Did you know that an average male is composed of 60 percent water and an average female is composed of 58 percent water? Depending on your fitness level, your body will have different levels: If you’re overweight (too many doughnuts and not enough broccoli) your body will have a higher water level; if you’re fit, your body will have about the average level. We lose at about approximately 10-15 cups of water per day. We lose it from urine, breathing, sweating, bowel movements; we even lose 1-2 liters from just breathing!
How can lack of water affect my well-being?
Believe it or not a lack of hydration from a natural element, like water, can affect our bodies and our minds. Do you find yourself feeling unfocused? Do you feel that you get fatigued easily during the day? Do you feel dazed and confused when doing a simple task?
Do you feel like the world is coming to an end, and that the only way you can feel relieved is by testifying your undying love and loyalty to the natural gods of the Earth? Yes, no? Maybe this is just me… Well, if you answered yes to the majority of these, then chances are that you are lacking some water. So, Drink up.
Water lubricates our body and brain. Speaking of the brain: Did you know that our brain is made out of 85 percent water?
Research studies have found that when your brain depletes 1 percent of water, you’ll likely to have a 5 percent decrease in cognitive/brain function; and for some, this is a lot.
Can you imagine depleting your brain of its natural composition? What is even scarier is that sometimes, we substitute water with soda, coffee, and with other artificial drinks. Water is an essential nutrient that our bodies naturally crave. When we start substituting something as simple as water for a sugar filled high fructose drink, or a caffeinated beverage, then our bodies and brain will start reacting to this change. Resulting in other health problems caused by the other additives that were in your drink. In fact, some drinks like carbonated soda makes you even more thirsty - that’s why you keep coming back for refills to your local gas station or mini-mart.
Other symptoms of lack of water:
Fatigue
Memory problems
Low and high blood pressure
Digestive problems (lack of water will increase the acid levels in your stomach resulting to ulcers, and other digestive related problems).
Constipation
Early signs of aging
What’s my point?
I think that it is easy for us to forget the fact that our bodies and our brains need water, and we don’t put priority on fueling ourselves with this natural element so that we can perform better in our jobs. Think about it when you’re driving. You need to be focused on the road and a decrease of about 5 percent of your cognitive function can lead to errors and accidents. Water is good for you. Resist the urge to substitute water with sugary, artificial drinks and you'll see a difference in your mental acuity and also in your health.