Everything from the inside of our bodies to our skin cells needs water and proper hydration. Even the commercials you see on television talk about the importance of quenching your thirst and it’s more than just making a beverage company rich. Staying hydrated inside and out goes beyond just not having dry skin or being thirsty. Learn how staying hydrated by drinking water can keep you healthy.

Hydration and the Human Body

How important is water to the human body? How about this tidbit of medical information: the human body can survive for 60 days without any food but only 10-18 days without water. How is that possible? For starters, human skin is made up of about 70% of water. With the lack of water in your system, that can lead to a lot of trouble.

Don’t be fooled by the advertisements for energy drinks and thirst quenchers, either. When it comes to staying properly hydrated, not just any liquid will do. The worst thing you can do for your body is to only consume soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and caffeinated drinks to maintain your body’s need for liquid. This only causes more harm than good, especially since most of these types of drinks can actually increase your body’s fluid loss. Water is all that is needed to keep the human organs functioning properly, lessen the chances of developing kidney stones, lubricating the joints, warding off cold and flu symptoms and preventing constipation, among a score of other health benefits.

Dehydration is a condition that occurs when the body doesn’t have enough water inside to function properly. Although there are different stages of dehydration, even the slightest amount can knock you off your feet by making you feel tired and physically exhausted. The most common signs of dehydration are excessive thirst, fatigue, dry mouth, muscle weakness, dizziness, and headache. If you begin to experience these signs, seek medical attention right away. Dehydration is so serious that is can cause death if not treated.

Hydration and the Skin

Not only does drinking plenty of water good for your body on the inside - it’s also necessary for healthy, glowing, beautiful skin. With the right levels of water in your system, this results in skin cells looking smooth, tight and firm. Water is important to the way our skin functions due to its ability to remove toxins and waste from the skin by acting as a skin purifier. Just as within the body, lack of water can also dehydrate the skin. Common symptoms of skin dehydration include tight, uncomfortable skin, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and loss of natural radiance. When this happens, the skin is no longer able to act as a barrier against the natural elements. Dull, slack, wrinkled skin is also the cosmetic results of dehydration.

In order to stay properly hydrated, doctors recommend consuming at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day, in addition to maintaining a healthy daily diet and getting hydration from foods and vegetables.

Related Articles
	Do You Drink Enough Water? Everyone knows that water is essential to life, but what many people fail to realize is that many common beauty problems can be remedied by making sure you get enough of the right kind of water each and every day. The human body is 2/3 water, and it is involved in every function of the body. Water   ...Read more		H2O To Fight Aging? Yes! It`s true. It is been scientifically researched and proven that an adequate consumption of water on a daily basis helps ward off the signs of aging, not to mention the fact that it optimizes the functioning of our muscles, joints, and digestive system, which in turn, also contributes   ...Read more