5 Surprising Benefits of Hydration You Need to Know
We’re all told that we should be drinking eight glasses of water per day to maintain optimal health, but you don’t really hear many specific reasons why. There are some hidden bonuses that come with proper hydration, which can affect your mental and physical health. Let’s take a look at seven of the more surprising benefits of hydration you need to know about. Hearing these may cause you to start sipping on more water every day.
Better Mood
Did you know water can greatly improve your overall mood? Being dehydrated can leave you sluggish, unfocused, and cranky. When you’re properly hydrated it regulates your body temperature, increases your body’s ability to produce serotonin, and decreases the stress hormones throughout your body.
Skin
Our skin needs love and attention just like the rest of our organs. There are tons of skincare products out there to keep our skin looking and feeling fantastic, but true skin hydration starts from within. Staying hydrated keeps your skin healthy and glowing. Drinking plenty of water helps to balance the oil and water that coats your skin and improves your skin’s collagen production, lessening the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
Hair
Water does wonders for the rest of your body. Can it improve the health of your hair as well? Indeed it can. Hydration is responsible for promoting healthy hair growth, preventing split ends, and keeping your scalp health in check. A healthy scalp means even healthier hair follicles, less dandruff, and less skin irritation beneath the hair. Drink your 2-3 liters of water a day and you’ll be on your way to luscious locks in no time.
Sleep
Quality sleep is yet another benefit of staying properly hydrated. Dehydration interrupts your body’s ability to produce melatonin properly and generally makes you feel unwell. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day keeps you hydrated throughout the entire day, as well as regulating your body temperature. Both of which will help you feel more comfortable and sleepy when it’s time for bed.
Prevents UTIs
Proper hydration is crucial to your kidney health and helps to keep painful UTIs at bay. Dehydration decreases the number of times you use the restroom to dispel waste through your urine. This leaves more time for UTIs causing bacteria to grow and flourish, as well as a buildup of waste. Drinking plenty of water will increase your trips to the restroom and flush out bad bacteria more frequently, preventing a nasty buildup that can lead to infection.
Digestion
Just like hydration, your gut health affects many aspects of your health and well-being. How are the two linked? Drinking water helps break down the food in your stomach and makes it far easier to digest. It allows your body to absorb more nutrients from the food you’re eating. Hydration also ensures a much more comfortable journey for the food as it turns into waste and passes through your system.
Heart Health
As you know, dehydration is a very dangerous thing. Just how dangerous is it? This may surprise you. Long-term dehydration is linked to a greater risk of heart failure. When your body lacks proper hydration, your heart works harder to pump and circulate blood throughout your entire body. Due to this, your heart rate can increase, or even become irregular. Leaving you fatigued and anxious. Staying hydrated alleviates these problems and allows your heart to function as it should.
