Water – the lifeline of all Life on Earth
Since time immemorial, humans have considered water as a gift from the gods as it rained down from the clouds. It is a universal fact that you can’t live without water, it is more important than even food, as even the plants and animals need water to survive. Do you know that you can survive without eating food for up to a month, but only for up to 1 week without water!
About 60% of our body weight comprises of water, which should explain the utter importance of this amazing chemical compound to us. Okay, facts aside, the point is, regularly drinking adequate water should be an involuntary behavior of yours. There are a lot of benefits of water for us. Just by drinking water regularly you can stay fit, healthy, young and vibrant all your life.
There is no comprehensively accepted quantity of water that you should drink in a day. It differs for genders, age, physical activity in a day, and the seasons too. For e.g. in the winter season, you will require less water to drink as compared to the summer season when you perspire heavily under the raging hot sun. People who work in air conditioner rooms will require less water as compared to those who do physical work all day outside as the former lose less water from their bodies than the latter.
Some of the intrinsic functions of water in our bodies are as follows:
- Crucial for softening, dissolving and softening the food we eat.
- Water is the base of many body fluids like saliva, blood etc.
- It keeps our skin hydrated and smooth, wrinkle-free.
- It works as a delivery vehicle which takes the nutrients to cells and removes waste from them.
- Bowel movements are normal because of water and constipation is avoided.
- It helps regulate our body temperature.
- Makes fluids which surround our joints.
As mentioned above, ideally we will be able to live about 2-3 days and maximum for 7 days without water. When water levels start to deplete in us, the condition is called as ‘dehydration’. Just this one condition can give rise to many issues in us. Without water, the cells in our body will cease to function properly. Some of the symptoms of dehydration are dry mouth and throat, headache, dizziness, less concentration, fatigue, slow response to situations, mood changes etc.
If you continue living further than that without water then you are bound to get serious health issues like the urinary tract infection, constipation etc. A prolonged habit of drinking very less water, only barely to survive can lead to kidney stones. Thus, it is very important to have a good and regular habit to drink water at regular intervals of the day.
One way to find out if you are drinking adequate water is to check the color of your urine. It should ideally be whitish transparent. If it is yellowish, and the more yellow it is, the less water you are drinking than your needs. So, be aware of that and dial up your water intake accordingly.
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