You have no doubt heard the drinking water “rules.” You probably know that you should drink between 8 and 10 glasses of water each day. But what are the benefits to drinking a lot of water?

What is Drinking Water?

Think back to when you were in high school chemistry class. Remember the formula for water? H2O. Two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen. Water is supposedly colorless, tasteless, and odorless. Drinking water is essential to all known forms of life, whether they are plant or animal life.

How Does The Human Body Use Drinking Water?

Every cell in the human body requires water. Put them altogether, with their load of water, and your body weight is almost two-thirds water. If you weigh 150 pounds (68 kg), about 100 pounds (45 kg) of that is water. You are mostly water, but how does your body use drinking water?

Cells use drinking water as a delivery service. Each cell is separated from its environment by a cell membrane. To do its work, the cell needs to import nutrients and export waste products. Water is the delivery service, bringing in nutrients and taking out waste. Whether you look at red and white blood cells, muscle cells, or nerve cells, they all need water. Without water, most of your cells would get clogged with waste, and starve to death for lack of nutrients.

Healthy cells, with plenty of drinking water, are kept clean and nourished. Like the clean engine of a brand new automobile, fed a perfect blend of quality gasoline (petrol), healthy cells can do exactly what they were designed to do: keep the human body humming along life’s journey.

Consider just 7 of the many benefits of drinking a lot of water.

1. Brain. Brain cells that have plenty of drinking water are able to circulate fresh, oxygen-laden blood more readily. The brain remains fresh and alert. Even a small drop in drinking water levels can make your brain’s performance level drop as much as 20 to 30 percent!

2. Muscles. Muscle cells with a ready supply of drinking water are able to work longer without tiring. Water delivers a continuing supply of oxygen to muscles. If you are exercising in warm weather, your muscle will need more drinking water every 15 minutes to remain strong.

3. Cooling system. Your body’s temperature is maintained through drinking water. The water regulates body temperature through sweat. To maintain a normal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit on hot days, or when exercising, the body sweats. Sweat cools the body, but sweat uses up water. We must have a lot of drinking water to replenish the supply.

4. Nerves. Nerve cells transmit messages to and from the brain. To do this, they must use electrolytes. Drinking water is an important way to maintain electrolytes at the proper level so that the nerves can do their work.

5. Stomach and Intestinal Tract. Our bodies use drinking water to digest food in the gastrointestinal tract. Insufficient drinking water will slow the process, resulting in constipation and other medical concerns.

6. Eye and Mouth Protection. Water keeps your eyes and mouth moist. It washes dirt and dust away from your eyes.

7. Joints. Drinking water is like oiling your body’s joints. Water lubricates the joints, keeping them flexible, and ensuring smooth motion.

One of the most important benefits to drinking a lot of water is the benefit realized in the kidneys. Urine, which is almost entirely water, removes waste products from the body. As it does so, it leaves your body. Your body must replace that water. Get too little drinking water, and toxic levels of waste build up. The body becomes ill, and eventually dies.

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