Drinking lots of water: benefits and contraindications
Nutrition plays a central role in the health of our body and mind. With it, we do not mean only the consumption of solid foods but also of liquids, which are fundamental for the well-being of the organism. "water is essential and it is certainly part of good everyday habits that of drinking a sufficient quantity to ensure the correct functioning of vital organs and more. What do we mean, however, by" drinking lots of water "? Is there a daily dose to be achieved and are there any negative effects of drinking too much? Let's find expert answers to all these questions.
How much water should you drink per day?
According to the "general rule", the amount of water that each of us should take per day would be equal to 8 glasses, or about 1.5-2 liters. However, many doctors only partially approve this "dogma", considering it limited compared to various situations. Drinking 1.5-2 liters of natural mineral water daily is certainly good for health, but there may be cases in which our body needs more.
In fact, especially in the summer, with the heat and the heat, we lose many more liquids that we have to reintroduce to keep us healthy and so the daily water requirement rises considerably. All this demonstrates that there is no pre-established quantity of water. drink, but that it varies from situation to situation. For example, it changes according to people, whether children, young people, adults or the elderly are taken into account, and the cases. In particular, an athlete may need up to 3-4 liters of water for the effort made during training.
The benefits of water for the body
After seeing how there is no single parameter of drinking lots of water, let's find out what are the benefits for the body and mind of proper hydration.
- Purification of the organism: water allows to eliminate toxins and waste from our body, promoting its health. In addition, a glass of water can help during digestion because it promotes bowel regularity and counteracts the problems associated with constipation.
- Strengthening of the immune defenses: by drinking mineral salts are introduced into the body and thus help and increase our immune defenses.
- New energies: this property is so dear to athletes who immediately feel the benefit of drinking a glass of mineral water during a workout. It allows you to recover energy, activate cell functions and reduce the sensation of fatigue and tiredness.
- An aid in weight loss: when you are on a diet, but not only, it is easy to recognize the benefits of water in slimming and in activating the metabolism. Water increases the sense of satiety, decreases appetite and allows you to burn more calories.
- Improvement of memory: it seems impossible and yet the benefits of water are also felt on the brain. In fact, drinking lots of water improves cognitive abilities and increases concentration.
- An ally for the skin: drinking lots of water allows you to have a healthy, compact and radiant skin. This happens because it regenerates the cells, preventing the formation of expression lines and eliminating accumulated toxins and bacteria.
When you don't drink enough
How do we know if we are drinking enough water or not? Even if we do not do physical activity, we expel water in various ways, through sweating, breathing and urination. It is therefore necessary to always keep the level of fluids introduced and expelled from our body stable, paying particular attention to the stimulus of thirst. There are obvious signs of dehydration that are easily recognizable. Here are the most common symptoms of drinking too little water:
- Darker urine color: we have seen how water helps to purify the body of toxins. In its absence, they accumulate mainly in the kidneys making the urine darker.
- Lack of energy and exhaustion: when a situation of dehydration occurs, our body must guarantee the vital supplies to the various organs by itself and causes a widespread sense of tiredness and fatigue.
- Deteriorating Skin Health: Dry, flaky, dull skin can be the result of dehydration.
There are people who find it difficult to drink water regularly throughout the day. To avoid cases of dehydration and take at least the minimum amount of 1.5-2 liters per day, there may be some tricks to use. For example, when you work or go out and about, always keep a bottle, flask or glass of water on hand. Having an eye on it, you will also be more enticed to drink it. In addition, many have benefited from lightly flavored waters, which are also rich in nutrients. You can make them yourself at home with lemon, ginger, mint and many other flavors.
Drinking too much water can hurt
But what not everyone knows is that there are times when water can hurt, or when you overdo the quantity. In less serious situations, symptoms such as a swollen belly, low blood pressure, a feeling of heaviness and excessive sweating occur. However, more severe cases can be found with overhydration affecting the heart and brain. In fact, the latter may not be able to control the management of fluids within our body, while the heart may have to pump blood that is too diluted, resulting in cardiological problems.
Furthermore, when you drink too much water, your kidneys are mainly affected because they are no longer able to support the disposal of excess fluids: drinking more than necessary risks high losses of sodium, which are harmful and dangerous to health.
For this reason, experts recommend relying, in the first place, on the stimulus of thirst that comes directly from our brain. When we perceive that we are thirsty it is our own organism that is warning us that it is entering "a reserve" of water and we must satisfy this need as soon as possible.
