Before reaching for your favorite soda, consider drinking a glass of water instead. It’s essential for the human body, but not enough people stay efficiently hydrated. Learn how hydration is key to great health and vitality.

1. It Regulates Your Body Temperature

There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a glass of ice water in the summer. The cold temperature feels good as it enters the digestive system, but that’s not all it does. Drinking water supplies your body with enough hydration to create sweat.

Heat is extra energy in your body that produces sweat, and evaporation eventually whisks it off your skin. Combining your excess heat with cooling evaporation maintains your basal body temperature, as long as you have enough hydration to create perspiration.

2. It Facilitates Brain Functionality

Your brain also needs water. Hydration supplies essential water to your brain cells and neurons, improving cognitive function. Researchers proved this hypothesis by testing hydrated and dehydrated kids in school. The group that got less water showed 34% less memory retention, demonstrating the brain’s need for continual fluid intake.

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3. It Helps Prevent Wrinkles

Cold winter air isn’t the only thing that makes dry skin flakes appear on your face and body. Dehydration also makes them more likely. Your skin cells need water to supercharge daily functions, like creating a robust barrier and retaining moisture. Long-term dryness also makes wrinkling easier, especially if stress is already causing faint lines.

4. It Supports Your Heart

Your heart is most effective when it can pump blood easily. Dehydration prevents your blood from accessing the water it needs to maintain viscosity. Thicker blood is harder to pump, so your heart has to work twice as hard to circulate it even if you’re at rest. During the summer especially, excessive sunlight and heat can be physically and mentally exhausting, making hydration all the more important.

Pumping blood more slowly also prevents oxygen from reaching organs that desperately need it. You will feel sluggish when dehydration keeps your cardiovascular system from peak performance.

5. It Minimizes Constipation

It’s more challenging to pass dry bowel movements. You need water in your colon to easily pass feces through your system, which dehydration prevents. Drinking more water is a great way to fix this issue, but your diet can also support your body’s vitality.

Consider adding fibrous foods like flax seeds to your diet. The fiber will draw water to your colon and utilize it more effectively as stool forms. You’ll also find it in oatmeal, apples and pears.

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6. It Lubricates Your Joints

Synovial fluid isn’t something everyone learns about, but it’s a crucial part of the human body. It’s a water-based bioliquid that coats the joints to prevent painful friction. Dehydration keeps water away from your joints, so you may feel aches or pains when you’re not drinking enough of it. It’s another way increasing your hydration is key to your body’s vitality, especially if you already struggle with chronic joint pain.

7. It Prevents Kidney Stones

You’ll likely notice your urine change color when you’re dehydrated. Dark yellow pee indicates a higher concentration of liquid waste. It can catch along the kidney or bladder and crystalize if it builds up.

Passing kidney stones is extremely painful and can harm your well-being. Whether you’ve experienced one or not, drinking water daily ensures your urine content stays diluted. Your pee will range from a nearly clear color to a light yellow shade if you maintain your hydration.

Start Prioritizing Your Hydration

Hydration is key to your body’s vitality for numerous reasons. Water improves everything from cognitive function to joint pain. If you’re experiencing any problems, call your doctor to discuss if you might be dehydrated and how to increase your intake through beverages and foods.