I can’t speak for everyone, but I can say that I find it almost impossible to drink my recommended 2.2 liters of water per day – especially when I’m not actively thinking about it.

But even when I am thinking about it, drinking enough water on a daily basis can honestly seem like a chore. (If only I found myself craving water as much as I craved cappuccinos… a girl can dream, right?)

I do know I’m not the only one struggling to get their daily water dosage, however. According to a recent study done in the United States, a whopping 77% of participants admitted to not drinking enough water in an average day.

Whether because you automatically reach for another beverage (perhaps out of reflex, convenience, or even out of addiction); you actually dislike water and avoid it on purpose; or you simply forget (life is busy, we get it) – there is a good chance your body needs more water. Unless your part of the perfectly hydrated 23%.

In an attempt to get you, our reader’s (and myself, who am I kidding) to drink more water, I’ve rounded up 3 fun facts about drinking water to share with you.

Enjoy!

  1. Our bodies are actually 70% made up of water! (But no, drinking less water will not help you lose weight)

It sounds crazy, but it’s true – science says so.

Our brain and heart are both around 73% composed of water, our lungs are a whopping 83% water, our skin is 64% water, both are muscles and kidneys come in at around 79% water, and get this – even our bones are made of water, 31% to be exact.

With that being said, it’s no surprise that drinking enough water is crucial to our health. Basically, without water, we would not be able to function. For example:

  • Our brain wouldn’t be able to produce hormones or neurotransmitters
  • We wouldn’t be able to form saliva
  • Our bodies cells wouldn’t be able to grow, reproduce, or survive
  • Our body wouldn’t be able to flush waste (Ie: urine)
  • Oxygen wouldn’t be able to distribute throughout our body
  • We wouldn’t be able to digest our food

As for the whole “water free” diet trend that was (is?) going around – as you can see, cutting back on your water intake is a bad idea.

Sure you may drop a few pounds in a few days, but losing water weight isn’t even actually losing weight. Your body weight typically fluctuates within a 5 pound margin on a daily basis due to water anyways, and as soon as you start drinking water again you will just regain all of that water weight.

In reality, if you are looking to lose weight, keeping sufficiently hydrated is actually very important. Drinking enough water helps to boost your metabolism, which in turns helps your body burn calories faster and at a higher rate.

You’re welcome.

  1. Drinking water won’t actually combat dry skin, but it can have positive impacts for a number of other health issues.

As we just learned, our skin is 64% made up of water. So it may sound strange when we tell you that drinking water hasn’t actually been proven to be of any real benefit to our skin.

Huh?

Yes, you read right.

You’ve probably read, seen, or been told that keeping hydrated and drinking plenty of water each day is the only trick you need to know in order to keep your skin looking young, fresh, and wrinkle free – well that’s wrong.

Any skin-related issues you run into, such as dry skin, wrinkles, rashes, acne, etc., are external issues, and should, rightfully, be treated with external remedies.

Fear not, however – your water drinking habits have not been in vain. Turns out that aside from, you know, keeping us alive, water also can help with a number of health issues – issues that affect many people on a daily basis.

For example, did you know that drinking water could help prevent arthritis? Or that it can reduce your chances of heart disease, or even cancer, by working to flush toxins from your body? It can even help prevent cavities and tooth decay!

So what are you waiting for? Drink up!

  1. Our bodies can survive up to an entire month without food – but only a week without water is enough to spell disaster.

And by disaster we mean death.

Humans cannot physically survive longer than a week, at an absolute maximum, without drinking water. In fact, even as little as 3 or 4 days without is enough to be deadly, depending on the circumstances.

There are many ways in which we lose water throughout the day, such as by sweating, urinating, and even by exhaling while we breathe. If this lost water is not replaced, we can quickly become dehydrated.

Dehydration, in turn, can lead to a number of issues, such as loss in blood volume, lowering of blood pressure, and a rise in body temperature.

The longer our bodies stay dehydrated, the more dangerous (and potentially life-threatening) these issues will become.

As you can see, drinking water is not an option.

Next time you crave that morning coffee or go to grab a soda from the fridge, think twice – have you had enough water yet today?

References

  1. https://www.culligan.com/home/solution-center/resources/drinking-water-fun-facts
  2. https://healthgist.com/is-drinking-water-over-rated/
  3. http://watersmartsystems.com/blog/fun-facts-about-drinking-water.htm
  4. https://water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html
  5. https://uamshealth.com/healthlibrary2/medicalmyths/candrinkingwatercuredryskin/

About the author

Jacqueline B

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