Health Benefits Of Drinking Water
Introduction
There is no denying the benefits of drinking water for kids. Proper hydration is crucial for the development of your children. However, you need to make sure they have access to pure drinking water. You may test your water for TDS first then find a solution on how to reduce it. At home, you may install a water filter to make sure everyone in your family is consuming potable water.
Scientifically speaking water is a universal solvent composed of two molecules of hydrogen molecules and one molecule of oxygen, existing in three states, i.e. gaseous, solid and liquid.
It is considered a fundamental element along with earth, ether, air and fire. Water is a vital element that makes up to 90% of total body weight, i.e. heart and brain composed of 73% water, lungs around 83%, the skin contains 64%, kidney about 79% and even bones are watery and comprises 31%.
For example, in your home’s, we can install a water purifier to treat the regular tap water and remove any harmful contaminants. Also, since kids spend most of their time at school, you should contact the respective authorities, so they install a commercial water purifier at school.
Apart from being free from toxins and bacteria, pure water offers tons of health benefits for your children. This is why we have put together a list of the benefits of drinking water.
So, without further ado, let’s get started:
Why is water essential to human health?
“Are you drinking enough eight ounces of water every day?”
we always hear this phrase from experts and doctors. Because water comprises a significant part in the body as a serum, saliva, urine, sweat, cerebrospinal fluid, plasma and cytoplasm.
Here are the beneficiaries of drinking enough water
1. It is Best For Your Kids’ Health
Water that doesn’t go through any treatment procedure is likely to have a lot of dissolved contaminants. This can be either a high iron content, or suspended particles, pesticides, and even bacteria.
Drinking this impure water isn’t right for you, let alone your children.
Grown adults have a more developed immune system, which can partially protect them from the ill-effects of the contaminants. However, little kids are more vulnerable, and drinking impure water can make them very sick.
As such, you must provide pure distilled water to your kids to keep them safe and healthy.
2. Better quality sleep
With the pressure of finishing homework, tension-related to upcoming exams, worry about something embarrassing they did at school, and so on, many kids suffer from mild insomnia. And let’s not forget about staring at the computer works at night for finishing school projects.
All these can make it hard to go to sleep, which will make them feel tired the following day. However, it has been shown that drinking water helps the brain produce more melatonin, which can help the kid fall asleep quickly.
Just make sure they take their last glass of water at least an hour before bedtime. Or else they will wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.
3. Good for teeth
You might have your children brushing and flossing their teeth two times a day. However, if they don’t drink pure water, then the contaminants present in the water can damage their enamel and lead to a bunch of dental issues.
So, drinking water can be one of the health benefits of good teeth.
4. Promotes a Better Stomach Health
Is your child complaining about stomach cramps or constipation? Digestive issues are common in children. We are quick to blame this on bad eating habits and point fingers to the Big Mac they ate last night. However, it can be related to drinking impure water.
Various digestive ailments like constipation, acid reflux, nausea, gastritis etc. which is a result of decreased intake of fluids. Healthy bowel movement requires proper water management to work correctly, which keeps your digestive system smooth and flexible.
As we mentioned, unfiltered water can have contaminants that can lead to an upset stomach. So make sure that your kid gets access to pure drinking water.
5. Reduces Growing Pains
You probably remember the awful feeling of suffering from growing pains. It is just a part of the normal growing process. However, is there any way to lower the pain?
Well, you should know that giving children painkillers isn’t advisable when they are suffering from growing pains. But what you can do is increase their water intake.
Research shows that drinking 8 to 10 glasses of pure water can reduce growing pain in children by up to 80%. However, drinking eight glasses of water, when it is hurting, won’t help. Make sure your kid gets enough water throughout the day to meet their daily water intake.
Maintaining normal hydration levels throughout the day will help fight the growing pains.
6. Improves Allergies and Asthma Symptoms
Does your child suffer from allergies or asthma? If yes, then it might be because they are not sufficiently hydrated.
75% of the cell volume is made up of water. So when the body is dehydrated, it can’t function properly, which can lead to illnesses like asthma and allergies during the developmental stages of the child.
There is plenty of research pointing to chronic dehydration as the cause of asthma and other chronic pulmonary disorders. So if your kid is suffering from asthma, increase their daily intake of pure water and see if that helps relieve the symptoms.
7. Drinking water helps fight acne
For most kids, their teenage years are marked by acne-prone skin. So what causes acne? Well, it is a mixture of multiple factors, but drinking adequate amounts of pure water can help reduce breakouts and lead to smoother fairer skin.
With proper hydration, your body can flush out all the toxins from your system and also keep your skin moist and healthy. So make sure your kid meets the daily recommended water intake.
But with that being said, how much water should a kid drink throughout the day?
8. Regulation of body temperature by drinking adequate water quantity
Is your son or daughter complaining about heat exhaustion while playing in the park or exercising? This might be because their bodies have become dehydrated, which can lead to decreased heat tolerance.
Average body temperature, i.e. 37.5°C or 99.5 °F, is regulated by a process called thermoregulation governed by hypothalamus present in the brain.
The body uses four heat exchange mechanisms like conduction, convection, radiation and evaporation to maintain the homeostasis.
This phenomenon regulates in removing excess body heat through the evaporation of water as sweat, and this requires proper replacements of fluids by consuming adequate volumes of water.
As such, make sure they are appropriately hydrated before they go out to play in the sun. Also, educate them about this, so they also drink plenty of water before hitting the playground during recess.
9. Water delivers oxygen throughout the body
is composed of more than 90% water, and blood comprises cells (45%) and plasma (55%) that supplies essential nutrients, Vitamins, oxygen and hormones throughout the body.
10. Water acts as a cushion in the brain, spinal cord and other delicate tissues
The brain needs water to function correctly. A mildly dehydrated child can suffer from different types of headaches, and it can tamper with their mood – making them feel more grumpy and irritated. In contrast, proper hydration can improve cognition and concentration levels. This isn’t merely the case for children, but adults as well.
However, make sure your child is getting access to pure drinking water, as unfiltered water is littered with contaminants that can lead to brain impairments like stunted growth, learning disabilities, and so on.
For example, excessive fluoride in the water can mess up the endocrine system. Too much chlorine can affect memory and lead to balance impairment. Whereas toxic elements like mercury and arsenic can have serious, and in some cases, life-threatening effects.
So the benefits of drinking water are it keeps the brain healthy.
11. Water maintains healthy skin
Adequate amounts of water every day helps your body inside out by improving blood circulation, cleansing, detoxifying and prevents your skin from being flaky, dry and tight.
Water improves complexion, reduces puffiness, wrinkles, delays aging, clear acne, and maintains pH, which helps in making your skin blemish-free while keeping you glowing.
12. It’s a good habit to take into adulthood
For example, did you know that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated? This causes many diseases and ailments, which can easily be avoided.
As such, we must impart the healthy habit of drinking water from their early childhood.
13. Water prevents kidney damage
Fact is known that our body weight comprises 60-70% of water, and it is necessary to function correctly. Our kidneys are beneficial in removing toxins and waste in the form of urine, which is possible with proper blood circulation through blood vessels. Water helps prevent kidney stones and treating Urinary tract infections (UTIs).
14. In weight loss and obesity
The Epidemic of obesity in adults is a primary concern nowadays, which causes the onset of various disorders like cardiovascular disorders, diabetes mellitus and cancer.
Drinking an adequate amount of water changes human physiology that ultimately improves blood circulation and helps in flushing out toxins out of the body. Moreover, water consumption reduces energy intake, which suppresses unhealthy eating habits.
15. Beneficial in maintaining blood pressure
The amount of water increases viscosity in the blood, which results in fluctuating blood pressure levels and hypertension.
16. Formation of saliva and mucus
Comprises 98% water including mucus, certain enzymes and electrolytes etc. which helps in the breakdown of the food we eat. Saliva prevents friction and keeps our nose, eyes and mouth moist.
How much water do you need?
Our body dodges water through urine and sweat, which needs an adequate intake of water daily. So we should compensate for lost fluids due to exercise or excess heat.
According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), males are recommended to drink at least thirteen cups (131 ounces) of water while for women nine cups (95 ounces) are adequate.
Every individual should take hints from your body like parched lips, dry lips, urge to drink water etc. and consume water according to the requirement of your body.
Water in Ayurveda
Water or “Apas” in Sanskrit is one of the Pancha Mahabhutus (Five elements) which is believed to be an element that soothes all the pain and inflammation in the body. It represents Soma (cooling quality) and helps in balancing Tridosha, i.e. Pitta, Vata and Kapha dosha. It plays an essential role in balancing Pitta dosha, supports Kapha and prevents dryness of Vata Dosha.
Qualities of water
It is conjectured that if the water is consumed between meals acts like nectar while if taken at the end of the meals is the same as poison. In Ayurvedic scriptures, it is mentioned that we should consume water either one hour after the food or half an hour before eating. Water is known to be Jeevan (life), Tarpana (satisfying), Hrudya (heart), Hlaadi (revitalizing), Bhuddiprabhodana (activating the mind) and Mrushta (pious). Water maintains Tridosha if properly consumed, the health of Dhatus (tissues) and slows down the aging process.
Drinking water stored in silver and copper vessels
To Ayurvedic principles, we should always consume water stored in Tamba (Copper) and Chandi (Silver) vessels because Tamba is packed with anti-oxidants and anti-bacterial properties that help in soothing Tridosha and boosts the healthy immune system.
On the other hand, silver (Chandi) improves digestion and imparts cooling effect in intestines because it passes property to remove free radicals from the body.
Tips for drinking water the right way
- Always sit down to drink water rather than standing because it disrupts the fluids and results in increased accumulation of fluids in joints which ultimately leads to arthritis and gout.
- Avoid gulping all the water at once instead prefer smaller sips at short intervals.
- Avoid drinking cold water which interrupts healthy digestion and metabolism.
- It’s a healthy habit to drink water first thing in the morning, which is called ‘Ushapan’ that helps getting rid of many diseases. This habit flushes out all the toxins and helps in cleansing.
Health benefits of drinking lemon water
Here are eight health benefits of drinking lemon water:
- It promotes hydration as like water
- Lemon water is a good source of vitamin C.
- It helps with maintaining digestive health.
- Lemon water acts as a detoxifying agent.
- It helps fight with the common cold.
- Lemon water helps to lose weight.
- It has anti-inflammatory property which helps in fighting different types of infections like RTI, Tonsilitis, and more.
- It helps to reduce joint and muscle pain.
Conclusion
Drinking water is the first rule of keeping your body healthy. The benefits of drinking water have shown all the possible reasons to stay hydrated.
Get in the habit of keeping a water bottle on hand at all times. If the taste begins to bore you, try adding a squeeze of lemon juice, or you can drink lemon water.
Before you know it, all the benefits of drinking water will be right at your fingertips.
