If you want to live longer and healthier, here's one simple advice: drink enough water.
A recent study based on large-scale and longitudinal health data says as much. It affirms previous research showing the importance of staying properly hydrated.
Water is essential for vital processes like regulating body temperature, digestion, circulation, and nutrient absorption.
Study methodology
Research results found that adults who stay well-hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions, such as heart and lung disease, and live longer than those who may not get sufficient fluids.
Findings in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) study, published in the journal eBioMedicine, used health data gathered from 11,255 adults over a 30-year period.
60 %
per centage of water in a typical human body, by weightScientists analysed links between serum sodium levels – which go up when fluid intake goes down – and various indicators of health.
What they found was startling: adults with serum sodium levels at the higher end of a normal range were more likely to develop chronic conditions and show signs of advanced biological aging than those with serum sodium levels in the medium ranges.
Early death
Adults with higher levels were also more likely to die at a younger age.
It turns our proper hydration helps ensure your key bodily functions operate smoothly. Needless to say, it's a necessity to live a normal life and for long-term health.
In fact, if you are so depleted from water that your brain isn’t working well, you lose your attention span. Your memory starts to go. And although water can be found in food, generally water in food is not enough to satisfy your hydration requirements.
The NIH study may also provide early clues about increased risks for advanced biological aging and premature death.
In chemistry, hydration is the process of combining a substance chemically with water molecules.
Proper hydration plays a key role in many of our body's functions, including bringing nutrients to cells, getting rid of wastes, protecting joints and organs, and maintaining body temperature.
Good news, bad news
That is why you had better drink water regularly in order to maintain the right level of hydration.
Here’s the good news: as long as your body is properly hydrated, so too will be the brain.
Proper hydration has numerous benefits: it maintains bodily functions, water flushes out toxins and keeps your kidneys working. More important: it keeps your mind sharp.
Simple ways to check if you're dehydrated
How to check if you’re properly hydrated? There’s lots of handy ways to check.
One simple indication of how much water you are consuming is by looking at the color of your urine.
You don't need a high-quality gadget to measure this.
A tidy method to gauge your how well-hydrated body is when your pee is clear or light yellow, it signifies that you are well-hydrated, whereas dark yellow or brownish means more water is needed.
In fact, when you’re feeling thirsty it’s already a sign that you’re a bit dehydrated.
• If you weigh 150 pounds (68 kg), 90 pounds (40 kg) of you is water. This equates to about 11 gallons or 22 litres of liquid.
• You lose about half of that daily through urine, stool, sweat, and even evaporation from your skin and breath.
• Drinking water is the easiest way to replenish these lost fluid.
How much water do you need to drink on a normal day?
Adults
Men: Approximately 3.7 liters (125 ounces or about 13 cups) of total water from all beverages and foods.
Women: Approximately 2.7 liters (91 ounces or about 9 cups) of total water from all beverages and foods .
Children
Depending on their age, activity level, and climate, here are the general daily water intake recommendations for children:
1–3 years old: Approximately 1.3 liters (about 5 cups) of total water per day.
4–8 years old: Approximately 1.7 liters (about 7 cups) of total water per day.
9–13 years old:
Boys: 2.4 liters (about 10 cups) of total water per day.
Girls: 2.1 liters (about 9 cups) of total water per day.
14–18 years old:
Boys: 3.3 liters (about 14 cups) of total water per day.
Girls: 2.3 liters (about 10 cups) of total water per day.
This recommendation considers total water intake, including fluids from food (e.g., fruits, vegetables) and beverages. About 20% of daily water intake typically comes from food, while the remaining 80% is from drinks .
These guidelines align with general hydration needs but may change depending on factors such as climate, activity level, and overall health. For example, increased physical activity, hot or humid weather, or certain health conditions may require higher water intake.
[Sources: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2004). "Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate"; Popkin, B. M., D'Anci, K. E., & Rosenberg, I. H. (2010). Water, Hydration, and Health, Nutrition Reviews.]
5 ways drinking enough water helps you
Maintains bodily functions: Water is essential for vital processes like regulating body temperature, digestion, circulation, and nutrient absorption. Proper hydration ensures these functions operate smoothly.
Supports physical performance: Staying hydrated helps maintain energy levels, muscle function, and endurance during physical activities. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, muscle cramps, and decreased performance.
Boosts cognitive function: Adequate hydration improves concentration, alertness, and memory. Even mild dehydration can negatively impact mood, mental clarity, and cognitive abilities.
Promotes healthy skin: Water helps keep skin hydrated, improving elasticity and appearance. It flushes out toxins, which contributes to clearer, healthier skin.
Aids in digestion and detoxification: Hydration is essential for proper digestion, preventing constipation, and supporting kidney function. It helps flush out waste products and toxins from the body, promoting overall health.
• Drinking also water helps lower your appetite: Before a meal, drink water. This can help with weight loss. When you drink water, it stretches the walls of your tummy. It activates stretch receptors.
• These receptors send signals to your brain to reduce appetite. This simple trick can help you eat less and consume fewer calories.
• Drinking half a glass of water before a meal and eating slowly can help you control your appetite and pace.
• Always make sure the water you drink is potable (safe to drink).
• Drinking contaminated water, especially with bacteria like E. coli, can make you very sick. E. coli comes from feces and contaminated water, and drinking it can lead to diarrhea, which causes a loss of water.
• If you're traveling in areas where water isn't safe to drink, it's crucial to ensure you have a way to stay hydrated with clean water.
• There are kits available to filter and purify water, making it safe to drink again.
• Another common thing people do is drink from plastic water bottles. Experts recommend avoiding plastic bottles because they shed microplastics into the water.
Effects of water deprivation
Drinking water regularly is actually very important. Water deprivation can cause your brain to stop working well, you lose your attention span, your memory starts to go.
If you’e depleted from water, your blood starts to get thick as well because you don't have enough water in your bloodstream.
This is a dangerous situation: blood clots can form when the blood is too thick.
If that happens in your brain, it can lead to real brain damage, like a stroke.
There's a big continuum between being well-hydrated and not paying enough attention to hydration.
It’s absolutely key for your health to stay hydrated, not only for your kidneys but for your brain as well.
If you want to keep your mind sharp, maintain a good attention span, have a good memory, and live a long, healthy life, staying hydrated is crucial.
