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Clean Water and Healthy Living Photo of Hands Holding Clean Water

August 2022

Clean Water and Healthy Living: The Complete Guide

Clean water and healthy living go hand-in-hand. Most of us in North America take our access to clean water and healthy living for granted. After all, we just open the tap and voilà, there it is.  

Unfortunately, not everyone in the world (or even in North America) has access to clean water, and many people don't realize that their water isn't as clean and healthy as they believe. 

According to a UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) report, globally, more than 785 million people don't have access to essential water services. Additionally, an estimated 884 million people are without safe drinking water.  

However, according to the CDC, water alongside sanitation and hygiene can prevent about 9% of the world's disease burden and 6% of global deaths. In a nutshell: If the world uses clean water, it will promote healthier living.  

In our article, we’ll look at how clean water equals healthier living by reviewing what happens when unclean water is consumed, and revealing the health benefits of drinking clean water. We'll also discuss why clean water and healthy living are inextricably linked, the benefits of drinking filtered water, and the various ways you can filter water to drink, bathe, and cook. 

How Are Clean Water and Healthy Living Linked?

Without clean drinking water, a person can suffer many adverse health effects. For example, just one consequence is that if you don't drink clean water regularly, your body won’t be able to maintain a healthy body temperature.  

Additionally, if you don't enough drink clean water, you may be subject to the ill health effects of: 

  • Dehydration 
  • Irritable moods 
  • Kidney stones 
  • Constipation 

Clean water has been treated with chlorine and chloramine to help protect us from the adverse effects of bacteria and other contaminants. These disinfectants help ensure that we have a significantly reduced chance of getting diseases and viruses like typhoid fever, salmonella infections, cholera, and noroviruses, because the disinfectants prevent disease outbreaks by killing harmful pathogens.  

What Are the Health Benefits of Drinking Clean Water? 

There are many reasons why clean water is essential to a healthy life. The following are some of the more important ones: 

Balances Your Bodily Fluids 

The human body comprises approximately 60% water, and this water plays an instrumental role in regulating and ensuring bodily processes are completed. For example, the water in your body is involved in saliva production, digestion, blood circulation, and the absorption of minerals and vitamins.  

Fortunately, your body will let you know when you need to drink water to ensure your bodily fluids are balanced and your physical processes that rely on water function as they should. 

Your pituitary gland controls your water levels because it communicates with your kidneys to determine how much water you store and excrete. So when your body requires more water, your brain will make you feel thirsty.  

Drinking pure water will quench your thirst and better serve your body than other drinks that contain sugars or artificial ingredients, which could be unhealthy for you.  

Some experts recommend that men drink nearly 4 liters of water and women drink close to 3 liters of water each day. If you're exercising, it’s wise to increase your consumption of clean water so you don't become dehydrated.  

Water Nourishes Your Skin 

Your skin is your body's largest organ, which acts as a solid defensive barrier that protects you from external threats; just one good reason to ensure it's healthy. One of the most optimal ways to nourish your skin and keep it healthy is to routinely drink plenty of clean water. 

The appearance of your skin can alert you to when you’re feeling dehydrated and need to drink water. If your skin looks dry or flaky, it may indicate that you need to consume more of life’s elixir — water. To improve your skin while keeping it nourished, you need to drink plenty of clean water throughout the day.  

To ensure the water you're consuming is clean, you might want to consider investing in a water filter. A water filter helps ensure that the water you drink isn’t tainted by certain potentially harmful chemicals.   

Additionally, drinking plenty of clean water can also help reduce the signs of aging, which will help your skin stay younger and healthier for longer.

Maintains Your Kidney Function 

Your kidneys can be described as a pair of filters that work together to remove various toxins from your body through urine excretion. When you're drinking enough water, your kidneys continue to ensure the removal of toxins from your body.  

So how will you know if your kidneys filter the toxins from your body and if you need to drink more water? If your urine is light yellow and you take frequent trips to the toilet, your kidneys are likely functioning as they should.  

However, if you’re not taking frequent bathroom breaks and your urine is darker, it’s a sign you aren’t getting enough H2O for your kidneys to function correctly. If you continue not to drink clean water and allow yourself to become dehydrated regularly, you risk potentially developing kidney stones.  

Increases Your Energy Levels and Maintains Muscle Health

The amount of water you drink can affect your energy levels. If you frequently feel sluggish or lethargic and haven’t drunk any water for a while or start to feel the effects of dehydration, it's your body's way of telling you that you need to drink water.  

Clean water plays an instrumental role in providing energy for muscle contraction. If you don't drink water, your fluid balance is disturbed, which often causes muscle fatigue and can lead to muscle mass loss.  

Since exercising is a vital part of staying healthy, it's essential to drink clean water to ensure your muscles are contracting as they should while you exercise.  

Why Drink Filtered Water?

Water filtration can remove impurities and contaminants like disinfection byproducts or heavy metals, while allowing for essential minerals such as magnesium, fluoride, and calcium. 

Filters Help Eliminate Water Toxins 

Depending on the type of water filter you have in your home, you can count on it to remove toxins from the water you're drinking. For example, many water filters will remove lead and other toxins.

Water Filters Can Remove Bacteria 

Many contaminants in the water come out of our tap. The water treatment plants do an excellent job of filtering the most harmful viruses and bacteria from our water. Yet, some remain after filtration or are picked up when the water travels from the plant and into your pipes. This bacteria can lead to stomach issues that can negatively affect your health in the short-term. Filtering your water will help you avoid these stomach upsets and remain healthy and happy. 

What Are the Ways We Clean Our Water? 

There are three primary ways water can be made clean for drinking, bathing, washing, and cooking. Below are three standard methods to clean water.  

  • Boiling: Usually, the fastest and most cost-effective way to clean water is to boil it. With this method, you’ll place water in a kettle or pot, bring it to a boil, and leave it boiling for one to three minutes. If your house is in a high-altitude area, you need to boil your water for longer to purify it.  
  • Filtration: Arguably, one of the most effective ways to purify water and make it safe to drink is filtering it. When the correct filter is used that has been obtained from a reputable company like HomeWater, it can effectively rid your water of contaminants and compounds like chlorine and bacteria. Since most water filters don't deplete all the mineral salts in your household, filtered water is considered healthier when compared to other water purification methods. Different filters, such as carbon filters, work best for various processes.  
  • Chlorination: In North America, since the 1900s chlorination has been used to clean water because it’s an effective purification chemical that kills waterborne diseases, parasites, and germs. You can purify the water you use with pure liquid chlorine that contains no additives, or with chlorine tablets. Caution must be taken when using chlorine tablets or liquid for drinking water, as it can have adverse effects if you use too much. Use CDC guidelines when using chlorine to purify your own water in emergency situations.  

Clean Water Is Crucial for Healthy Living

Clean water is essential for our body to maintain normal function and stay healthy. Sadly, many people in the world cannot take clean water for granted. 

Those of us in developed countries are fortunate to have access to water that’s been disinfected through mass water filtration systems — usually using chlorine and chloramine. Still, water disinfection byproducts (DBPs) such as trihalomethanes (THM), halogenated acetic acids, halogenated acetonitriles, chloral hydrate, and the chlorinated phenols can cause health issues if unchecked. A whole-house water filtration system can help.  

If we use clean water for drinking, cooking, and bathing, we’re less likely to become ill from viruses, bacteria, and other contaminants. There are many ways to clean our water at home, but the three methods discussed (boiling, filtration, and chlorination) are the most popular.  

If you’d like to install a water filtration system in your home to ensure your water is free from contaminants, HomeWater can help.  

Using a filtration system will also ensure the harsh effects of chemicals like chlorine are avoided or lessened. To speak with one of our specialized water filtration experts at HomeWater, reach out to speak with an expert today. In addition, we offer all of our clients a free water test to evaluate if water filtration is the best solution.

Brought to you by homewater.com

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