Some time ago I read a book which was called "Your Body's Many Cries For Water". What was very interesting for me to learn, were the many benefits of drinking water on our general health.
Besides the other very interesting facts which stress the importance of drinking water, the author makes special reference to some common ailments that almost all of us suffer from now and then and shows that their most probable cause is dehydration. Below, I give you some examples:
Headaches and migraines
We all suffer from headaches, or even worse migraines from time to time. Some of us more and some others less severely. What you might find surprising to find out, is that more often than not, we should blame ourselves for not drinking enough water.
The medical explanation goes like this: When our brain, which is mainly composed of water (75% to be exact), senses that its water level is dangerously low, it produces histamines which cause the familiar symptoms of a headache, i.e. pain and the feeling of being tired. These symptoms intend to force us into reducing our activity level. This will in turn help preserve the minimum water level in our brain that will allow it to function without a problem.
More often than not, a big glass of pure water and a 20 minute break will work better than any pain killer medication to make our headache go away!
Sore Back
Second in my list of the benefits of drinking water comes another ailment which is one of the leading causes for loss of workdays and for the creation of a lot of distress and pain. This is none other than the back pain.
Let me elaborate on this.
As you might probably know, our backbone is made up of a number of discs. While externally these discs are made up of a hard shell, internally they are filled with water. When the level of water inside is adequate, then they provide ample support to the disc, helping it cope with the pressure exerted on them when we move our upper body.
Being flexible, our discs respond to the varying pressure exerted on them when we move our upper body, by shifting their shape. When they do this, water that stands around in our body is sucked inside the discs. As long as there is enough water around, then our discs have no problem, as they are properly filled with fluid.
The problem begins when we don't replenish our body's natural stock of water by drinking enough quantities. When the discs are shifting, then there is not enough water around them to be sucked inside, as explained above. The result is devastating: The internal fluids are gradually depleted and so the outer shell of the discs is no longer supported. Without this support, our poor discs are helpless, as the whole weight of the body is shifted on them! Pain and swelling ensues, putting us in distress and agony.
High blood pressure
The importance of drinking water is also manifested in the case of hypertension, that is the increase in pressure exerted by our blood circulatory system on the arteries.
You probably don't know this, but it has long been established that hypertension more often than not occurs when the total volume of our blood goes down. Considering now that more than 80% of our blood consists of water, then it is easy to realize that dehydration can very well lead to blood volume loss.
When the total volume of our blood decreases, then an alert is triggered in our body. What follows is that our blood circulatory system self-adjusts by guiding all blood flow to the most active organs, switching everything else off. Hypertension inevitably ensues, as a consequence of this blood redistribution.
To summarize, it goes without saying that improving your quality of life can be as simple as getting into the habit of drinking more water each and every day.
Having said the above, I can't emphasize enough the importance of making sure that the quality of water that you and your family consume at your house, is top quality. You see, it is not at all guaranteed that the water you get now is what your body should be getting. There are numerous statistics saying that both tap and bottled water maybe of questionable quality. Make sure that you thoroughly investigate your options on what actions to take to have clean, healthy water at your home.
Besides the other very interesting facts which stress the importance of drinking water, the author makes special reference to some common ailments that almost all of us suffer from now and then and shows that their most probable cause is dehydration. Below, I give you some examples:
Headaches and migraines
We all suffer from headaches, or even worse migraines from time to time. Some of us more and some others less severely. What you might find surprising to find out, is that more often than not, we should blame ourselves for not drinking enough water.
The medical explanation goes like this: When our brain, which is mainly composed of water (75% to be exact), senses that its water level is dangerously low, it produces histamines which cause the familiar symptoms of a headache, i.e. pain and the feeling of being tired. These symptoms intend to force us into reducing our activity level. This will in turn help preserve the minimum water level in our brain that will allow it to function without a problem.
More often than not, a big glass of pure water and a 20 minute break will work better than any pain killer medication to make our headache go away!
Sore Back
Second in my list of the benefits of drinking water comes another ailment which is one of the leading causes for loss of workdays and for the creation of a lot of distress and pain. This is none other than the back pain.
Let me elaborate on this.
As you might probably know, our backbone is made up of a number of discs. While externally these discs are made up of a hard shell, internally they are filled with water. When the level of water inside is adequate, then they provide ample support to the disc, helping it cope with the pressure exerted on them when we move our upper body.
Being flexible, our discs respond to the varying pressure exerted on them when we move our upper body, by shifting their shape. When they do this, water that stands around in our body is sucked inside the discs. As long as there is enough water around, then our discs have no problem, as they are properly filled with fluid.
The problem begins when we don't replenish our body's natural stock of water by drinking enough quantities. When the discs are shifting, then there is not enough water around them to be sucked inside, as explained above. The result is devastating: The internal fluids are gradually depleted and so the outer shell of the discs is no longer supported. Without this support, our poor discs are helpless, as the whole weight of the body is shifted on them! Pain and swelling ensues, putting us in distress and agony.
High blood pressure
The importance of drinking water is also manifested in the case of hypertension, that is the increase in pressure exerted by our blood circulatory system on the arteries.
You probably don't know this, but it has long been established that hypertension more often than not occurs when the total volume of our blood goes down. Considering now that more than 80% of our blood consists of water, then it is easy to realize that dehydration can very well lead to blood volume loss.
When the total volume of our blood decreases, then an alert is triggered in our body. What follows is that our blood circulatory system self-adjusts by guiding all blood flow to the most active organs, switching everything else off. Hypertension inevitably ensues, as a consequence of this blood redistribution.
To summarize, it goes without saying that improving your quality of life can be as simple as getting into the habit of drinking more water each and every day.
Having said the above, I can't emphasize enough the importance of making sure that the quality of water that you and your family consume at your house, is top quality. You see, it is not at all guaranteed that the water you get now is what your body should be getting. There are numerous statistics saying that both tap and bottled water maybe of questionable quality. Make sure that you thoroughly investigate your options on what actions to take to have clean, healthy water at your home.
About the Author:
Nicos Stylianou is a firm believer that drinking healthy, pure water is crucial to better health. Visit his nutrition guide website now to become better informed and find out what he recommends.
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