Find out how the benefits of drinking enough water can improve your health and help you manage your diabetes
If you are looking for a way to improve your health and manage your diabetes, the answer might be as simple as drinking more water. We’ve all been told to drink more water, but few of us stop to realize just how important water is to our well-being. Water is more essential to our health than almost anything else, including food, because water is involved in some way in the functioning of every one of our body systems. Experts recommend drinking eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water every day. If that seems like a lot t drink, just consider these great health benefits of drinking enough water:
Drinking enough water prevents dehydration
When you are not drinking enough water side effects of dehydration can significantly impair your ability to function. Dehydration can cause mood swings and headaches, and interfere with concentration in a major way. Dehydration can also cause you to crave carbs and sugary foods, two things you should avoid if you have diabetes. Dehydration actually causes such a fogginess of thoughts that recent research found that drivers who were dehydrated committed as many driving errors as individuals who were legally drunk.
Drinking enough water may help prevent diabetes
Researchers have found that when your body is dehydrated, it leads to an increase in the levels of vasopressin, a hormone that regulates water retention. This increase in vasopressin does two things. It pushes the body to retain more water, and it promotes the production of blood sugar. Over time, this increased demand can put a strain on your body’s ability to produce or regulate insulin and put you at a higher risk of developing diabetes. The American Diabetes Association reports that an extensive, multi-year study of more than 3,000 men and women found that participants who drank the most water had a 30 percent lower chance of developing Type 2 diabetes after nine years.
The benefits of drinking water for diabetes don’t stop with prevention. Drinking enough water can also help you lose weight and exercise more effectively, both key components to successfully managing diabetes.
Drinking water helps you lose weight
Water is the original noncaloric, sugar-free drink, and is an easy way to work on losing weight. Drinking two full eight ounce glasses of water before meals helps promote weight loss in several ways. The water helps fill your stomach and convinces you that you are full, reducing hunger pangs so you eat less food. Water also increases your metabolism, so you burn calories faster.
Drinking water improves your workout
Research has shown that being even a lied makes your workout less effective. Sports performance experts warn that a two percent level of dehydration can cause as much as a ten percent decrease in the effectiveness of your workout. That’s important news if you have diabetes, since exercise is a key part of controlling your blood sugar levels
Drinking water flushes out toxins
Water flushes toxins out of our body, primarily through sweat and urine. When you don’t drink enough water, toxins can build up and leave you feeling tired and achy, and prone to infections.
Drinking water keeps your kidneys healthy
Your kidneys process and remove wastes from your body. When you have enough water, all the wastes are flushed out cleanly and your kidneys function the way they are supposed to. If you do not drink enough water, you can develop kidney stones, which are incredibly painful to pass.
For more healthy living advice and tips on managing diabetes, visit www.BetterHealthKare.com. You’ll find cooking tips, delicious low-carb dietary guidelines, and more.
