Drink Up: Why Water is Your Friend

Drink-UpWith summer comes heat. With heat comes perspiration. And when bodies perspire, valuable moisture is lost. “Our bodies are made up of 60 percent or more of water. We need water to regulate body temperature, provide a “highway” for nutrients to travel to the body’s organs, transport oxygen, remove waste and protect joints and organs,” said family medicine physician Candice Yu-Fleming, M.D.

Here Dr. Yu-Fleming shares three good reasons to hydrate:

1. Combats headaches

According to Dr.Yu-Fleming, people who suffer from migraines experienced a significant decline in headache duration and intensity if they consumed about 6 cups of water a day. “This was a pilot study done in the European Journal of Neurology, and it found that dehydration has a direct impact on migraines,” she said. “Studies have also shown that poor hydration leads to increased tiredness, reduced alertness and impaired short-term memory.” Dr. Yu-Fleming also pointed out that mild dehydration – as little as one or two percent – can impair cognitive performance like the ability to perform mental tests and skills requiring thinking.

Read the rest of the article here!