Education tells us we need to drink water, but why?
Our bodies are made up of up to 60% of water. The brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are 83%, skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery with 31%. To maintain our health and wellbeing we need to consume a certain amount of water to survive, this will vary depending on age, gender, location, and activity levels.
On average an adult male needs 3 litres per day and an adult female needs about 2.2 litres per day. This doesn’t all come from drinking water or water-based beverages, we get about 20% of our intake from food as well.
Water has a number of functions for our well-being:
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REGULATES BODY TEMPERATURE Your body lose water through sweat during exercise and in hot environments. Sweat is designed to cool your body down, but if you don’t replenish the water you lose, your temperature will rise. This is because you lose electrolytes and plasma when you are dehydrated. |
PROTECTS THE BODY Water consumption helps lubricate and cushion joints, spinal cord, and tissues. A vital nutrient to the life of every cell, acts as a building material. Supporting your physical activity and lessen discomfort of conditions like arthritis. |
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FORMS SALIVA Water is the main component of saliva, which also includes small amounts of electrolytes, mucus, and enzymes. It is needed to breakdown solid food and keeping your mouth healthy. |
AIDS DIGESTION Drinking water before, during, and after a meal helps the body break down the food you eat. Supporting digestion and ensuring you get the most from your meal with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients dissolving in the water from your food. |
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HELPS EXCRETION Your body uses water to sweat, urinate, and have bowel movements. You need enough water to have healthy stool and avoid constipation, and your kidneys are important for filtering out waste through urination. Adequate water intake helps your kidneys work more efficiently and helps to prevent kidney stones. |
DEHYDRATION When your body doesn’t have enough water you are dehydrated, this can have severe complications including swelling in your brain, kidney failure and seizures. Signs to let you know before you are dehydrated are feeling thirsty, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, feeling tired, a dry mouth, lips or eyes, urinating less than 4 times a day and when you do it is dark yellow or strong-smelling. |
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WELLBEING Drinking water activates your metabolism, which has an impact on our energy levels. When the carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream it creates that positive energy needed for activities. Not drinking enough water can impact negatively on your focus, alertness, and short-term memory, it may also result in fatigue and confusion as well as anxiety. A balanced water intake will help keep your skin hydrated and may promote collagen production. |
Here are some ideas for how you can be sure you drink enough:
- Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go. This way you can drink whenever the need strikes.
- Keep track of your intake. LUQEL’s Water Balancer App helps to set up your target volume intake and reminds you when you have not drunk enough or for a while.
- Pace yourself to approach half of your recommended consumption by midday. You can always finish about an hour before you plan to sleep.
LUQEL
LUQEL is a pioneer in water technology, its’ mission is to radically change the way people drink water to make a lasting difference. Visionary innovations make plastic superfluous. With our perfect purification process, individual mineralisation, ‘smart’ bottles and the digitalised eco-system, our products turn tap water into a whole new level of water enjoyment, “Water as individual as you are”.