There is nothing more refreshing in this world than a tall, ice-cold glass of water. I don’t think there is anyone alive who can deny that sometimes a simple glass of water can be more satisfying than a cup of coffee or a can of soda.
Despite this, many of us don’t drink enough water on a daily basis. By depriving ourselves of the world’s most natural resource, we are continuously damaging our bodies.
If you recognize any of the following signs in yourself, we recommend that you drink a glass of H2O immediately.
What Happens When We Don’t Drink Enough Water
You Experience Premature Aging
The amount of water our bodies retain naturally decreases as we age. Obviously what this means is that as we age, we must consciously increase our water intake.
Although premature aging is more evident on the outside, the damage it does to our insides will ultimately be felt over time.
To decrease the risk of injuring your body, it is important to continue drinking water throughout your lifetime.
You Have Digestive Problems
We talked earlier about mucus in the mouth and throat, and how staying hydrated allows the membrane to function properly.
This also applies to the entire digestive system. Without adequate hydration, the amount and strength of mucus in the stomach decrease, allowing gastric acid to cause significant damage to the stomach.
This leads to what we commonly call heartburn and indigestion.
You Experience Hunger Pangs
When you are dehydrated, your body may start to think that it needs some food. This happens during the day and at night, when you wake up a craving that midnight snack.
However, eating food creates more work for the body, whereas drinking water purifies and the organs provide the fuel it needs to go through other processes that the body goes through.
You Feel Fatigued And Lethargic
As we just mentioned, when a body is dehydrated, it “takes” water from its blood. The lack of properly hydrated blood leads to a lack of oxygen carried throughout the body.
Of course, the lack of oxygen causes drowsiness and total fatigue. Lack of stamina means you’ll start to experience that 2 pm crash earlier and earlier in your day (and remember, coffee won’t help in the long run).
You Stay Sick Longer
Drinking water allows your body to continually flush out toxins. Your organs work to filter certain waste products like a machine, but if you don’t supply water to the machine, it won’t work properly.
What ends up happening in a dehydrated body is that the organs begin to draw water from stored areas such as blood, leading to a whole new set of problems.
Your Muscle Mass Decreases
Your muscles are also made up mostly of water. Obviously, less water in the body means less muscle mass.
Drinking water before, during, and after a workout not only keeps you hydrated and comfortable, it also gets water to the right places on your body and decreases the chance of developing inflammation and soreness related to exercise and weight lifting.
You Experience Joint Pain
Our vertebral cartilage and discs are made up of approximately 80% water. This is an absolute must to prevent our bones from colliding with each other with every step we take.
By keeping your body hydrated, you ensure that your joints can absorb the impact of sudden movements, such as running, jumping, or awkwardly falling.
Your Eyes Are Dry
By now it should be clear that drinking water affects more than just the mouth and throat. Lack of water causes dry, red eyes (again, think about the last strong hangover).
Without water in the body, your tear ducts dry up. If you are thinking ‘What if I can’t cry?’ Realize that this can cause a lot more damage to your eyes, especially if you wear contact lenses on a daily basis.
You’re Reading This And Have Gotten This Far
I drink water all the time. I almost always have a glass or bottle of water by my side, whether I’m working, exercising, or cooking in front of the TV.
If you clicked on this article, you probably thought ‘Hmm, I don’t think I’m drinking enough water. So if you don’t believe it, have yourself a glass right now.
Don’t overdo it, of course, but if you’re not getting the recommended amount (which is higher than you think), there is nothing wrong with drinking more. Now if you’ll excuse me, all this typing has made me thirsty.
Based on materials from lifehack
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