Reasons to Drink More Water

Experts recommend drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water a day to keep your body balanced and your health in check. However, there are a lot more reasons to drink water than just "my doctor told me so." In fact, drinking water can have a huge impact not only on specific health issues, but also on the way you look and feel.

Weight Loss

• One of the first things you should do while trying to lose weight is to replace high-calorie drinks like sodas and juices for plain water. Since a single 8 oz. glass of orange juice has about 150 calories and 33 grams of sugar, you will be saving considerable calories just by switching to water. Also, water is a great filler and an appetite suppressant, so those who drink more will feel less hungry overall, especially in between meals. Finally, thirst is sometimes confused with hunger by our bodies, prompting you to eat when in reality all you need is water. Some body processes, like protein synthesis (which builds muscle), also require water. When you're dehydrated or just not drinking enough, your body will use any water you're consuming for more important processes, such as digestion, and overlook muscle production.

Energy

• One of the major causes of fatigue and overall weakness is dehydration. Lack of water can lead to weakness, dizziness, irritability and fuzzy short-term memory. Proper hydration also helps maintain the right amount of oxygen in the blood, which in turn leads to clear thinking and better concentration.

Healthy Skin

• Because water is essential to so many processes in the body, dehydration often results in the organism using any consumed liquid for those processes, in turn taking away hydration from skin and hair. Consuming enough water will not only lead to healthy glowing skin, but also help diminish the appearance of wrinkles (by plumping skin), make skin more supple and prevents sagging skin. Drinking more water also helps flush out toxins, which often have an effect on the way your skin looks (ashy skin) and feels (rough or peeling).

Cleansing

• With more and more people attempting cleanses and fasts, water has taken a whole new meaning when it comes to keeping your body clean. Water helps flush out metabolic waste, detoxifies and prevents constipation. Those on a high-protein diet will especially benefit from drinking more water, as lots of protein result in the production of ketones and urea, which are toxic to the body. Water can also help you recuperate faster after an illness or a case of food poisoning, as it will increase the rate at which toxins are excreted from the body.

Heart Disease

• Dehydration leads to higher blood pressure, since the body needs to draw water from the blood stream to keep functioning properly. As water and oxygen in the blood are reduced, blood pressure increases and blood flow decreases. This forces the heart to work harder to pump enough blood to your organs. For those with a previous history of heart disease, this can mean added stress and an increased risk of heart attack. However, studies at Loma Linda University have shown that even healthy people are less likely to die of a heart attack if they consumed five glasses or more of water every day.