why water is important

 

What is water?

Water is a gaseous, liquid, and solid substance composed of the chemical elements hydrogen and oxygen. It is one of the most abundant and necessary compounds. At room temperature, it is a tasteless and odourless liquid with the important ability to dissolve many other substances. Water's versatility as a solvent is critical to living organisms. Life is thought to have originated in the aqueous solutions of the world's oceans, and living organisms rely on aqueous solutions for biological processes such as blood and digestive juices. Water can also be found on other planets and moons both within and outside of our solar system. Water appears colourless in small quantities, but it actually has an intrinsic blue colour due to the slight absorption of light at red wavelengths.

How much water do we have on our earth?

Because of the abundance of water on the planet's surface, the Earth is frequently compared to a majestic blue marble. While water itself is not blue, it emits blue light when reflected.

Water covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface, with continents and islands accounting for the remaining 29%.

To put it another way, the oceans contain 96.5% of all the water on Earth, while the remaining 3.5% is freshwater lakes and frozen water trapped in glaciers and polar ice caps. Almost all of that fresh water is in the form of ice: 69%, to be exact. If all that ice could be melted and the Earth's surface was perfectly smooth, sea levels would rise to an altitude of 2.7 km.

Aside from the water that exists as ice, there is also a massive amount of water beneath the Earth's surface. If you gathered all of the Earth's freshwater into a single mass, the volume would be approximately 1,386 million cubic kilometres (km3).

How much water is in our bodies?

An important factor for us is what amount of water in our body which is not taken to the above numbers. Water makes up the majority of the human body, accounting for roughly 60% on average. The amount of water in the body varies slightly depending on age, gender, and hydration level.

While the average percentage of water in a person's body is around 60%, it can range between 45-75%.

Babies, for example, have a high proportion of water in their bodies, which decreases with age. 

Why do we need water in our bodies?

Water aids in maintaining a normal body temperature.

Joints should be lubricated and cushioned.

Safeguard your spinal cord and other delicate tissues.

Wastes can be eliminated through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements.

How much water will you require?

You lose water every day through your breath, perspiration, urine, and bowel movements. To function properly, you must replenish your body's water supply by consuming water-containing beverages and foods.

Men should drink approximately 15.5 cups (3.7 litres) of fluids per day.

Women should drink 11.5 cups (2.7 litres) of fluids per day.

These guidelines apply to fluids such as water, other beverages, and food. Approximately 20% of daily fluid intake is typically derived from food, with the remainder derived from beverages.

What Happens If You Consume Too Much Water?

Drinking too much water can cause water poisoning, intoxication, or a disruption in brain function. This occurs when there is an excessive amount of water in the cells (including brain cells), causing them to swell. When the cells in the brain swell, pressure builds up in the brain. You may begin to experience confusion, drowsiness, and headaches. If this pressure rises, it may result in hypertension (high blood pressure) and bradycardia (Low Heart Rate).

Sodium is the electrolyte most affected by dehydration, resulting in hyponatremia. Sodium is an essential mineral that aids in the balance of fluids in and out of cells. Fluids enter the cells when their levels fall due to a high amount of water in the body. The cells then swell, putting you at risk of seizures, falling into a coma, or even dying.

What Are the Symptoms of too much  Water Consumption?

Monitoring the colour of your urine is one of the best ways to determine if you're drinking enough water. The combination of the pigment urochrome and the water level in your body causes it to range from pale yellow to tea-coloured. If your pee is frequently clear, you're probably drinking too much water in a short period of time.

Another way to tell is to drink water even if you're not thirsty. To avoid drinking too much water, be aware of when your body requires it. The body can help you avoid dehydration by alerting you when you need to drink some water. Thirst is the body's response to dehydration and should serve as a guidepost for you.

 Headaches can indicate both dehydration and hydration. Excess water in the body lowers the body's salt levels and causes cells to dehydrate.

Overhydration symptoms can mimic those of dehydration. 

When there is too much water in the body, the kidneys cannot remove it. 

It begins to accumulate in the body, causing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

Hands, feet, and lips discolouration You will notice swelling or discolouration of your feet, hands, and lips if you are dehydrated. When the cells swell, so does the skin.

When you drink too much water, your kidneys have to work extra hard to remove the excess. This causes a hormonal response that causes you to feel stressed and tired. Your kidneys are overworked if you can't get out of bed after drinking too much water.

What Happens If You Consume the Lesser amount of Water?

Water comprises 60% of the human body and is required to maintain a healthy weight, flush toxins from the body, and produce bodily fluids such as saliva. Water also helps with regular bowel function, muscle performance, and clear, youthful skin. Failure to drink enough water, on the other hand, can result in dehydration and negative symptoms such as fatigue, headache, weakened immunity, and dry skin.

What Are the Symptoms of too low  Water Consumption?

Water flushes toxins, waste, and bacteria from the body, aiding in the fight against disease and infection, as well as strengthening your immune system, allowing you to be sick less frequently. If you seem to get sick all the time, you may need to start drinking more water to keep your body free of toxins and functioning at its best. Because a lack of water causes fatigue, you may be less physically active, which is another risk factor for weakened immunity.

Water is necessary for saliva production and aids in the removal of bacteria, allowing you to maintain healthy teeth and gums. Water deficiency reduces saliva production and causes bacteria to accumulate on the tongue, teeth, and gums, contributing to bad breath. If you practice good oral hygiene but still have chronic bad breath, it's possible that you're not drinking enough water. If your bad breath persists after increasing your water intake, consult your doctor to rule out other underlying causes such as gum disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver or kidney problems.

By keeping your stool soft and moving it easily through the digestive tract, water promotes good digestion and regular bowel movements. In order to compensate for fluid loss, your body may pull water from your stool, resulting in harder and firmer stool that is more difficult to pass. If you have irregular and infrequent bowel movements, try drinking more water to loosen your stools and relieve constipation and bloating.

Drinking insufficient water can result in an overall fluid loss in the body. This fluid loss can cause a decrease in blood volume, putting extra strain on the heart to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the organs, including the muscles. A lack of water can cause fatigue and low energy as your body attempts to function without enough water. If you're constantly tired and sluggish despite getting a good night's sleep, you may need to increase your water intake.

Water hydrates and plumps skin cells, making your skin appear brighter, more vibrant, and younger. Lack of water, on the other hand, can cause the skin to lose its plumpness and elasticity, resulting in dryness, flakiness, fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. Water also aids in the treatment of acne and other skin problems by flushing harmful toxins from the body. If beauty products and skin treatments aren't improving the appearance of your skin, drink more water to look younger and reduce or improve skin problems.

When your body is dehydrated, the kidneys retain as much fluid as possible in order to function properly. This can result in decreased urination, which is one of the most common symptoms of dehydration. A lack of water can cause your urine to darken in colour, smell stronger, and appear cloudier. When your body does not have enough water to flush out toxins and bacteria, you are more likely to develop a urinary tract infection. When you start urinating more frequently and the urine is clearer, lighter in colour, and far less odorous, you know you're drinking enough water.

Benefits of having water

01. It maintains body temperature.

When the body heats up, water stored in the middle layers of the skin rises to the skin's surface as sweat. It cools the body as it evaporates. In athletics.

Some researchers believe that when the body has too little water, heat storage increases and the individual is less able to tolerate heat strain.

If heat stress occurs during exercise, having a lot of water in the body may reduce physical strain. More research into these effects, however, is required.

2. It keeps the joints lubricated.

Cartilage, which is found in joints and spinal disks, is composed of approximately 80% water. Long-term dehydration can reduce the shock-absorbing ability of the joints, resulting in joint pain.

3. It transports oxygen throughout the body.

Blood is composed of more than 90% water and transports oxygen throughout the body.

4. It protects the brain, spinal cord, and other delicate tissues.

Dehydration can have an impact on brain structure and function. It also plays a role in the synthesis of hormones and neurotransmitters. Prolonged dehydration can impair thinking and reasoning abilities.

5, It is essential to the digestive system.

Water is required for the bowel to function properly. Dehydration can cause digestive issues, constipation, and an acidic stomach. This raises the likelihood of heartburn and stomach ulcers.

6. It flushes body waste

Water is required for sweating as well as the removal of urine and faeces.

7.  It aids in blood pressure regulation.

A lack of water can cause blood to thicken, which raises blood pressure.

8. It makes minerals and nutrients accessible

These dissolve in water, allowing them to travel to various parts of the body.

9. It protects the kidneys.

The kidneys control fluid in the body. Inadequate water consumption can result in kidney stones and other complications.

In the end, we need to know water is the most important thing for us and every living being in our planet including trees. 

Because we can't live healthily even one single day without water we shouldn't waste our valuable assets if we have a lot of water when someone at the other end may not have one single drop of drinkable water to live. 

According to WHO

Sustainable Development Goal target 6.1 calls for universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water. The target is tracked with the indicator of “safely managed drinking water services” – drinking water from an improved water source that is located on-premises, available when needed, and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.

In 2020, 5.8 billion people used safely managed drinking water services – that is, they used improved water sources located on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination. The remaining 2 billion people without safely managed services in 2020 included:

• 1.2 billion people with basic services, meaning an improved water source located within a round trip of 30 minutes;
• 282 million people with limited services, or an improved water source requiring more than 30 minutes to collect water;
• 368 million people taking water from unprotected wells and springs; and
• 122 million people collecting untreated surface water from lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.

Sharp geographic, sociocultural and economic inequalities persist, not only between rural and urban areas but also in towns and cities where people living in low-income, informal or illegal settlements usually have less access to improved sources of drinking water than other residents.