Harper College/Student Success/Self Care/Hydration

Jesus Gonzalez

Do you know why drinking water is very important? It is very important because it helps with a lot of things like it helps you to fight off illness, helps improve your mood, it is very bad if you get dehydrated for a long time. Also, it is bad to overhydration.

Drinking water helps you fight off illness because water oxygenates your blood and flushes out harmful toxins from your immune system. Also, it helps fight off illness because if you do not drink enough water when you are sick then you will get dehydrated when you will stay sick for more time, that is why when you go to the doctor they always tell you to drink a lot of water. Another reason why it help fight off illness is because your body is mostly made of water, so if you drink enough water your body will work at the 100%, when you are sick. Also, in some people when you get dehydrated your body will give you a headaches and that is your body telling you to drink more water fast, and as soon as you drink water the headaches will be gone. I used to not drink a lot, i porbality just drink what i need to survive, i did not know a lot of what the water does to your body and in my family i was probably the most likely to get sick because I did not drink the water I needs to fight off illness but this year I started to drink more water and i have not gotten sick yet. So in my own life i know that water does a lot of things to your body and you do not even know what the effects are.Also, if you drink enough water your body will flush out all the toxins and that is good because your kidneys is a natural filter waste for your body. But when you drink enough water your kidneys will not works the same, it will leave toxins pass through the filter. Also, Medical experts believe that hydration can help to prevent joint diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, and that is true because water reduces inflammation.

When you drink enough water your mood will get better. It will improve because your body is getting all the oxygen, and when your body is getting all the oxygen it needs then you get a better attitude and mood. Also, When you drink water you will not get stress out more then you will be when you do not drink water. Another reason to drink water is good for you, is because you will do everything better like when you need to do a paper or a project for class, if you do not drink enough water, you will not know how to start your paper or project but if you drink water before you do your work then it will be easier to do it. Also, it increase energy levels, “low-intensity exercise reduced fatigue by as much as 65% and increased energy by 20%. Combined with proper hydration, energy levels can significantly rise with even just a little effort.” So in other words this is saying that if you do low work you will feel less tired and will get more energy for the whole day. That is why a lot of people recommend to drink water before your workout and after the workout. And that is not only if you work out you should drink water as soon as you wake up so all day you will have more energy and before you go to sleep.

It is very bad if you get dehydrated for a long time or a lot of time. Some side effect of getting dehydrated for a short term is dizziness, headaches, dry mouth, and cool skin. When not addressed in the early stages but for a long time of dehydrated is “High blood pressure is also common in people who are chronically dehydrated. When the body’s cells are devoid of water, the brain sends a signal to the pituitary gland to secrete vasopressin. which in turn causes blood pressure to rise. Chronic elevations in blood pressure can eventually lead to heart failure. As blood vessels narrow, oxygen and blood supply to the brain are also put in jeopardy resulting in migraines and significant dips in concentration”. And to avoid this you need to drink at least 6-8 water cups everyday and if you work out you will need to drink more to gain back the water you lost. And if you work out you will get dehydrated faster, and when you get dehydrated there is an increase likelihood that you will get injury.

It is also to over drink water, it can be dangerous or fatal to over drink water. To over drink water it can be fatal because if your body salt and electrolytes drop to quick you body does not know what to do and you will die, but that is rare. Their is two main types of overhydration. First type of overhydration is when you drink too much water and your kidneys can not remove it all when you urine and when that happens their is going to be a lot of water in your bloodstream. That second type is when your body can not get rid of the water in a properly way. Both ways cause your body to throw off balance between water and sodium in your blood. To prevent overhydration is to only drink 2 to 4 cups of fluid per hour but do not force our body to drink when you get full of water at that time. Last, all your life you will need to drink water to survive, so you need to drink the most water you can so you can not get sick, have a better mood and not get dehydrated and not get at risk of dying just because you did not drink water but, Also remember to not drink more water then your body needs.

Reference:

How Dehydration Affects Your Body Composition. (2018, July 13). Retrieved from http://www.whitefishwave.com/2018/07/how-dehydration-affects-your-body-composition/

Top 7 Reasons to Stay Hydrated. (2018, July 18). Retrieved from https://www.gardenoflife.com/content/top-7-reasons-stay-hydrated/

Why Is Drinking Water Important? 6 Reasons to Stay Hydrated. (2018, December 22). Retrieved from https://universityhealthnews.com/daily/nutrition/why-is-drinking-water-important-6-reasons-to-stay-hydrated/