Want to live longer? Start drinking more water, study reveals

There are plenty of lifestyle adjustments people can make to slow down the process of aging. Some adjustments are bigger than others, but drinking more fluid is a small and easy way that could help lower the risk of experiencing falls, slow-healing wounds, and strokes from occurring.

You might have a glass of water in the morning when you take supplements like the best vitamins for women over 50 or best fish oil supplements. But are you finishing that water in your glass, and are you having regular cups of fluid throughout the day?

If you don't think you stay on top of it, upping your water intake on the daily could be something your future body thanks you for. This can prevent water-loss dehydration from happening; according to a study published in the
Mechanisms of Ageing and Development journal, water-loss dehydration is something that affects 20 to 30% of older people.

This kind of dehydration is a result of insufficient fluid intake and is associated with multiple chronic health issues amongst the elderly. Falls, fractures, confusion, pressure ulcers, poor wound healing, urinary tract infections, strokes, and constipation can all happen from water-loss dehydration.

The best way to prevent dehydration from happening is by drinking fluid gradually throughout your day. You can build a healthy habit around this by ensuring you have water with every meal of the day and when you take any medicines.

According to Harvard Health most healthy people should aim to drink around four to six cups of water a day. However, it must be said that you can drink too much water if you suffer from health conditions like thyroid disease and kidney, heart, or liver issues. If so, your liquid intake is something you can raise with your doctor.

There is still more research to be done in this field to better understand the relationship between dehydration, higher mortality and disability in older people, but there are other reasons you should be increasing your fluid intake as you grow older.

With age, your brain function can naturally begin to decline. A study published in the The British Journal of Nutrition revealed that dehydration can cause cognitive weaknesses such as short-term memory, eyesight issues, and mood disturbance. On the contrary, water consumption can boost brain performance, especially visual attention and mood.

Drinking water isn't just something you should do when exercising, it should be something you aim to drink frequently throughout the day. If you do exercise, which is also great for healthy aging, you should make sure you have something like one of the best water bottles for the gym to keep near you during a workout.