Over the years one thing I have always struggled with was drinking enough water. "Eight, eight-ounce glasses a day" has been beaten into us by our doctors, coaches and parents since we can remember. While it was always in the back of my mind, I never gave the notion much thought. Growing up I was very active; whether it be through sports or just for fun. I drank enough water to keep me satiated, but probably didn't even get close to that eight glasses everyday. This didn't bother me much due to the fact that I rarely felt thirsty (or maybe I did but I was busy and paid no mind to it). After getting to college, I decided to make drinking more water a priority instead of a chore. I consciously paid attention to how much I was drinking and how it made me feel. At first I didn't notice any extreme differences but sure enough, they eventually came. While this might not be true for everyone, these are some of my observations.
1. Ability to Concentrate
My ability to focus on assignments improved drastically. I no longer felt the need to procrastinate my work or take lengthy breaks. When I sat down to work, I did just that. Something I constantly noticed before was my inability to process and understand the information I read in textbooks and long passages. I would get to the end of these readings and realize I knew nothing about them. Where was my mind? I still don't know. These tasks soon became easier and more manageable. The tendency that my mind had to drift away in other thoughts while reading disappeared. Furthermore, the restlessness and impatience I felt during class lectures improved and I became more interested in the material being taught. The daily distractions I faced became less of a nuisance and did not prohibit me from accomplishing my tasks in a timely manner.
2. Sleep Quality
By staying hydrated throughout the day, I noticed that it was easier for me to fall asleep and stay asleep during the night. Previously, I woke up frequently at night and was unable to have productive sleep. I tossed and turned many nights and slept in a state of awareness. I woke up unrested and frustrated many mornings. This was never the way that I wanted to begin my day and often put me in a bad mood throughout the day. After I made this change I experienced more restful sleep that promoted a good mood and a healthy state of mind in the morning. I began to feel less groggy upon waking up and more eager to start my day.
3. Energy
More often than not, as we move through our daily routine we grow easily fatigued. This was something that I noticed every day and I began to feel this way just mere minutes after waking up. My energy levels felt as if they were low from the start of my day and rapidly declined as the day went on. I frequently felt like I needed a nap and found it difficult to stay awake during my classes. By the time my day reached its end, I didn’t want to do homework or anything else for that matter. Forget working out, I could barely do my nightly chores before falling into bed exhausted. By starting my day out with a glass of water and continuing to hydrate throughout my day, I felt my energy levels increase significantly. I always heard that if you are falling asleep in class to take a drink of water because it will give you the boost you need. I can’t express how true this is, not just for class, but your entire day. Staying hydrated not only boosted my energy but gave me the ability to make it through the day without feeling as tired.
4. Skin
Yes, everyone knows that the more water you drink, the better your skin will look. I never believed that something as simple as drinking the recommended amount of water per day could actually make such a drastic difference. This difference is evident in not only your skin, but your hair, nails and eyes, also. This change is not quite as sudden as some of the other things I have discussed. However, with time, you will notice improvement. The difference is evident in not only your skin, but your hair, nails and eyes, also. I noticed my pesky, frequent breakouts on problem areas diminishing. My skin looked more radiant, fresh and rested to the point that other people noticed and commented on my “glowing skin.” My hair began to grow faster and looked healthier and more hydrated long after it was last cut. My nails grew more rapidly and lost their dingy un-buffed finish. Finally, I noticed that my eyes less frequently appeared bloodshot and red and my sclera became a brighter white. They also did not feel as dry as they usually did, which was something I always noticed due to wearing contacts.
5. Overall Health
By sticking to this regimen of frequent water intake, my overall health greatly benefitted. Beginning my water intake early in the day with breakfast jump-started my metabolism for the day ahead of me. My frequent cravings for snacks decreased and I felt more full at the end of each meal without over-eating. I no longer felt the need for any other beverage at meals than water alone. On another note, I have suffered with headaches and migraines since I was young and I never once saw a connection between that and my water intake. However, being dehydrated is a common culprit for headaches. I noticed that the more I stayed on top of my hydration, the less headaches I would have. Many of these headaches were probably due to dehydration. Along with this, I noticed an improvement in my immune system. Living on a college campus is not the best for keeping you healthy but as my water intake increased so did my body’s defenses. I became less aware of small annoyances and noticed that my mood was enhanced. My attitude about life and school was more positive and I was happy more often than not.
I encourage everyone to make it a point to incorporate a sufficient amount of water into their daily diet. This amount can vary from person to person depending on gender, weight and daily physical activity. If nothing else, try it for a couple of weeks and pay attention to the changes that you notice. Typically, I drink around two liters of water each day and start this at about eight o’clock in the morning. I try to have my first liter done by one o’clock and my second done by six or seven o’clock in the evening. By evenly spacing out my water intake, I find it easier to accomplish “getting my two liters in” and not uncomfortably over-hydrating at any point during the day.
