The Skinny:
How important is water? Well, in the most basic life and death equation, a person can survive up to six weeks without food, but only one week without water. Of course, it is not recommended to go even six days without water. In fact, it’s no secret that people need to stay well-hydrated on a daily basis. Why is it important and how much water is needed to keep people functioning? Read on.
The Slate:
Transport System
Water keeps everything—oxygen, nutrients and wastes—moving along. The digestive system, for example, needs water to break down nutrients into water-soluble forms and transport food along the alimentary canal from ingestion to excretion. And everything the body excretes needs water to help the process along. Water also constitutes a whopping 92 percent of human blood, which carries nutrients from the digestive system and oxygen from the lungs to cells. Blood also removes carbon dioxide and other metabolic products.
Healing Powers
Water is needed to promote immune systems and keep the first line of defense – skin and mucus membrane barriers—against infections and allergies in good shape. Proper hydration also assists internal systems that contribute to disease resistance, including gut, circulatory, lymphatic and kidney processes. If that’s not enough, it also helps to assure optimal recovery from illness by reducing inflammation and promoting efficient removal of toxins.
Body Temps
Strong hydration helps maintain the narrow range of body temperatures needed for survival. It does this by distributing heat throughout the body’s liquid components, while also supporting heat-creating metabolic actions needed to release energy from food. Obviously, water is also necessary for perspiration, the most effective way to prevent overheating.
Strong Lubricant
Cartilage, the strong, flexible tissue covering the ends of bones, is 65 to 80 percent water. Adequate hydration helps it maintain the resilient sponginess needed to keep bones from rubbing together. Water via synovial fluid also helps lubricate and cushion joints. This makes good hydration especially important for people with osteoarthritis and gout.
Mind Medicine
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration warns that dehydration can lead to work problems that result from poor concentration, inattentiveness, longer reaction time, impaired short- and long-term memory, decreased ability to perform simple mental arithmetic, loss of accuracy during complex tasks and deficits in concept learning. On the flip side, proper hydration restores normal functioning and calms people.
Sound Sleep
If you don’t stay hydrated, the Sleep Foundation warns lousy nights’ sleep could be a regular occurrence. Headaches, muscle cramps and dry nose and mouth can all be the outshoots of not drinking enough water. Of course, drink too much and too many nighttime bathroom trips could be in the offing as well.
Kind to Kidneys
Water helps prevent kidney stones and slows the progress of kidney disease. Of course, it can be counterproductive to drink too much water.
What’s Needed
How much water a person needs daily varies depending on activity, and environmental and physical factors. Generally, adult males should be taking in about 16 cups of water each day to maintain their average body water content at 60 percent. Women’s body water content should be 55 percent, which means they need 11 cups daily. Electrolyte-rich fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea and soup can offset the need for some of this water.
Eyes Up:
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