At a community health talk, I met Uncle Zhang, a 60-year-old retired teacher. Uncle Zhang usually likes to read and play chess, but recently he always said that he is not in a good mental state, often feels tired, and often has constipation problems.
"Uncle Zhang, don't you usually drink much water?" I asked with concern.
Uncle Zhang nodded: "I don't usually feel thirsty, so I rarely take the initiative to drink water." I always feel that I have to run to the toilet all the time after drinking too much, which is very troublesome. ”
"It's actually wrong for you to think like this, Uncle Zhang, it's a good thing to drink a water toilet, otherwise your body will be prone to serious problems." I patiently said that Uncle Zhang has a good relationship with my family, and usually takes great care of me, and I feel very uncomfortable to see him like this.
And the older generation said that "if you drink less water, you will die early", although it is an exaggeration, it is not unreasonable, but this is not said in front of Uncle Zhang.
Drinking water seems simple, but it has a lot to do with health, and the time of drinking water is also very particular, if you drink it right, it is easier to live a long and healthy life!
1. Drinking less water for a long time has a high risk of early death
Water is very important for our body, but you may not know that if you drink less water for a long time, the chance of early death is much higher.
According to a research experiment conducted by the Institute of Medical Health, more than 120,000 middle-aged and elderly people were followed for 25 years, and it was found that those with serum sodium levels higher than 142mmol/L had a 50% higher diagnosis rate of chronic diseases and a much higher mortality rate than those below 142mmol/L.
In other words, not having enough water in the body can make us more susceptible to illness and may shorten our lifespan.
Second, the harm of drinking less water to the body
The brain is affected
Drinking less water has a big impact on our brains. The brain is in need of water, and it makes up about 75% of the brain. When our body loses 2% of our body weight, you will find yourself with headaches, nausea, and even a much lower ability to think and speak.
Especially for small children, the effects of water deprivation are even more pronounced. Studies have shown that when children are dehydrated, their cognitive level and image recognition ability will decline, and some children will even have temporary aphasia. This shows how important water is to our ability to think and learn.
Psychological problems
Drinking less water can also affect our mood. Studies have shown that people who drink less than 1,000 ml of water per day are more likely to feel anxious and depressed than those who drink more than 2,000 ml of water.
Lack of water reduces the cerebrospinal fluid in our brain, and a decrease in cerebrospinal fluid can weaken the brain, leading to anxiety and depression.
Organs affected
Water is an important ingredient that helps digestion, and if there is not enough water, the lubricity of the stomach and intestines will be reduced, and digestion will become difficult, and it will be easy to constipate.
There are also kidneys, drinking less water will reduce the urine, and toxins will accumulate in the kidneys, and over time, stones may also form, resulting in kidney stones and urinary tract stones.
Increased risk of obesity
You may not expect that drinking less water can also make people gain weight. This is because, when we are low on water in our body, the body sends hunger-like signals, making us mistakenly think that we are hungry and then eat more.
At this time, as long as you drink a glass of water, many times the hunger pangs will disappear. Therefore, there is a saying that "drink soup before meals, slim and healthy", which really makes sense.
3. The timing of drinking water
Get up in the morning and drink water
When you wake up in the morning, it is recommended to drink a glass of warm water. After a night's sleep, the body will be in a state of dehydration, and drinking a glass of warm water can help us quickly replenish water and allow blood to flow more smoothly. The old man also said: "A glass of water in the morning is better than medicine a thousand times better." ”
Drink water before meals
This lubricates the intestines, aids digestion, and also allows you not to overeat when you eat, as some of your hunger has been relieved by water.
Drink water slowly after bathing
After taking a bath, especially a hot bath, it is normal for the body to sweat profusely and feel thirsty. At this time, you should drink water slowly, don't drink too much at once, otherwise it is easy to overburden the body.
Drink water before bedtime
Although the body's metabolic rate decreases when we sleep at night, we still lose some water through breathing and sweating. Drinking a small glass of water before bed can prevent your body from becoming overly dehydrated.