Quick! Name four facts about drinking water:
1. It’s great for your skin.
2. Your body is made up of 80% water.
3. You need 8 glasses a day – no more, no less.
4. You can never have too much water.
Hmm. These facts need some investigating….
Fact 1: Drinking water is great for your skin.
True. Drinking enough water is great for your body in general, not just your skin. That’s because water rids the body of toxins, moves nutrients around to cells, and keeps your organs and mucus membranes happy and healthy.
Fact 2: Your body is made up of 80% water.
Wrong. Your body is about 60% water, but some areas – such as your brain – have a higher volume of water.
Being 60% water, your body needs to replace the water it uses each day. Simple things like breathing and sweating use up water. Without enough water coming in to replace the stuff you lose, dehydration starts. This condition ranges from mild to life-threateningly severe; for more information, check out this post, http://culliganlubbock.com/culligan-lubbock/dehydration/.
Fact 3: You need 8 glasses of drinking water a day – no more, no less.
Wrong. Eight 8-oz glasses of water each day is a good starting point, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Your water needs depend on your activity level, environment, and other factors. Some people may do okay on six glasses; others may need 10 or more. What factors should make you up your water intake? Exercise, sweating, high heat or humidity, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, pregnancy, and breast feeding are common ones.
Fact 4: You can never have too much water.
Wrong – but rare. There is a condition where too much water dilutes the blood beyond a safe point. Unless you’re running a marathon or doing some type of endurance sport, though, you’re not likely to encounter it.
Great! Now that you’ve taken our drinking water quiz, how about pouring yourself a nice, cold glass of the good old H2O?
Drinking Water System 