- Flush out toxins
Toxins build up in your body overnight, especially in your liver, kidneys and bowels. Drinking water as soon as you get up helps to remove these toxins as well as uric acid from the kidneys. Early morning hydration also helps to keep your bowel healthy and helps to prevent constipation.
- Increased Energy
When properly hydrated, your body runs more efficiently. Blood is less sticky and so flows more easily, which in turn means that nutrients can more easily reach all parts of the body, but especially extremities.
- Weight Loss
In a study reported in PubMed two groups of people were tested for weight loss. One group was given 500ml of water before each meal and the other was given no water. The group that drank the water lost 2kg more over a twelve-week period.
Start with at least 500ml of water prior to breakfast and another 500ml before each meal to get the weight loss benefit
- Healthier Heart
Less sticky blood means less strain on the heart. Flushing out excess uric acid results in less plaque build-up on the walls of the arteries. Both of these factors together result in a reduced possibility of a heart attack.
- Look Younger
Dehydration causes the skin to look older and more sunken. According to Dr Alan Rivkin, drinking less than two to three litres can result in chronic dehydration. When this happens, water is drawn from all organs, and as the skin is the largest organ in the body the skin will be severely affected. “This causes damage to the cells involved, and damaged skin cells cause wrinkles, as well as thin and saggy skin throughout the body,” says Dr Rivkin.
The recommendation is to drink between 2 and 3 litres of water per day, depending on temperature (not just outside temperature because being in a centrally heated room can also be very dehydrating), and amount of exercise.
It is best to sip water regularly rather than gulp large amounts when you are thirsty as when you reach the point of feeling thirsty you are already dehydrated. As we have already discussed you are likely to be dehydrated when you get out of bed in the morning so one glass straight away with another shortly after will help reverse this state before reverting to small and frequent amounts for the rest of the day.
Test for yourself
Make a note of how you feel when you get out of bed in the morning. Note if you have a headache, still feel tired, have aches and pains, are not in a great mood, and any other symptoms that you experience. You could even include how you look – take a picture! When you have done this for 3-4 days introduce the water as suggested above. After a week repeat the exercise, but don’t look at your previous notes until you have written down how you feel and look now. Then repeat after one month and then 3 months.
I’d love to know what your results are either privately by sending me an email to sandra@theessenceofhealth.co.uk or if you don’t mind sharing in public let me know and I will post your before and after notes and pictures.
References
