According to The Journal of Physiology, 75 per cent of your body is made up of water. Not surprisingly, dehydration will make your life exhausting because you are depriving yourself of nutrients.
And, more often than not, because thirst is a poor indicationof dehydration, we often don’t realise we’re not drinking enoughfluids until it’s a little too late.
Most people don’t realise it, but they do not have a sufficient intake of fluids during the day. While eight glasses of water per day is a reliable guide, factors such as air-conditioning, diet and physical activity levels all influence the amount of fluids one needs todrink.
Here are reasons why you should drink more water;
1. Boost Your Brainpower And Mood, And Enhance Your Performance
Losing just one to two per cent – the medical definition of mild dehydration – will affect your mood, thinking and performance. Mild dehydration decreases mathematical ability, your IQ, visual-motor function and short-term memory. Later studies also found adverse effects on perception and reaction time.
Drink Up
Don’t fight that thought to sip water frequently: Down the recommended 1.2 litres a day before thirst prevails – that’s six to eight glasses of fluids (water is best) other than booze. However, drinking more than 1½ litres of water within an hour may result in water intoxication and can be dangerous.
2. Beat Fatigue
If you consistently work out during lunchtime, being dehydrated can leave you dragging your feet instead of feeling energised.
Drink Up
Even if you’re not thirsty, drink 250ml of water every 30 minutes during your workout.
3. Get Better Skin
Although there is no hard and fastevidence that drinking excessive water directly correlates to better skin, in a US study, Bbut when skin is dehydrated, fine wrinkles certainly seem to show up a bit more. So when skin cells are plumped up, your skin simply looks better.
Drink Up
A 2007 study on the effects of hydration on the skin reports thatdrinking about two cups of watercan increase blood flow to the skin.
4. Build Bigger Muscles
Warning: Dehydration saps testosterone. Scientists found thatmen who were dehydrated prior to a workout had lower T-levels, compared to when they had consumed plenty of water beforehand.
At least four hours before you lift weights, consume about 3ml of water per 0.45kg of body weight. Water is the best choice, but otherbeverages can help keep you hydrated, too.
5. Lose Weight
Scientists found that drinking water in the morning can boost your metabolism by as much as 24 per cent for 90 minutes afterwards. Moreover, water acts as an appetite suppressant and helps your body metabolise fat. When you’re dehydrated, your kidneys can’t function properly, sothe load is shifted to your liver. This organ converts stored fat to energy, but won’t be able to do this job efficiently if it has to pick up the slack from your kidneys, which get overworked when you’re dehydrated.
Drink Up
To rev up your metabolism, drink at least 450ml of water the moment you wake up. (A smaller amount had no effect.) And to increase the weight loss effect of water, guzzle at least a gallon overthe course of a day.
6. Fight Erectile Dysfunction
The importance of blood volume –the amount of blood (both red blood cells and plasma) circulatingin our bodies, which is directly correlated to the amount of fluids we consume – is overlooked in cases of erectile dysfunction.
More studies are being carried out to establish the relationship between erectile dysfunction and water. But several experts say it’s considered one of the best natural remedies available, as it can boost the body’s circulation levels, as well as flush toxins and cholesterol out of the body.