Health officials, medical reports and news media often recommend that you drink eight to twelve glasses of water a day. According to some experts, even that suggested daily water intake should be even higher. However, no matter the amount, the specific reasons why you need to drink water (and so much of it) are missing when the daily-recommended water dosages are given.
To give you a better understanding of the health benefits of drinking water and suggested daily water intake, this article provides you ten reasons to drink water. Now when someone asks, “Why do you drink so much water?” you can say something besides, “Because water is healthy for you.”
Four Quick Notes About Water
- Your bodyweight is comprised of 65% water.
- Your muscles are 75% water.
- Your brain is 85% water.
- Your bones are 22% water.
Everybody is not exactly the same. These figures above are approximate. 
Keep reading to learn the 10 reasons to drink water. Knowledge is a key to power. The more you know about your body, what your body wants and needs, the more empowered you become to make better choices.
1. Water is Good for Your Brain
About 80% to 90% of your brain is made of water. This means percentage wise your brain contains more water than any other part of your body. Some reports suggest that dehydration is an important factor in causing headaches, migraines, and even depression. You (and your brain) benefit from drinking water because adequate hydration helps with proper brain functionality.
2. Water is Good for Your Skin
Water helps to moisturize your skin from the inside. Drinking water improves your skin by promoting better blood flow. The healthy increase of circulation helps to flush out toxins and unhealthy buildup in your pores that can cause acne. In addition, drinking water helps blemishes to heal faster.
3. Water Helps You Fight Sickness
Sickness can enter into your body and start by many ways. Although not well known, one of the ways sickness and ailments can enter your body is by dehydration. However, just as lack of water can promote certain illnesses, hydration can prevent and help in fighting them. This is why before taking tons of pills and other medication, as a simple remedy often the recommendation is for you to drink plenty of water to help fight the common cold.
4. Water Helps Flush Out Waste and Toxins
In addition to measuring which chemicals and materials your body can use, the primary function of your kidneys is to remove harmful and unwanted products from your body. Water helps your kidneys eliminate this waste by aiding in the filtration process of bodily fluids that produces urine and other waste products, and separates good fluids from bad.
5. Water is Good for Your Heart
Water is a key component in maintaining a heart healthy diet and significantly helps in preventing heart disease. Clinical studies have shown that women (and men) who drink more water are less likely to die from heart attack. This is because proper hydration helps to reduce high blood pressure and other associated risk factors of heart disease.
6. Water Helps You Digest Your Food
Water plays an important part in the production and function of different fluids and liquids known as digestive juices. When your body digests food, various organs inside of you create fluids to help break down the foods you eat so your body can absorb the vitamins and nutrients. To function properly your body needs several liters of water every day just to create these liquids.
7. Water Can Reduce Pain in Your Joints and Back
The joints and cartilage between your bones and the spinal discs of your back are mostly made of water. Water helps to maintain the vitality, flexibility and function of these parts of your body. Water transports the nutrients that aid cartilage repair and water supports the compression weight of your upper body on your spinal discs. These same spinal discs, joints and cartilage also use water as a lubricant. If you do not drink enough water, back pain, muscle spasms and stiff joints can occur.
8. Water Helps Your Metabolism.
Metabolism is where your body takes the delicious and healthy foods you eat, breaks them down, and transforms them into usable energy. Having healthy blood circulation is important in getting oxygen throughout your body and into your cells so your body can use that newly created energy. Proper hydration helps to increase your blood circulation. Thanks to increase in the flow of oxygen, in part due to proper hydration, your metabolism increases.
9. Water Is a Natural Appetite Suppressant.
Did you know that dehydration is a reason why thirst is often mistaken for hunger? Having an appetite does not mean having a need for food, but it does mean you have a need. The hypothalamus, located in your brain controls both hunger and thirst and sometimes the two are confused. Often people mistakenly turn to food when the body really wants hydration.
Drinking water can help keep you hydrated, which also helps to suppress your appetite. In fact, recent findings show that one of the causes for late night hunger is dehydration. Drinking a glass of water instead of eating a late night snack may in fact satisfy your need.
10. Water Helps Prevent Constipation.
After the food you eat is broken down and absorbed by the body, the remaining unused portion of it becomes waste that is processed and eliminated through your intestines. If you do not drink enough water and stay hydrated, your body can use the excess water meant for elimination and return it to the body. Once the water is removed, the waste then becomes hard which results in constipation. Drink more water to help avoid this.
Now you know ten reasons to drink water that you can share.
If you can think of more health benefits of drinking water that were not mentioned in the list, say something and share. There are new reports with conflicting ideas of water out there, but in the end, you will see that, water is good for you. Do not let junk science and people looking to get attention by stating crazy opinions undermine years of scientific research and plain old common sense.
You can drink 8 glasses of water daily, but you can aim for up to 12 glasses a day. Other recommendations suggested regarding water intake ranges from about a ½ ounce (.5oz) per pound of your body weight to up to 2/3 ounce per pound if you exercise regularly and drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water. That means if you weigh 150lbs you are to drink 75oz of water to maintain good levels of hydration.
I am glad you took the time to read this article. Now, take the time to honestly learn your body and find out how much water you need to drink to be properly hydrated. It is your health and well-being and the tips given require action. In moderation and proper doses, water is good for you. Make water your good friend and drink up. You can do it.
