6 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Drinking Enough Water

Hydration is vital to health, no matter what level of physical exertion you participate in during the day. Ensuring you keep hydrated amidst different activities—whether taking care of your kids, finishing the workday, or running a marathon—is necessary for safety and performance.

Water is abundant in the human body, with 60 to 70% of body weight coming from water. Every system and metabolic activity in your body depends on water to operate. For the most part, water intake and output are dynamically balanced. Sometimes, your water intake needs to increase or decrease; finding that balance and drinking the optimal amount can provide several benefits.

There are several reasons to drink water for your health, including improved skin, digestion, weight management, performance, and more.

Helps With Weight Balance

Drinking water can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight balance. Although there are many health metrics aside from weight, maintaining an ideal weight range for your height and body frame will reduce your risks of many diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction.

Hydrating optimally can support fat loss through increased lipolysis (fat burning). Research shows that mild, but consistent, under-hydration is associated with increased body weight.

Supports Healthy Skin

Drinking water can boost the hydration of your skin, helping prevent dryness and signs of aging. Hydrated skin helps provide a barrier and prevents several skin conditions like dryness and roughness.

Studies show that the effect of drinking more water has on your skin's hydration level depends on your current habits. If you already get sufficient water, you likely won't see noticeable benefits, but if you are chronically under-hydrated, you likely will see improvement and less dry, irritated skin.

Increases Aerobic Capacity

According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, the most important nutritional performance-enhancing aid for athletes is water, and avoiding dehydration while active helps ensure exercise capacity. Before you start working out, it is highly recommended to ensure you've hydrated adequately.

Research shows that proper hydration can help you work out longer and at higher intensities. Dehydration can impair your performance, with laboratory data showing a 2% body weight loss from fluid loss, reducing aerobic efficiency.

Enhances Power and Strength

Ensuring adequate hydration is vital for any athlete's aerobic capacity, anaerobic power and capacity, muscular endurance and power, strength, and focus. Experts agree on following your body's cues when it comes to drinking before, during, and after exercise. Over-hydration can cause just as many issues for performance.

Boosts Cognition

Cognition is also affected by losing 2% body mass from fluids. The effects are seen as a loss of short-term memory and impairment of tasks that require psychological and physical tracking. All bodily functions require water, and the brain depends on proper hydration to function fully.

Improves Digestion

Proper hydration aids with the digestion of food and helps you absorb nutrients from the digestive tract. Nutrients in your digestive tract need to dissolve to be readily absorbed into the bloodstream and water is crucial for this process to occur.

As well, if you aren't properly hydrated, digestion will slow, which can lead to constipation. In fact, a lack of drinking water or other liquids is considered a primary contributor to chronic constipation.

A Word From Verywell

Water is vital for health and is required for countless bodily functions. This means that everything from your brain health and mood to your digestion and athletic performance is affected by your hydration levels. Ensure you drink enough water without going overboard by listening to your body's needs and keeping water within reach throughout the day. If you are concerned about dehydration or your specific needs, consult a health care provider.