One thing we often forget when trying to stay healthy is hydration. Keeping yourself well-hydrated is super important, especially in the cold winter months, because it protects your skin and helps your body function at its best. Are you drinking enough water?
We all know we need to stay hydrated since our bodies are made mostly of water and we lose water when we exercise. It seems pretty straightforward, so we often don’t pay much attention to it.
But what exactly does proper hydration do for your body? That’s the key question.
A big part of our body is water—even from birth. Getting the right amount of water impacts everything from digestion to circulation and even how your skin looks and feels.
Skin cells, like all cells in the body, contain water. The amount of water in these cells affects the condition of your skin. Water gives your skin its natural bounciness and flexibility. Without enough water, your body will show signs of dehydration quickly.
Once you understand how water affects your skin, it’s important to know how to spot dehydration in your skin. One easy way to check is the “pinch-test.” Just pinch a bit of skin between your thumb and forefinger, hold for a few seconds, and then let go. If your skin snaps back right away, you’re well-hydrated. If it takes a moment to return to normal, you might be dehydrated.
Besides making your skin look less vibrant, dehydration can also lead to dry skin. Dealing with rashes, flakiness, and other skin issues can be really frustrating and can affect your confidence. While some skin conditions require medical treatment, many can be improved simply by drinking more water, nature’s best medicine.
Drinking more water keeps your body hydrated and can improve your skin’s condition, reducing dryness. The same goes for dry, chapped lips. Often, environmental factors and a lack of moisture cause lips to dry out and crack, which can be painful. Rehydrating can help solve this.
To tackle dry skin and chapped lips caused by dehydration, start by considering how much fluid you drink daily and look for ways to increase it. Although we often reach for coffee or tea, these drinks can be dehydrating because of their caffeine content. Similarly, sugary sodas, although liquid, can make you need more fluids due to their high sugar content.
To counter this, try drinking more plain water. While it might not be as exciting as other drinks, water is the best thing for your body and skin. You can add natural flavors like lemon, ginger, or mint, or switch to caffeine-free teas and decaffeinated coffees for a tasty change, but plain water will always do the trick.
Experts suggest a general target of around 8 glasses of water a day, although opinions vary.
If you want to get rid of chapped lips, solve dry skin problems, and take good care of your body, try drinking more water for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.
