Drinking water must be an everyday routine, but why is that? Learn how many liters you need to drink and whether too much drinking of water may lead to weight gain or cause harm.
Everyday drinking of water has positive effects on the human body, like controlling the bowel function, enhancing and building up hair growth and keeping skin healthy, for instance.
Certain organs, like the kidneys, require fluid to dissolve the elements retained – calcium and uric acid, say – and convert them into small crystals, popularly referred to as kidney stones.
In short, if a human consumes an extremely small quantity of water, he/she can end up getting kidney stones because there’s no fluid available to dissolve the retained molecules.
How important is it to drink water?
In addition to the functions mentioned above, water facilitates the transport of nutrients and vitamins throughout the body. Low consumption makes this task more difficult, preventing these substances from reaching the cells correctly, leaving them weakened.
Low consumption also affects blood density, as when we ingest the recommended amount, water starts to function as a blood pressure regulator.
Conversely, when we consume less than our optimal intake, we are at risk for developing chronic dehydration, which causes premature aging and the onset of allergic illnesses, including asthma.
Water intake helps to regulate the functions of the human body, such as purifying the organism. Drinking much water is thus claimed to help in losing weight, but it does not function in this way.
Consuming a specified quantity of water every day does not have an effect on body weight in the sense of removing fat, nor does it cause you to gain weight.
But the perfect water intake purifies the body by flushing out unwanted liquid toxins, leading to bloating that may be mistaken for loss of measurements or weight.
Even if intake does not intrinsically affect weight reduction, taking the minimum quantity of water daily may suppress appetite, which can make a difference on the scale.
You should know that drinking water daily is important for several reasons, including those already mentioned in this article, but did you know that staying hydrated can influence your concentration?
The explanation is very simple: when we do not drink water, the transport of nutrients and oxygen to the cells is compromised, therefore, we feel a drop in physical energy, but the effects do not stop there.
This faulty transport causes the blood to become denser and therefore the cells are unable to expel unnecessary waste and absorb the substances we need.
The results are signs of fatigue , lack of concentration and difficulty in reasoning, so it is worth saying that, for a productive day, we need to drink an ideal amount of water.
What are the benefits of drinking water?
After understanding a little about the importance of water in the body, check out some more benefits below:
- regulates body temperature;
- facilitates the absorption of nutrients;
- prevents diseases;
- regulates the intestine;
- combats acne, cellulite and stretch marks;
- facilitates digestion;
- reduces swelling;
- increases immunity ;
- reduces hunger;
- improves blood circulation;
- works as a natural rejuvenator;
- helps to dissolve bad substances; and
- essential for physiological processes: absorption, digestion, excretion and assimilation.
Now, you may be wondering: “How many liters of water should I drink per day to get these benefits?” The answer is, on average, two to three liters per day.
A good strategy to achieve this amount is to invest in the consumption of foods rich in water, such as watermelons, oranges, pineapple, radishes and cauliflower, for example.
What happens if you drink too much water?
Although we are aware that the consumption of water on a daily basis is very important and that not consuming it can harm our health, too much consumption of water is also harmful to us.
Those who do not consume the recommended amount of water can be afflicted with dehydration, a commonly referred-to disease. But what individuals are unaware of is that excessive water can lead to hyponatremia.
This disease occurs when excess liquid ingested dilutes a significant amount of sodium present in the human body. Low sodium levels in the blood can affect brain function and cause permanent damage to brain tissue.
We therefore emphasize that the ideal amount of sodium in the blood is 135 mEq/L (milliequivalents per liter).
Furthermore, people who suffer from heart problems, for example, tend to have a worsening of their condition, the same for those who have kidney problems.
If there is an excess of water consumption, the first symptoms of hyponatremia will be: severe headaches, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and lack of energy.
In more serious situations, convulsions, respiratory crises and a decrease in heart rate may occur.
But don’t worry! Excess water is related to people who tend to drink more than a liter per hour or athletes who do intense training , marathons and other exhausting physical activities and do not replace the amount of minerals lost.
Therefore, if you consume up to five liters per day, it’s fine, as long as it’s throughout the day, with breaks for the body to absorb and expel the water ingested.
