Hydration: Meaning and Importance of Good Hydration
In our day to day life, our body loses large amounts of water depending on the weather. Replenishing the lost water is vital to ensure that your body can carry out its normal functions.
What is the Meaning of Hydration?
Hydration can be defined as the drinking of water to replenish the lost water from the body. Human beings and animals lose water through sweat, urine among other ways.
Hydration is when we have enough water in our bodies. Our bodies are made up of 70% water, and we use water for many of our vital bodily functions, so it is very important to stay hydrated.
The word ‘hydration’ comes from the Greek word for ‘water’: ‘hudor’. So really this concept is just very simple: it’s all about water and how much of it is in our bodies. If we do not have enough water, we are said to be dehydrated.
What is Good Hydration?
Good Hydration refers to the right amount of hydration that is just enough for maintaining good health. It refer to a condition when the body is neither under-hydrated nor over-hydrated. It is extremely important to maintain proper hydration for good health.
As well as drinking water, we can hydrate ourselves by drinking juice, herbal teas and by eating water packed fruits like melon. However some drinks – and especially those containing caffeine or alcohol – can dehydrate us.
Importance of Good Hydration
Please find below the important reasons to ensure that your body stays hydrated.
- Helps replenish the lost amount of water. Hydration plays an important role in ensuring that the normal amount of water required by the body is maintained.
- Concentration and mood. Hydration is important for brain function, too. If we do not stay hydrated, we start to get headaches and to feel irritable and low. In fact, the headaches that come with a hangover after drinking alcohol are due in large part to dehydration.
- Good hydration helps in weight loss. Water assists in the burning of calories meaning that it promotes in losing some weight.
- Transporting nutrients around the body. Our kidneys and digestive system require water to move nutrients around the body so that they can be absorbed by the tissues that need them most. Hydration ensures that they can do this.
- Helps to maintain normal body functions. For the body to carry out normal functions, water is a necessity.
- Chemical reactions that support the digestive functions. For digestion to take place, the body requires water. Water, or H2O to give it its chemical formula, is used in many of the body’s chemical reactions. For instance, it is used to break down the lipids (fats) in our body so that they can be digested easily. When water is available in plenty there is easy food digestion.
- It’s a source of important minerals. Taking enough amount of water helps in intake of the essential minerals that the body requires.
- Helps with lubrication. Water is an important requirement in lubricating the body joints.
- Regulating body temperature. Our bodies use water to keep our body temperature regular. This process is known as homeostasis. We see this principle at work when we sweat on hot days, for instance.
- Helps with nutrient absorption. For the body to absorb the nutrient, they must dissolve in body fluids. The body fluids require water to exist.
- Helps to maintain a healthy skin. The Skin requires water in order to maintain its healthy nature. If you are not well hydrated, the skin will dry up and may crack causing skin diseases.
- Boost mental performance. When you have taken enough amount of water, it is easy for you concentrate and stay focused.
- It’s an ingredient for a healthy heart. Water is vital for the heart functioning that will boost the healthy heart.
- Getting rid of waste. The body excrete waste products that it does not need into the urine, which is then passed out of the body. Hydration ensures that we have all the fluids that we need to get this done. By dissolving harmful toxins such as urea into the water of the urine and then getting rid of them in this way helps to stop waste products from building up in the body and making us sick.
- Helps to boost body performance. Good hydration helps improve the performance of the body. It plays a vital role in ensuring the performance is optimized.
- Helps to prevent heat injuries. For people who spend time in hot places or exercising, hydration helps to prevent heat injury due to body temperature rise.
- Keeping our cells alive. Our body tissues and organs (everything from muscle to skin) are made up of cells. These cells need water in order to function. Water is vital for cell multiplication hence it important for body growth of human beings.
- Helps in maintaining normal body metabolism. For the body to carry normal metabolic reaction, water must be in plenty.
- Keeping membranes working. The eyes, nose and mouth contain delicate membranes that need to be kept moist to keep working. Imagine trying to eat if you had no saliva, for instance, or trying to blink without any lubrication between your eyelid and your eye!
- Helps in preventing headaches. When the body is dehydrated, there is it results in severe headache that make you uncomfortable.
- Regulation of the amount of salt in the body. If the amount of salt in the body is high, it’s taken out through sweat or urine hence maintaining a healthy salt level
- It helps to maintain the body fluids. Without water, there would be no body fluids. When you are hydrated, the normal level of body fluids is maintained.
- Prevents fatigue. When one is dehydrated, it’s normal to feel tired. This can be dealt with by hydrating your body.
- Helps in maintaining body organs shape. The body is largely made up of water. Hydration helps in ensuring that the shapes of the organs are retained.
- Helps in maintaining general body healthy. Experts recommend intake of water for your body’s health.
With all the above benefits, it’s advisable to ensure that you take enough amount of water for your health. Water is life and without it, your body will not be able to protect itself from diseases.
Conclusion.
Working on the principle of ‘sound body, sound mind’, there is no denying that water is absolutely vital for both our bodily and our cognitive function. We need to make sure that we stay hydrated at all times, otherwise our body temperature regulation systems, our digestion and our mood will all suffer.
It is recommended that adults drink around 8 glasses of water every day. You can make this more exciting by adding flavors like mint and lemon juice to your water, or by drinking cordials, juices and herbal teas. If the weather is very hot or if you have been exerting yourself, you should drink a little more to replace the fluids you have lost through sweat.
