SR • July/August 2015
23
SR
What is calorie-free, virtually cost-free, and essential to keeping
you alive? Plain ol’ water. Water drives basic body performance.
All of the systems in the body require water for proper func-
tioning, as do 90 percent of all chemical reactions in the body.
Water will help you de-stress.
Sipping water throughout the
day can soothe stress-induced symptoms such as headaches,
tense muscles, fuzzy thinking, a pounding heart and low energy.
Stress taxes all your basic body systems and when you are
dehydrated, the effects are magnified. More than half your
body weight is water so just a 2 percent reduction in hydration
has a dramatic impact on energy levels and cognitive function.
Dehydration raises levels of cortisol — the “stress hormone.”
Water won’t wash your stressors away but it can provide you
with more energy, ease tension, slow breathing and reduce the
strain on your heart.
Drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before meals has been
associated with weight loss.
Water is filling, so you feel fuller
and eat less. One study found that drinking water before meals
meant that 75 fewer calories were consumed per meal. Another
factor is that often water drinkers swap this zero-calorie beverage
for sodas and other caloric beverages. When you’re well hy-
drated, your body is working closer to maximum efficiency,
enhancing aspects of weight loss, like digestion and muscle
function, when you exercise.
You’ll be less apt to be sick.
Hydration keeps your mucus
membranes in top working order. They’re gatekeepers to
the natural defense system that helps keep out germs such as
cold and flu viruses. Germs can more easily penetrate to the
nasopharynx where the nasal passages and mouth meet, when
these tissues dry out. If you catch a bug anyway, the severity of
your illness is more likely to be lower if you are well hydrated.
Water is an especially smart health move when you’re traveling.
Most commercial planes fly at elevations between thirty and
thirty-five thousand feet where humidity is ten percent or lower.
You are breathing dry air in a tight space filled with germs from
dozens of people. Water keeps your mucus membranes moist
and your defenses high even in such a challenging situation.
Drinking water whether it is ice cold or hot will keep you
warmer on a cold day and cool you off on a hot one.
Water
helps regulate body temperature. Your body’s temperature-
regulating system works less well if you’re dehydrated.
Drinking water helps regulate your blood pressure.
In 2010 the
Red Cross discovered that blood donors fainted less often when
given 16 ounces of water to drink before giving blood. Water
activates the sympathetic nervous system making you more
alert, elevating blood pressure momentarily and boosting energy.
Not drinking enough water on a regular basis can also raise
blood pressure because dehydration causes blood vessels to
constrict as the body strives to conserve water. This makes the
heart pump harder, bringing blood pressure up.
Tips to help you drink more water include:
• Start your day with a glass of water to remedy any overnight
dehydration.
• Drink one cup of water a day instead of a soda, coffee or hot
chocolate. Increase as time goes by.
• Carry a bottle of water with you to remind you to drink.
• When flying take an empty bottle to the airport and fill it
once you’ve gone through security.
• Flavor your water by dropping some fruit into a pitcher and
letting it sit a few minutes or let an herbal or flavored green
tea bag steep in unheated water to accent the taste.
• Eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day is a guideline. The
right amount for you depends on your age, activity level,
health level, medications and the weather. Follow your
thirst and know that you are on the right track if you have
straw-colored urine.
Most of us find it difficult to drink enough water. With all the
health benefits it offers, we need to make a resolution to drink
more.
(Adapted from 5 Most Surprising Reasons to Drink Water
Health News
Barb Green, Parish Nurse
Milton, WI
Surprising Reasons to Drink Water
