blake
According to the CDC, on average, 43% of individuals drink less than four cups of water a day, while 7% stated they did not consume any water.
It all looks like a lot, doesn’t it? But in reality, it isn’t, and drinking enough water is critical to maintaining general health. Consuming the correct amount of water will help you stay hydrated, lower your risk of kidney stones, improve your skin tone and condition, and assist with weight loss.
However, how much water is too much? To encourage myself to consume more water, I took on the “gallon challenge.” For this, I purchased a gallon jug of water (and I swear that it is larger than my head). I consumed a gallon of water each day for a month to see if there was any difference between drinking 128 fluid ounces and the suggested amount. (Please note: I am a 5-foot-1 active female in her late twenties, so this amount of water is over the daily suggested intake for me, not by much though).
Here’s what happened:
1 — I felt less bloated.
Water is beneficial to the digestive system when consumed. You can become constipated if you don’t drink enough water, and you could feel bloated as a result of it.
I didn’t feel like this all of the time. If I had a big supper or consumed too much salt, my stomach expanded. Water, on the other hand, helped me get through it, and I wasn’t left feeling bloated or uncomfortable constantly.
2 — I developed headaches.
This was the most unexpected side effect for me. You become dehydrated if you don’t drink enough water. Headaches are one of the symptoms of dehydration. Did you know, however, that you can still get headaches even after drinking too much water?
If you drink too much water, you might develop hyponatremia. When the sodium level in your body is excessively low, this can happen. This may occur when you continuously consume water and your body retains a lot of it. The sodium in your body will be diluted as a result of this. Headaches are one of the signs of hyponatremia. Nausea, tiredness, and even confusion are other possible side effects. Although I did experience nausea and tiredness, they were not constant enough to mark as an issue.
The main lesson? Make certain you have enough of electrolytes in your water. It does not have to be the whole gallon, but at least one to two glasses are required.
3 — I felt fuller more often.
Water has been said to aid your metabolism, and after my experiment, I can certainly attest to that.
Most people assume that water aids in the removal of fat from the body. Water has also been proven to increase energy expenditure and turn stored fat into fuel, according to studies.
Leaving me to feel fuller for longer helped me stop eating unneeded and unhealthy things. If I continued this approach, it would undoubtedly assist with weight reduction since I had stopped consuming exorbitant calories.
