Water - Is it Good to drink lot of water?

 Many of you may have a questions like,  

How much water should we drink in a day?  

     Is it good to drink lot of water? 

           When to drink water? 

                How to drink water?     etc…..

I will try to answer these questions for you, so that you will be in a better position to understand your water requirement and maintain good health.

These questions cannot be answered in 1 word, as we need to consider many factors under this topic. So, let us first know some of the facts about human body and water along with benefits of drinking water.

According to H.H. Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry 158, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery: 31%.

 

Benefits of Water in our body:

1. Each and every cell and organ of our body needs water to perform its function.
2. Water lubricates cartilages, joints and disks. Long term dehydration can reduce the joint’s shock absorbing ability, leading to joint pain.
3. It forms saliva which is very much required in digestive process.
4. Oxygen supply to our whole body is carried out by blood whose major portion is made up of water.
5. If you don’t drink enough water, your skin can become more vulnerable to skin disorders and premature wrinkling.
6. Water cushions the brain, spinal cord, and other sensitive tissues
7. It regulates body temperature
8. Digestive system fully depend on water intake.
9. It flushes body’s waste.
10. It prevent Kidney damage.

There are many other benefits, but I have considered few very important.

Benefits of water intake is enormous but that doesn’t mean you need to fill your body with excess water. Please note “Anything in excess is threat to health”.

Quantity of drinking water varies from person to person. It depends on age, gender, nature of work, region he lives in, food he eats, how much he sweats etc.

According to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the average recommended daily intake of water from both food and drink is:

·         For men around 3.7 litres or 125 ounces – this would be approximately 15-16 cups of water a day.

·         For women around 2.7 litres or 91 ounces – this would be approximately 10-11 cups of water a day.

It’s not mandatory to measure your water intake. Approximate intake will suffice because, rest will be compensated with food and other fluid consumption.

Why should we not drink more water?

Most of the people don’t know that excess of water can be life threatening. If a person drinks too much of water he will be overhydrated which can lead to water intoxication. “Water intoxication” is not that simple as it sounds, a person can even lose his life due to water intoxication.

1. Hyponatremia – decrease in sodium levels which is important salt for cell signalling and various other functions in the body.
2. Increased water and decreased sodium results in swelling of cells.
3. Overhydration may result in severe diarrhea and prolonged sweating.
4. Hyponatremia or low sodium in the blood can cause the brain to swell up. This, in turn, results in speech disability, disorientation, walking instability, psychosis, and even death
5. When you consume too much water, it increases the volume of blood inside your body. The increased blood volume exerts unnecessary pressure on the blood vessels and heart. It may also sometimes lead to seizures
6. Consuming too much water can put pressure on your kidneys to function constantly. Your kidneys can filter about a litre of fluid per hour from the body. Beyond that, they need to work extra hard to maintain homeostasis.
7. Frequent urination - When you drink too much water, your kidneys function constantly. As a result, you need to rush to the washroom again and again.
8. Water intoxication can lead to impaired brain function, coma and in some cases death.

 

Few suggestions related to water intake:

1. Do not keep sipping water all the time, it hampers the electrolyte balance in the body.
2. Don’t drink water during night or before the bed.
3. Please understand that clear urine is not the sign of good health, it’s actually pale yellow urine which indicate good health.
4. Frequent fatigue and nausea can also show that your water levels are high.
5. Swelling of legs, hands or lips can be the signal of water retention.
6. If you dehydrate, you feel tired and giddiness. So make sure you drink water as required.

 

Acupressure Points: Below shown acupressure points can be used only when you feel that there is water retention in the body.

(Give 5 - 10 mins of pressure to the shown points for 3 times a day)

Acupuncture Perspective:-

 

(Note: Non acupuncturist can skip this content but please use Acupressure points to avail health benefits)

 

Acupuncture is based on elemental approach for wellbeing. Water is one of the 5 elements present in our body. Our body is compared with nature which includes 5 elements called Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal/Air. It is well known that, the balance between these elements exhibits good health. Imbalance caused in these elements will cause “Disease”.  Water as an element in our body, closely corresponds with the Kidney and Urinary Bladder organs. According to Acupuncture Kidneys are directly related to Fertility, Hair, Ears & Bones.

Excess water in our body increases dampness / dampness syndromes like feeling of heaviness, swelling or water retention, distended abdomen, phlegm discharge, nodular masses, loose bowels and turbidity of fluids. Individuals with a dampness condition often have sluggish energy and easily gain weight. Dampness is one of the main reason for Qi stagnation. Stagnation leads to many symptoms and disorders.

 

The take-home message from this article is to listen to your body, be aware of your thirst and drink as much required. Understand the changes in your body and act accordingly. This helps in maintaining good health.

Disclaimer:

This article is an awareness initiative taken in public interest. Readers are advised not to use any information included herein to treat any health problems without knowing the actual health condition. This article is the combination of theoretical knowledge, patient’s feedback, self-experience and opinion. We recommend consulting a Doctor when in doubt or otherwise. We shall not be liable for any damages arising from the contents of this article.