It makes you smarter
Water actually helps your brain function better. A study presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in London in 2012 proved that students who brought water with them to an exam scored higher than their counterparts who didn’t have water. According to the researchers, staying hydrated improved the students’ thinking, quelled their anxiety and helped them stay calm.
It makes skin look healthy
Most of us don’t think of skin as an organ. But it is, the largest. Like all other cells, skin cells too need constant and adequate hydration to remain supple and healthy. When our bodies don’t get a sufficient amount of water, the skin gets dry and flaky. Dehydrated skin also ages faster and develops wrinkles. Being well-hydrated also prevents your skin from sagging by filling up the spaces between skin cells and keeping it from looking droopy or wrinkled.
It improves your mood
Think about it, why are beaches such popular vacation spots? Just being near a giant water body like an ocean calms our minds and relaxes our brains; after all, 85 per cent of the brain tissue is water. But there’s solid evidence too: researchers at Tufts University studied the effects of mild dehydration on college athletes and found that those who didn’t hydrate properly after exercising were more likely to feel depressed, tense, confused, angry and fatigued than the athletes who drank enough fluids. Disturbed fluid balance in the body has an immediate negative effect on the mood.
It improves your heart’s health
When the body is low on fluids, the volume of blood in it decreases. So the heart must work much harder to pump the reduced volume of blood and make sure that enough oxygen reaches each cell in the body. Due to this strain on the heart, menial everyday activities like going up the stairs and exercise becomes difficult. When we’re well-hydrated, the heart functions smoothly and physical activities become easier to perform.
It helps avoid constipation
Insufficient fluid intake is one of the most common causes of constipation. If you don’t drink enough fluids, the body tries to make up for the deficit by drawing from its internal sources – like your colon. This leads to a dry colon and hard stools that are difficult to pass. Drinking enough water ensures that the colon stays lubricated and the stools are soft and easy to pass.
It helps in having a healthy pregnancy
Dehydration during pregnancy can lead to complications such as headaches, nausea, cramps and even pre-term labour or miscarriage. Staying properly hydrated ensures that both the mother and the foetus’ liver and kidney functions are being carried out properly. Adequate hydration during pregnancy increases the volume of the mother’s blood as her body expands to accommodate the foetus. After delivery, a new mother needs to be properly hydrated to be able to produce sufficient breast milk for her baby.