The Importance of Proper Hydration to Overall Health

In today’s day and age of mass consumption, everybody’s always looking for the next best thing. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because health and nutrition choices are always improving. But sometimes it’s best to stick with the proven options. Like a good old-fashioned glass of water, which goes a long way in keeping our health operating efficiently.

When you go to your local grocery store, you’ll typically find hundreds of drink options in the refrigerator section. There are many more in the beverage isle as well. But just because the choices abound, it doesn’t mean they’re all good. In fact, many beverages might do more dietary harm than good, especially if they’re deceptively packed with sugar or empty calories which lack any real nutrition.

Some of the overall health benefits of proper hydration (preferably from water) include:

• Hydration helps with weight issues

It’s a good idea to look at this problem from all sides. Think about how consuming sugar-filled drinks (soda, cocktails or even super-sweet caffeinated beverages) might promote weight gain? Then think about the excess calories that can be cut out by reducing consumption of those beverages? If we drink more water instead of sugary beverages, we’re sending the proper signals to our brain, which can be tricked into thinking we’re hungry when we’re actually not.

• It makes you feel less tired

 

If you’re dehydrated, chances are you’re not going to operate at your best, especially when it comes to physical activities. And if you’re thirsty right now, guess what? You’re dehydrated. So do yourself a favor and get yourself a glass of water.

• Stimulates an active lifestyle

 

Contrary to what your favorite energy drink commercial may imply, water is the best hydration for an active lifestyle. When our body sweats, it sweats water (not Red Bull). A very large percentage of our body is made of water (not sugar) and all of our organs require the right amount of water for optimum performance. That said, it’s best to give our bodies water because that’s what it actually wants.

• Promotes better skin

 

Our skin can’t get rid of toxins quick enough without enough water. If we’re dehydrated, our skin can become irritated, which may result in all sorts of ailments from itching and scratching to redness and all out acne (or even worse).

• Flushes out the bladder and kidneys

 

The bladder and the kidneys are responsible for eliminating waste from the body, yet are extremely sensitive to malfunction and outright disease. Since water helps to flush out unwanted organisms that make their home in these particular organs, we should try to keep the system running properly to avoid dealing with unnecessary illnesses.

Eye healthy benefits of proper hydration may include:

• Mild improvement of dry eye symptoms

A recent study suggested that increased hydration led to “multiple ocular benefits” in subjects tested. It also suggested mild dry eye improvements. Although there are several other options for dealing with dry eye, increasing water intake is a good place to start, especially if you’re taking medications that increase risk of dry eye.

Increased Hydration Linked to Dry Eye Improvements >>>

• May help with tension headaches

 

Headaches have always been linked to dehydration. They’re also symptoms of digital eye strain. The combination of dehydration and digital eye strain may cause several unwanted problems, but regardless of how headaches come about, it’s a good idea to rehydrate when dealing with them.

• Hydration helps with end of day eye fatigue

 

Overall fatigue usually starts set in towards the end of the day, regardless of your profession. The combination of body fatigue and eye fatigue (from computer screen and smartphone use) could indeed be troublesome. Increasing water intake over the course of the day helps to combat those tired feelings. It’s also a good idea to take breaks from near work to improve eye comfortability.

Live in Your OcularPrime:

Consuming the appropriate amount of water is actually hard for some people. Let’s face it, so many other beverages simply taste better, and those beverages can be addictive and/or comforting. If water is too bland for your liking, it’s time to get creative. Try filling a glass with some ice, a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of sea salt and maybe a tiny spoon of stevia. Add in water and shake it all up. Put in a straw and enjoy.