Most people only drink water when they feel thirsty or while eating. But do you know that thirst is the first sign that your body is already dehydrated? When this happens, your system may not function as it should be.
The human body is made of 70% water. Body composition varies according to gender, age, and health condition such that overweight people have less water as a percentage over leaner ones. Water is so vital that you can survive without water for only 3 days, after which your internal organs begin to shut down, especially the brain, which could lead to lethal consequences.
And since the body is made up of 70% water, it is imperative to stay hydrated at all times. Just imagine if your body is deprived of hydration; your organs won’t be able to function properly, and worse, fail.
Read on and find out about the benefits of drinking water and how it moves in and out of your system.
How Fast is Water Absorbed?
Only 20% of the water that you drink actually makes it through the entire process to the bladder. Along the way, water will be absorbed to perform other necessary tasks like lubricating organs, removing wastes, regulating body temperature, and aiding nutrient absorption.
Water and other fluids follow the same journey as other foods, but unlike solid foods, water is absorbed rather than digested. Depending on the time you took it and with what you took it with, water is absorbed in your system and circulated throughout the body from as fast as 5 minutes to 2 hours.
When you drink water on an empty stomach, water passes through the stomach directly to the large intestines and starts to be absorbed in the bloodstream in 5 minutes. Water consumed during or after meals can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours before it can be fully-absorbed into the bloodstream.
However, drinking water with meals has its benefits too. When consumed with meals, water aids in digestion and makes you feel full faster.
How Does Water Leave the Body?
Once your body absorbs water, it moves up and around your system until it leaves your body as waste. So how does water actually leave your body? Well, the body eliminates waste water after it has been consumed in three ways:
Urine. Our kidney is one filtration machine that filters our toxins in our system. After it has processed the water in your system, it eliminates waste water through urine.
Sweat. When your body needs to control its temperature, water exits your body in the form of sweat. This explains why people who live in tropical regions or simply those who have more active lifestyles sweat more.
Stool. Proper hydration is a vital key to smooth bowel movement. Your poop should contain enough water to make it heavy enough to exit your body. Water also acts as lubricant to smoothly eliminate your poop. Dehydration can lead to constipation and irregular bowel movement.
Make Sure You Keep Yourself Hydrated
You may not be able to meet your water intake goal just by drinking when you’re thirsty and with your meals. If you need some extra help consuming enough water, check out these tips for drinking more:
As essential as water is to your system in lubricating and transporting nutrients and oxygen to your cells, you should also be mindful of the quality of water you drink. It is not enough that you drink from any water source. Water from your tap has passed through municipal water facilities and treated with disinfecting chemicals before it is distributed to households. However, traces of these chemicals may still be present and consumption over can be harmful to your health.
A simple solution is to install a home water filtration system. You may opt for the complicated and bulky under-sink or counter-top filters or get an easy-to-install faucet water filter like SJ Wave. This small contraption adds class to your kitchen sink yet is able to filter chlorine, traces of hard metals, and other contaminants that are harmful to your health while leaving the beneficial nutrients.
So make sure that the water that enters your system is clean, pure, and healthy. Because drinking unsafe water is like feeding your system with junk water.