Drink Up: The Importance & Benefits of Staying Hydrated

You’ve heard for years about the importance of hydration, but you’ve never quite managed to make drinking lots of water every day a habit. If you’re overlooking this aspect of ensuring your health, you’re missing out on a vital link for your wellbeing.

At Green Gone Detox, we firmly believe in the benefits of staying hydrated for your overall health and for our detox processes. Learn more about how hydration can affect your body and why health experts recommend drinking at least 60 oz per day!

1. Digestive Health

Did you know that your body needs water to properly digest food? It’s true! Your irregular bowel movements, heartburn, gas, and bloating may all be coming from a lack of water. You don’t want to be worrying about intestinal discomfort every time you eat, so drink water with every meal to up your intake. One of the benefits of staying hydrated is that it helps your body break down soluble fiber, moving things along in the digestion process. 

Who knew the importance of hydration extended to your gut? We did!

2. Enhanced Brain Function

Another surprising benefit of being hydrated is enhanced brain function. Yes, your brain needs water to stay in peak condition. Even the smallest amount of fluid loss, as little as 2%, can affect concentration, mood, memory, and reaction time. You don’t want to be taking a test or out on the road dehydrated, as it can result in some pretty bad downsides. 

The importance of hydration for your brain cannot be understated, as water can help combat anxiety, stabilize your emotions, and improve cognition.

3. Weight Management

Many people know that changing their diet and adding an exercise regimen is essential to managing their weight, but the importance of hydration is a key element, too! In addition to making you feel fuller, it can also boost your metabolism. In fact, studies show that drinking an extra glass of water with every meal reduces the amount you eat and helps your body process nutrients faster.

4. Higher Energy Levels

Without enough water, your body experiences several slowdowns. We’ve already discussed how it brings your digestion to a crawl, but a lack of water can also slow your circulation and affect oxygen flow to the brain and throughout the body. Without water, your heart has to work so much harder to bring oxygen to essential places, making you feel more tired and sluggish.

While supplements and a proper diet can help with energy levels, you should consider the root of the problem – a lack of water. When drinking an extra glass of water every day literally adds more pep to your step, it proves the overall importance of hydration.

5. Temperature Regulation

One unusual benefit of staying hydrated is temperature regulation. When you’re dehydrated, your body starts storing more heat, making you uncomfortable even in cooler temperatures. You need to sweat to regulate your body temperature and keep you cool, but you can’t produce moisture if you aren’t properly hydrated. As a built-in cooling mechanism, sweating prevents many heat-related conditions, like heat stroke.

6. Better Detox

It doesn’t matter whether you want to detox from cannabis or simply from the contaminants in your environment, the importance of hydration is obvious. Water intake supports what your body already does on its own when removing waste through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements. Dehydration disrupts every single one of these processes, slowing the detox process and impacting your overall health.

7. Decreased Pain

If joint pain is a part of your daily life, water may be the solution. Because the cartilage in your joints – the stuff that facilitates movement – is made of about 80% water, dehydration will reduce lubrication for everything from your fingers and toes to your knees and elbows. So keep the cushion of cartilage fully hydrated when you drink more water.

8. Fewer Headaches

One of the reactions your body has to dehydration is shrinkage – even in your brain. As your body realizes you’re dehydrated, your brain contracts away from your skull, which can lead to migraines and headaches. Keeping up your water intake high will minimize future headaches related to this issue.

9. A Healthy Heart

Since your blood consists of a large amount of water, the importance of hydration affects circulation and heart health, too. Without enough water, your blood may see an imbalance in electrolytes and other vital minerals, like sodium and potassium. All of these are essential to the functions of a healthy heart and just drinking enough is all you need to do to get your heart on the right track!

How Much Water Do You Need?

Since everybody is different, your water consumption needs will vary. If you want an easy answer, a minimum of eight 16 oz glasses per day is the basic benchmark. But you'll definitely need more when you’re working out, enjoying foods with a lot of salt, or it’s an especially hot day.

For a more accurate estimate of how much water you should be drinking, check out this formula:

• Weigh yourself
• Divide your weight by 1/3
• Drink that many ounces of water every single day

For example, if you weigh 150 lbs, you should be trying to drink at least 50 oz of water each day.

While diet and environment are some reasons you may need additional water, your current health and medications are also factors. Discuss your situation with your doctor to decide whether certain medications or conditions require additional hydration intake.

Now that you know about the importance of hydration, you might feel more motivated to check in with your water intake more frequently!

Helping You Stay Healthy

At Green Gone Detox, we support a holistic approach to health. From facilitating a detox from cannabis to ensuring you find balanced solutions for your lifestyle that includes marijuana use we’re here to help. Browse our blog for more detox guides and general lifestyle advice, and shop our products to start your own THC detox today!