All living things need water to survive. Water can be obtained from a fountain, a rain cloud, or a plastic bottle. We can all agree that our bodies would stop working properly without water.
As you know, water makes up more than half of your body weight. But how long could your body last without water? Did you know a person can go without food for over three weeks? But water is a different story. Unlike food, the maximum time a person can go without water seems to be only a week.
In this article, you’ll discover the benefits your body can get from drinking water and, most importantly, where it goes after drinking it. How does water absorb into a body? So, don’t stop reading until the bottom of this page to get what you want.
The Water and Your Body
The average body of an adult human being contains over 70% water. Most of the water in the human body is contained inside our cells, which is two-thirds of the water you drink. Did you know that our billions of cells must have water to live?
Key Facts:
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The total amount of water in our body is found in three main locations: within our cells (two-thirds of the water), the space between our cells, and our blood (one-third of the water).
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The amount of water in a body varies according to certain contexts. For example, the body of a newborn contains more water (75%) than an older person's (50%).
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The body holds on to water when you don't have enough or gets rid of it if you have too much. If your pee is very light yellow, you are well hydrated. It's probably time to drink up when your pee is dark yellow.
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Water lubricates organs, removes waste, regulates body temperature, and aids in nutrient absorption.
How much water is in the human body?
When a person drinks water, the body absorbs it immediately, storing specific parts. The more muscular a body is, the more water it contains. On the contrary, the more fats in the body, the less water the body contains – as body fat has little water.
Additionally, all our vital organs contain different amounts of water: the brain, lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys contain a large quantity of water—between 65 and 85%, depending on the organ—while bones contain less water, about 30%.
Water’s Journey Through Your Body
One main difference between eating and drinking water is that food is digested when consumed, whereas water is absorbed into the body’s system.
Water’s journey first begins in your mouth.
The first big step the body takes is registering hydration through your mouth. After a few gulps of water, the brain will convince the body– that the body has had enough to drink.
This is an important hydration mechanism because it takes a long time for the drunk water to reach cells and provide sufficient hydration. If the brain registered hydration only after cells received water, people would drink way more than the body needs.
The communication between the brain and mouth allows someone to stop drinking at the appropriate time, even if the water hasn’t fully hydrated the system yet.
Water travels through Your esophagus.
It is a small pipe connected to the mouth and lands in the stomach. This is where the process of water absorption into the bloodstream begins.
Water and Your Stomach
The amount of water absorbed in the stomach and how quickly water is absorbed depends, in part, on how much has been eaten. People drinking water on an empty stomach are likelier to experience a faster water absorption rate.
However, if a person has eaten a lot of food before drinking water, the speed of absorption will slow down accordingly, and absorption could take up to a few hours.
Water and Your Small Intestine
At around 20 feet long, the small intestine efficiently absorbs water into the cell membrane and bloodstream. From here, water travels to cells across the body, hydrating them so that they can perform daily functions efficiently.
But the journey of the water you drink doesn’t stop there. Once absorbed into the body, water aids some vital functions.
Water and Your Large Intestine
The large intestine is the key center for water reabsorption rather than the stomach and the small intestine because of the following reasons:
It prevents most of the paracellular flow of water and electrolytes because of tight junctions, unlike in the small intestine. This prevents the backflow of electrolytes and water from the chyle to the blood.
It mainly concentrates on fecal matter, so the reabsorption of water and electrolytes becomes its main function.
Water and Your Kidneys
One such task is filtering toxins. This is primarily the job of your kidneys, but kidneys require a large amount of water to filter toxins efficiently. If the kidney does not receive enough water, it could lead to health concerns, including kidney stones and other kidney-related diseases.
Fortunately, the kidneys inform people whether they’re providing their bodies with enough water by concentrating the amount of water expelled through urine, which turns bright yellow.
Although our kidneys help filter bad toxins in our body, there’s another way to help you keep clean and safe drinking water. With a water filtration system at home, Berkey Water Filter reduces contaminants and harmful pollutants, and it's ideal for your home.
Here are a few reasons why Berkey Water Filters are a good choice:
- Berkey removes contaminants, including chlorine and fluoride
- It's affordable
- Low Maintenance and easy assembly
- Berkey water filters are travel-friendly, and
- Very useful in Emergency Preparedness
So, get started with your Berkey Water Filters to enjoy every glass of water you drink.
Related articles:
Does Berkey Water Filter Remove Lead From Drinking Water?
Water and Your Brain
Water is also sent to the brain, where it hydrates brain cells and maintains certain cerebral functions. Studies have shown that people without the appropriate hydration level experience impaired short-term memory function and visual-motor skills.
How is excess water removed from the body?
Once the human body uses up all the water it needs to function efficiently, it removes excess water. Water leaves the body in four main ways: the kidneys, skin, large intestine, and mouth. Additionally:
- The most high-profile exit strategy of water is through the kidneys via urine.
- Another exit point for water is through stools.
- When someone exercises or heats small droplets of water, you sweat.
- Small droplets of water also exit the body via the breath.
When You Drink Water, What Happens in Your Body?
Water Eases Thirst Before It Hits the Bloodstream
That refreshing feeling after you've taken a long gulp of water? It's far too rapid to be an immediate reaction to your drink — your body is just filling in the gaps.
Thirst is triggered by the brain's detection that cells are shrinking as the body uses up its water, but you'll likely feel sated before the cells are filled with water again.
Why? It's something called an anticipatory reflex. The taste buds and gut register how much water you've ingested and make you feel sated so that you'll stop drinking at an appropriate point.
Water Kick-Starts Your Kidneys
The kidneys are the body's filtration system, requiring a copious amount of water to function properly and remove unwanted toxins. Without proper hydration, the kidneys cannot filter the blood properly, and you risk all kinds of hilarious nasties, from kidney stones to disease.
The kidneys can do a little to save water — by concentrating your urine on the color of a tangerine — but beyond that, you need water to keep it working. Putting the kidneys under stress is a terrible idea — and, interestingly, they have a minimum amount of water required to function properly.
The usual thinking is eight glasses a day. People who've had a kidney stone need to drink a massive two to three liters (up to two-thirds of a gallon) a day to reduce their risk of developing another one.
Water Helps Your Cognitive Performance
Water is essential to the brain's performance — and some unfortunate souls had to prove it in a series of studies about how the brain reacts to dehydration. Deprivation of water leads to short-term memory damage, working memory impairment, and a downgrade in visual-motor skills.
Water Reduces Pain
Do your knees ache? It’s time to pick up your water bottle. Getting the proper amount of fluids is crucial to maintaining the right cushioning in your joints.
You don't have water balloons in your elbows and knees, though — you have synovial fluid designed to lubricate the cartilage that protects your joints.
Unfortunately, replenishing your water levels will not necessarily activate the synovial fluid and always result in seamless joints. However, good hydration is a necessary ingredient in keeping your joints happy.
Water serves some essential functions to keep us all going:
- A vital nutrient to the life of every cell acts first as a building material.
- It regulates our internal body temperature by sweating and respiration
- The carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream;
- It assists in flushing waste, mainly through urination
- acts as a shock absorber for the brain, spinal cord, and fetus
- forms saliva
- lubricates joints
How Much Water is Enough?
Because water is so important, you might wonder if you drink enough. Kids need to drink no magic amount of water every day. The amount kids need depends on age, body size, health, activity level, and weather.
Most of the time, kids drink something with meals and should drink when thirsty. But if you're sick, it's warm out, or exercising, you'll need more. Be sure to drink extra water during warm weather, especially while playing sports or exercising.
Drinking is also essential. If you're going to sports practice, a game, or just working out or playing hard, drink water before, during, and after playing. Don't forget your water bottle. You can't play your best when thinking about how thirsty you are!
You can help your body by drinking when you're thirsty and drinking extra water when you exercise and when it's warm. Your body will be able to do all of it. It's wonderful, and you'll feel great!
Did You Know...
Drinking excessive amounts of water without replacing salt can be harmful, occasionally even in healthy people.
What happens when you drink too much water?
While water intake is highly significant in our bodies, drinking too much water may lead to overhydration. Overhydration occurs when the body has more excess water than it loses.
Overhydration typically results in low sodium levels in the blood, called hyponatremia, which can be fatal. Nevertheless, drinking a lot of water usually does not cause overhydration if the pituitary gland, kidneys, liver, and heart function normally. To exceed the body's ability to excrete water, a young adult with normal kidney function must drink more than 6 gallons of water a day.
Who is prone to overhydration?
Athletes
People with Psychogenic Polydipsia
People with problems with their organs
Overhydration may likewise result from the disorder of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion. In this disorder, the pituitary organ secretes excessive vasopressin (also called antidiuretic hormone), stimulating the kidneys to save water when that isn't required.
Symptoms of Overhydration
Brain cells are especially prone to overhydration and too low sodium levels in the blood. Once overhydration occurs gradually and is gentle or moderate, brain cells can adjust, so mild symptoms (assuming any), like distractibility and lethargy, might follow. When overhydration occurs rapidly, vomiting and balance issues grow. When overhydration worsens, confusion, seizures, or coma might develop.
If overhydration happens and blood volume is average, the excess water typically moves into the cells, and tissue expansion (edema) doesn't happen. Liquid can gather in the lungs and lower legs if extra blood volume happens.
Diagnosis of Overhydration
- A doctor's examination
- Blood and urine tests
Doctors attempt to recognize overhydration (a lot of water) and excess liquid in the blood (an excessive amount of salt and increased blood volume) by examining the individual for weight gain and indications of edema and performing blood and urine tests to examine the concentrations of electrolytes.
Treatment of Overhydration
- Restriction of fluid intake
- Treatment of the cause of overhydration
Regardless of the reason for overhydration, liquid admission typically should be limited (only as advised by doctors). Drinking less than a quart of liquids daily ordinarily makes progress for more than a few days. When overhydration happens with excess blood volume because of heart, liver, or kidney disease, limiting sodium's admission is likewise helpful because sodium makes the body retain water.
Medications that will, in general, cause overhydration are stopped. At times, doctors prescribe diuretics to build the discharge of sodium and water in the urine. Different medications can expand water discharge and treat overhydration with average blood volume. These medications are usually used when an individual is in the hospital and can be carefully checked.
Drink Water Now! The best ways to drink water for healthy bodies
1. Take it slow and steady
It’s been proven that drinking water slowly throughout the day makes you more hydrated than drinking lots fast. This makes sense as your intestines can only process so much water at a time, and if it is passed through too fast, you’ll lose out on it.
2. Water with additives
Lemon in water has well-known health benefits, including aiding digestion, hydrating your lymph system, having a load of nutrients, including potassium and vitamin C, reducing inflammation, and giving you an energy boost.
It is a common practice to drink warm water with half a lemon squeezed into it first thing in the morning and have breakfast after about 30 minutes. This process is supposed to improve energy, cleanse the system, and improve digestion for breakfast, giving you energy throughout the day.
Additional feature:
A way to have great tasting, healthy water available when your home uses a water pitcher with an infuser.
This simple device can be kept in your fridge and infuses your water with whatever you put in it, such as fruit, without letting the pieces fall into your glass. For example, adding lemons and cucumber slices will give you a healthy drink that tastes great.
3. Right and proper timing
Since most water is absorbed within 120 minutes, we can assume that drinking a glass of water about 2 hours before heavy sports will benefit us, as your body will be the most hydrated then.
It is also best to drink a glass of water first thing in the morning since you have gone about eight hours without a drink. For those with a stronger bladder, drinking a glass before bed helps your body stay hydrated while you sleep. But if nightly bathroom visits are already a factor, take it easy before bed.
To make drinking water easier, keep it by yourself all day, whether at the office with a bottle you sip from all day and can refill or at home with a glass of water on your counter that you drink from every time you pass it. Having a bottle of water in your car is great, too, especially when you’re out doing chores and can’t get a good drink in for a few hours.
4. Sit down, drink your water
While there is no scientific proof to let us know if you should drink water sitting down or standing up, there is no doubt that standing up and drinking water can prompt joint pain and different illnesses, which is a myth.
However, sitting down and drinking water is highly recommended since posture can affect how our body receives what we feed it. When we stand or walk, blood flow is high to our hands and legs, preventing the water from reaching the digestive system appropriately.
5. Sip on the water to flush down the meal
Drinking water with food helps digestion. It is particularly imperative to drink water close to high-fiber food sources. Fiber travels through your digestive system and absorbs water, helping form stools and advance regularity. So, if you're loading your plate with plant-based food sources, as you ought to, sip on water as well.
6. Salt it up!
Although sodium is atypical by many (as it should be once consumed in large amounts), having too little sodium in your body can be similarly harmful. Salt keeps our cells hydrated and aids nutrients from our small intestine to the rest of our bodies. Without appropriate salt intake, your cells are not able to keep water.
Therefore, they are not very effective at hydrating. Thus, if you burn through salt with your water (even a tiny pinch will do), you're helping your body retain water more effectively.
The Best Water Through Your Body
Now that we understand how water travels through the body and why it is vital to physical and mental health, we must discover ways to get the ideal water. Water filters are probably the most straightforward way to drink safe, healthy water without harmful toxins and contaminants.
Your body is a powerful tool, but it needs your assistance. With everything mentioned above, allow it to absorb all the goodness from your water—and ensure it's extraordinary water.
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