The importance of drinking enough water
Our bodies are between 50-65% water, and all the cells in the body, including our brain cells, depend on water to carry out essential functions. So pretty much the number one ‘go to’ for anyone looking to improve their overall health, and improve cognitive function, is to drink more water.
Since the brain is mostly water, drinking it helps in a number of ways, including improving concentration and cognition, balancing mood and emotions, maintaining memory function, increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain, and even reducing stress.
Even low levels of dehydration have been linked to significant impairment to attention, coordination and executive skills, compromising the ability to plan, organise and solve complex problems. In younger adults, dehydration typically manifests as fatigue and changes in mood, but for those in middle age, it can lead to a rapid decline in overall cognitive performance.
Drinking water helps in lots of other ways too.
With weight loss, for example, by helping people feel fuller and eat less. Research also demonstrates that drinking a large, cool glass of water, especially in the morning, will increase your metabolism by 24-30% for up to 90 minutes, helping to burn off extra calories. Drinking plenty of water also prevents fluid retention, because the body won’t try to retain water if it’s regularly getting enough.
Body fluids transport waste in and out of cells, while the kidneys and liver flush that waste and other toxins out of the body. But this process only works properly if the body is well hydrated. Sufficient hydration keeps things flowing through the gut too by helping to dissolve waste particles and pass them smoothly through the digestive tract. When dehydrated, the body pulls water from the stool to maintain hydration, leaving the colon dry and making it more difficult to pass waste.
Being adequately hydrated is also very important when exercising. Increasing fluid intake helps prevent muscle cramping and lubricates the joints. Additionally, drinking water can actually make muscles stronger. Water carries oxygen to all the cells of the body, including those of the muscles, so being well hydrated enables those muscles to work longer and harder before they feel tired, helping to improve overall strength and performance.
Depending on age, weight, health goals and hydration needs - if the weather is particularly hot there's a greater risk of dehydration - everyone should be consuming between 2 and 3 litres of water over the course of the day, at regular intervals. Our bodies can also obtain water from multiple nutritional sources, including many healthy, mineral-rich foods, so it is also possible to improve hydration by incorporating more water-rich foods into the diet such as melon, oranges, berries, lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes.