, water acts as a lubricant helping to form saliva and the fluids that surround the joints, and regulates metabolism.  Water also helps to regulate the body's temperature through perspiration.  Another vital function is through a person's digestive system, helping to keep things regulated.

Another function of regular water intake is the daily maintenance of our bodies in helping to prevent diseases.  If a person drinks 8-10 glasses of water a day, they can help to reduce their risk of colon and bladder cancer.

By increasing your water intake decreases how hard your kidneys have to work.  Your kidney's job is to cleanse your blood.  If you are not drinking enough water, then the dirty blood is not being washed out which is what is needed in order to maintain good internal health.

Despite common practice, it is best not to drink water 10-15 minutes prior to eating a meal and to wait one to two hours after a meal before drinking water.  Implementing this practice will help to improve your digestive system by not diluting your digestive juices.  Additionally, drinking very cold water during your meal can halt digestion temporarily.  Drinking very cold water can also tell your body that you are receiving enough water even though you may not be—in essence, deadening your body's signals leading a person to not drink enough.  Therefore, drinking tepid or cool water is the best. 

Drinking alternatives to water such as coffee, tea, soft drinks or alcoholic beverages may contain unhealthy ingredients which increase your thirst, acting as a diuretic.  A lot of people prefer to the taste of these alternatives to plain water due to bad tasting water.  What may contribute to bad tasting water are things like algae, minerals, gases and organic chemicals in the water.  Regardless, it is better to drink the water than to be reliant upon water alternatives.

Drinking pure water is the best thing for you and your body.  By drinking enough water, a person will not become dehydrated or live in a state of dehydration.  Plus water acts as a detox and will flush out the impurities in our bodies, helping our cells and organs to perform better, thus allowing us to feel better.