How to drink water for body hydration

You have probably heard or read in the media that you need to drink a minimum of two litres of water daily to keep your  body hydrated. Failing to do so, your body will not function to its optimal level and you are more likely to develop all kinds of diseases. Hence, implying that if we drink the prescribed amount of water we should be more fit and healthy than those who don’t do so. This begs the question of whether this is true?

The answer to this question lies in how you drink those two litres of water. Actually, a person drinking two to three litres of water can still be partially dehydrated: are you surprised?

Well, the human excretory system which includes the kidneys is such that it flushes out any surplus of water that enters the blood in an attempt to keep a balanced internal environment. Hence, when we gulp down a bottle of water, this water immediately enters the blood and causes its dilution, this in turn triggers the kidneys (under the instruction of the brain) to start excreting this extra water until the blood water level goes back to normal. This system in place protects our organs from damage from excessive water entering our cells (the building blocks of our body and organs). 

So, how should we drink water, so that it is not merely flushed out, but rather enters our dehydrated cells? The answer is simple: do not flood your system when you drink water, instead take a few sips at a time to allow maximum absorption into your cells. When we consume water in small quantities, it does not dilute our blood (to be more precise the effect is minimal), and hence does not cause immediate excretion from the kidneys.

Drink water a few sips at a time, and do so regularly throughout the day to reap the full benefit of drinking water.