The Importance of Drinking Water
January 10, 2006 by Christina Jones
Filed under Body Care, Skin Care, Wellness
With the stomach flu passing through my household this last week (and through me, yesterday!) I thought it wise to one more time bring to the forefront the importance of drinking water. In a very coincidentally timely email I received yesterday were these facts about water and dehydration (thanks Selina!):
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
To this, I can add that proper intake of water helps flush out toxins that accumulate in your body and can cause blemishes, and keeping your body hydrated also will help combat wrinkling and keep your skin glowing and youthful!
Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day? I’m going right now for a glass to replenish what I lost yesterday. I have a lot of catching up to do today. Won’t you join me?
And don’t forget — if you’re flying, you need to hydrate even more. Drink water before during and after the flight. Eliminate (or limit) alcohol consumption on the plane, it just dehydrates you even more.
You are so right–where does all that water go anyway?? And unfortunately there isn’t much else to do on a plane but drink. But I will try to keep that dehydration thing in mind.