Water makes up more than half of your total body weight. In fact, every function and system in your body depends on water. It flushes out toxins, aids digestion, makes up your mucous membranes and carries nutrients to cells. According to the Institute of Medicine, healthy women should drink about 9 cups of water (or fluids) a day, and men require 13 cups.
If you're not drinking enough water (you're adequately hydrated if your urine is pale yellow to clear), you're functioning below par both physically and mentally.
Drink water before meals and you'll be ahead of the weight-loss game, according to new research. Participants who drank two 8-oz. glasses of water before each meal lost about five more pounds than those who did not drink water, according to a study from the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise conducted by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. Drinking water before meals helps you feel full without adding calories, which researchers believe accounts, in part, for the weight loss.
"Many times, headaches are the direct result of dehydration," says Dr. Andersen. "So, before you take that acetaminophen, drink four, 8-oz. glasses of water." Thin blood vessels in the brain respond quickly to hydration levels. Dehydrated blood vessels can go into spasms that create headaches ranging from dull aches to full-blown migraines. Instead of treating headache symptoms with medicine, try drinking water to address the root cause.
Lack of water can dehydrate the skin, making it dry and flaky and compromising its barrier function, says Kenneth Beer, M.D., dermatologist and owner of ScientificSkin.com. "Once you've broken down the barrier function it takes very little to create a problem. People with a family history of psoriasis or eczema can easily have a flare up."
Dry skin can also cause an increased risk of bacterial infection that you would normally be able to fight off. "When your skin is dry, the mucous membrane cracks and allows bacteria to enter," says Dr. Beer. "You have to constantly stay ahead of it by drinking enough water, especially if you live in a dry environment."
"Memory and mental clarity suffer when you're dehydrated," says Sasson E. Moulavi (Dr. Sass), M.D., board certified bariatric physician and the medical director of Smart for Life Weight Management Centers in Florida. Your body is approximately 75 percent water, but the brain contains 85 percent water, making it particularly sensitive to changes in water levels, notes Dr. Sass. "Your cerebral spinal fluid is mostly water. So when you don't drink enough, your cerebral fluid decreases and you don't function as well mentally." Plus, drinking a cup of coffee to "wake up" only adds to the problem as the caffeine acts as a diuretic. Drink plenty of plain water to keep a clear head.
Keeping hydrated by drinking water helps your body fight off infection by boosting your immune system, says Dr. Andersen. "Water helps move fluid throughout the body and influences the hydration of the lymphatics, also known as our second circulatory system," says Andersen. "The lymphatics help remove toxins and dysfunctional cells out of the system, thereby cleansing the body. I call it your immunological surveillance system." Keep your immune system in optimal condition with plenty of water.
The next time you feel your energy lag during the day, down a couple glasses of water instead of reaching for that candy bar. "Drinking 8 to 12 ounces of cold water picks up your energy within a few minutes.
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