Why You Should Drink Water More Often to Get Rid of Water Retention Faster?

Water is the most important element in the human body. It forms 60% of our body mass and maintaining its adequate levels helps us properly do our routine tasks. Some of the most obvious benefits of drinking water are weight loss, detoxification, healthy metabolism, and circulation of blood.

There is no good or bad time to have a glass of water and you can have it anytime you feel like it. Regarding the question of how many glasses you could have in a day, here’s a golden rule. Ancient Japanese medicinal science says that you should have eight glasses of water and walk 10000 steps, and both activities should be done on a daily basis to balance each other.

How Much Water Should You Drink in a Day?

As mentioned above, an ideal consumption means that you should have eight glasses of water every day. It may vary depending on your health conditions and some other factors but it is safe to know that there are numerous benefits of keeping yourself hydrated more often. You might want to go through the following benefits of drinking an adequate amount of water every day.

Wondering if you should have water while having meals? Well, research says that one should have a glass of water before having a meal to help the digestion system work more efficiently. It would also help you keep your blood sugar and blood pressure levels constant.

What Are the Benefits of Drinking Water Every Day?

Here’s how and why drinking water is so important:

Weight Loss

Several qualified pieces of research suggest that drinking water before meals can help you consume fewer calories, and this would boost the weight loss process. It provides a sense of fullness and lowers the requirement of food for the body. If you drink water before a meal, it discourages the cravings for aerated drinks and helps you to cut down on unnecessary calories.

Good for the Skin

Water does contribute significantly to improving the quality of your skin by keeping dehydration away for longer. Drinking water every time before a meal helps in maintaining the right ratio of electrolytes in the body. It also helps in the proper circulation of blood under your skin.

Reduces Constipation

A proper intake of water before meals ensures better elimination of wastes and toxins from the body. This helps in improving the digestive process, reducing acidic reflux, and powering up the colon and pancreas. It also helps in faster bowel movement and softens stools, thus making the process effortless.

Tip: You can get even better results if you start your day with a glass of cumin water.

Metabolizes Fat Faster

Research says that the benefits of having water before a meal are multifold. They can also affect your metabolism directly by improving the functioning of your kidneys and liver. The impact of the proper working of these organs is visible in faster digestion of foods, processing of fats, and removal of toxins.

Energizes Your Day

All organs in a human body require adequate water to perform their function properly, and a loss of water (or dehydration) can directly affect their flow. The same holds for your energy levels too. To stay energized throughout the day, ensure a regular intake of water.

Tip: Starting your day with a glass of warm water is the best way to rejuvenate your digestive system. If you think you can’t drink that so early, you may choose to have a cup of green tea first thing in the morning. This would help you just as much!

What Is Water Retention (Oedema)?

Water Retention or oedema is a painful medical condition that is characterized by the entrapment of an excessive amount of fluid (usually water) in the body’s cells and tissues. This is caused due to a constant leakage of that fluid from the bloodstream and leads to swelling in several parts of the body.

It could be caused due to one or more reasons like a congested heart or a blockage in one or more veins in the legs. One may identify it with swelling or tenderness of that part and is usually found in the legs and arms. The skin there becomes stretched and shiny, and it may start hurting.

Some other symptoms of oedema are painful swelling on various parts of the body, stiff joints, poor blood circulation, irregular weight gains, trouble walking or standing up, body aches, and pitting edema. This disease may also impact kidneys and liver over time if left untreated.

What Is Water Retention a Sign Of?

60% of the human body is made up of water. Your body is a complex system and if it lacks or gets too much of something, this system can break down. The imbalance can manifest itself in the form of water retention and it is usually scary.

Water retention is a big roadblock for weight-conscious people because it hinders their long-term goals. You can consider that a persistent issue of water retention may be a sign of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary edema, or fluid buildup inside your lungs. In women, it may be due to fibroids as well.

How Do You Get Rid of Water Retention Faster?

The good thing is that you may get rid of water retention by making a few lifestyle changes. Here are 20 ways to reduce excess water weight fast and safely.

1. Choose to work out regularly

2. Check if you are suffering from depression or any mental issue

3. Get eight hours of sleep regularly

4. Boost your immune system

5. Reduce stress and alcohol

6. Take healthy superfoods and cut down on junk foods

7. Go for a protein- and fiber-rich diet

8. Include vitamin B-6 in your diet

9. Lie down with your feet over a few pillows

10. Apply ice bags on swelling

11. Exercise regularly

12. Drink glucose and electrolytes

13. Eat foods rich in magnesium

14. Drink green tea

15. Reduce the intake of salt and alcohol

16. Avoid refined carbs

17. Stay happy and positive

18. Try honey and cut down on sugar

19. Consult a doctor promptly

20. Exercise every day

Here’s how some of these ways stack up:

Avoid Too Much Salt

Kidneys are responsible for balancing the amount of sodium and water in the human body. If your sodium levels are high, then these organs hold on to the extra water to dilute it. If you regularly take high amounts of salt in your foods, it might eventually result in the accumulation of storage and high blood pressure. Consequently, the swelling would increase too.

You should stay away from products that are high in salt content like processed foods, canned foods, processed meat, and frozen foods. The ideal intake of sodium in a day should be less than 1500 mg.

Drink Plenty of Water (Yes, It Can Cure the Malaise)

It may seem contradictory but drinking more water may sometimes help you get rid of the stored water in your body. When your body is well hydrated it is less likely to hold on to the excess water in an attempt to maintain sodium balance. So drinking water can help you get rid of fluid retention.

Tip: The best way to calculate the ideal water amount you should have is to drink half your weight in ounces each day. If your weight is 140 pounds, you should drink 70 oz of water per day.

Sweat It Out

Sweating is a mechanism adopted by the body to regulate its temperature. It means that your metabolism levels are higher than usual but they are working just as efficiently. Fluid retention is not only related to water but also to the sodium that is trapped under the skin. Working out regularly can help take out the sodium trapped in your body cells through sweat thus making you feel better.

Also read: Why Couples Who Sweat Together, Stay Together?

Sweat initially tastes like salt but it may start tasting like regular water after a while. It means that your body first draws out the sodium under your skin and then removes the water from there. It is thus recommended to have some cold water handy to regain your energy.

Eating a Healthy and Balanced Diet

Water retention indicates that either your body is getting too much or too little of what it deserves. A healthy balanced diet mainly consists of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, etc. Potassium-rich foods like bananas, berries, watermelon, and spinach also play a key role in effectively managing the fluid levels in the body.

Foods full of fiber like whole grains, greens, seeds, and fruits can also help in reducing the water trapped in your tissues or cells. High calcium products like milk, yogurt, buttermilk, etc. also play an influential role in reducing any unwanted buildup of fluids in the body. You may take in 1200-1350 mg of calcium per day to cure water retention.

Avoid Caffeinated Drinks and Alcohol

If you want to get rid of fluid retention quickly, you should stay away from an unmoderated consumption of caffeinated drinks and alcohol regularly. Drinking lots of alcohol or too many caffeinated drinks every day in quick succession may dehydrate you and can affect your body cells adversely.

Caution: If you prefer having a cup of coffee before your workouts, you might need to consult your trainer before changing your routine.

Natural Diuretics That Can Cure Water Retention:

Many herbs like parsley and hawthorn are slightly diuretic. You can take one or two tablespoons of their dried leaves, add them into a cup of boiling water, and let it brew for some time. Drinking this mixture would strengthen your liver and kidneys, thus helping them work better.

We are now discussing some special cases regarding the spread of oedema (or edema).

Water Retention in Legs and Feet

Edema means that an excess of water has accumulated in the body’s tissues. This situation is especially if water accumulates in the legs because gravity can always pull down water from the upper part of the body to the lower parts.

It may also result from or cause weakening of blood cells in the lower body and a consequent weakening of veins. Once the veins have weakened, they can’t pump the bloodstream back to the upper parts of the body and this results in the blood getting “stored” in the legs.

Called peripheral edema, its symptoms are swelling of legs and feet, constant pain, faster weight gain, discoloration, and non-responsiveness of skin when lightly pressed. This is a serious medical condition and would require immediate medical attention from a qualified healthcare expert.

Water Retention in the Stomach

Another special case is the accumulation of fluids in the stomach. Called Ascites, this medical condition is both troublesome and painful. It can affect the digestion process and metabolism, and can thus cause nausea, fatigue, cramps, and severe indigestion. Your liver could also be affected.

Water retention in the stomach is caused due to an excess of potassium and magnesium salts in the body. Since our stomach is the center of our energy reserves, this malaise affects our activity levels adversely and makes us weaker. It may also interfere with hormonal growth and may even affect the onset of periods in women.

What Pills or Medications Cause Water Retention?

This is a difficult question to answer because every person is different and is characterized by his immunity levels, allergies, medications, etc. However, some medicines for the following ailments may cause the veins in your body to accumulate or retain water in several parts of your body:

• Blood pressure

• Blood sugar

• Inflammation

• Stress

• Body pain

In addition to the above, medications like Apraclonidine, Niacin Extended Release, Lovastatin, Raloxifene, Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate, Amitriptyline (Elavil), Doxepin (Silenor), Nortriptyline (Pamelor) can cause can water retention. It is important to take the above pills or medicines only after consulting a healthcare expert.

Do Xanax and Losartan Cause Water Retention?

Yes, Xanax and Losartan can cause water retention, though not directly. These are some of the most popular medicines for treating depression and stress, they may cause some side effects related to water retention. These medications may also react with some corrective medicines that you might be taking to control your depression or anxiety.

Can Fluid Retention Be Cured?

Yes, it can be. By consulting your doctor and following the above guidelines, you may get rid of water retention and lose weight faster. You may also become a much healthier person and be resistant to the plethora of other maladies that spring forth from the imbalance of living an unhealthy lifestyle. We recommend consulting a healthcare expert promptly for better results.

A smarter approach would involve a roundup of all the methods discussed above. Oedema is indeed a scary and serious medical condition, and it may require a significant change in lifestyle and eating habits. The good thing is that it can be cured for good- and all you’d need are a doctor and nutritionist to get started with those changes to your life.