Why is Water so Important?

Aoife Reilly
Jul 20, 2016
4 min read

We all know that we should drink water, but very few people know why, when, or how much to drink. Usually, we wait until we are thirsty before drinking water, but by this time, the body can already be dehydrated.

Why Is Water so Important?

You've heard the saying "Water is Life", well, it's pretty much exactly that. Without any water at all, the human body would die in under a week. We get water from a lot of sources other than drinking it (e.g. from milk, juice, fruit, vegetables), and this can be enough to keep someone alive, but without adequate hydration from drinking water too, the cells and organs of the body are deprived of vital fluids, which can cause deterioration and damage over the longterm. This can manifest itself through fatigue, constipation, skin issues, headaches, indigestion, pains or aching of the muscles and joints, high blood pressure, and many more symptoms and health complaints.

Water is critical to many functions and systems in your body. It helps you to:

1) Maintain a healthy body weight

2) Properly digest food and absorb nutrients from food

3) Have healthy, glowing skin

4) Decrease muscle and joint inflammation

5) Have better circulation

6) Detoxify your body naturally

7) Improve energy levels

8) Maintain bowel regularity

How Much is Enough?

You may have heard the guideline of "8 glasses per day", but in truth there really is no one-size-fits-all guideline for everyone, and the 8 glasses recommendation was never backed up by any research. What is important, is to replace the amount of water lost through sweating, breathing, and all of the several bodily functions that take place every day. This will be different for everyone, and will vary from day to day, season to season, and even hour to hour, depending on whether you are working out, watching TV, or hungover!

When knowing how much water to drink, a good rule of thumb is to drink enough water to turn your urine a light-colored yellow. Here’s a handy chart to know how hydrated you are by your urine colour (from health.clevelandclinic.org). Aim for pale straw colour! First thing in the morning, it will naturally be a darker colour, which is a good time to drink hot water and lemon to start flushing out the kidneys.

Filtered water is best, as tap water can often be contaminated with a host of pollutants that increase your risk of health problems. If you fill up water bottles, make sure that you are using a bottle that is designed for multiple uses, and does not contain BPA (a harmful ingredient in plastic bottles which wreaks havoc on your hormones). The more you re-use a disposable water bottle, the more the plastic is weakened and the BPA is leached into your water. There are many reusable bottles, which have a built-in filter. These are great for combining filtration, with reuse.

When is Best to Drink Water?

First thing in the morning, your body is ready for some rehydration. Hot water and lemon can be a great option at this time (read more about that here). Having water, or a herbal tea will help to hydrate the body, rather than coffee or black tea in the morning.

Water can dilute digestive enzymes and impair digestion, so it's best to drink larger amounts of liquids (more than a small glass) between meals, up to 30 minutes before or after eating. However, it's actually very good to sip small amounts of water with your meals, as digestive enzymes are hydrolytic (activated by water), but not pints or litres.

There is conflicting research about drinking water before bed, with some studies claiming benefits for preventing heart attacks, while others denounce this with evidence that waking to go to the bathroom during the night is linked to increased risk of heart attacks! The jury is out on this, so it's probably best to err on the side of caution, and do what has always worked for you in relation to water before bed.

Caffeine and alcohol are known to dehydrate the body, and increasing water intake to counterbalance these effects, can be beneficial. Drinking water on a night out, between alcoholic drinks, can help to maintain an acceptable level of hydration.

Drinking water before, during, and after exercise, and heat treatments such as saunas and steam rooms, is extremely important for maintaining hydration. The same applies while in the sun, or hot conditions. People often forget that swimming and sunbathing on the beach can make you dehydrated too, even while surrounded by water!