Does Drinking Water Help Boost Your Immune System?

Did you know that you lose one cup of water per day just by breathing, and six cups of water is lost daily from urination?

Drinking water is a key component of building a healthy body. A build-up of toxins from any source can be worsened with dehydration.

Toxins from your environment or from metabolic processes all put a burden on your immune system. This makes it difficult for your body to fight off any pathogens that you might be exposed to.

A lack of water leads to your immune system becoming static and stuck, meaning it can’t be activated when it’s needed.

Immune cells are normally fairly dormant and spring into action when there’s some sort of immune challenge.

In this article, we’ll consider whether drinking water boosts your immune system; and look at six key ways water can impact your immune system. Plus, seven immediate ways to boost your immune system today. Let’s dive in…

Yes, it sure can!

Drinking water is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to boost your immune system.

Water helps your kidneys rid your body of harmful substances in the form of urine. Plus, your vital organs need copious amounts of water to do their job effectively.

Water is also used to help your lungs release CO2. Care should be taken to drink extra water when pregnant, breastfeeding, in warm weather, or when exercising.

Did you know that you should be producing approximately six cups of urine per day? If you’re producing less, it could be a sign of kidney damage that should be checked out.

People with kidney problems can find it hard to urinate and need to restrict water intake, especially when receiving kidney dialysis.

Related: The Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water

One of the cornerstones of health is drinking lots of high-quality water. Below I outline six of the myriad of health benefits of drinking water, related to immune health.

There are three ways that your body excretes waste. These are urination, defecation, and sweating. Water is essential for all three processes to function efficiently.

An obvious (but critical) benefit of water is the prevention of dehydration. Dehydration is prevalent when your body is ill with a fever.

The whole process of digestion, nutrient absorption, and excretion is facilitated by water. Regulating water intake ensures that the immune system functions properly.

73% of the water in your body is contained in your brain. Hydration relies on both water and electrolytes to allow adequate absorption. Good brain health also fuels healthy choices. Your brain simply works better when it’s hydrated.

Your heart works for you day and night, and the whole process relies on adequate water intake. Dehydration lowers the amount of blood that flows through the heart, resulting in thick blood. One study found that both men and women who drank at least five glasses of water per day halved their risk of dying of coronary heart disease.

When you’re unwell, you’ll likely run a fever. At this point, you’ll need to up your water intake. Sweating requires water and is the main way your body temperature is regulated. Sweating has many immune system benefits from heavy metal detoxification to bacterial cleansing.

Related: Viktor Schauberger, Living Water and Lessons from Nature

It’s not just the quantity of sleep that matters, you also need to be vigilant about the quality of your sleep.

When asleep, and no longer active, various cleaning-up processes are activated. Your brain cells shrink and water is released from your spinal cord to cleanse the brain, a process known as your brain’s washing machine.

Additionally, inflammatory cytokines are released when you’re asleep to signal that it’s time to heal and cleanse.

Meditation has been proven to calm the nervous system, making life easier and boosting your immune system. Chronic stress and depression can inhibit immune cell activation, lowering your immune response.

As such, meditation, which has been proven to reduce stress and soothe the nervous system, can help boost immunity.

Fruits and vegetables are filled with antioxidants that help rid your body of free radicals and toxins. They also contain a panoply of nutrients that boost your immune system.

The best fruits and vegetables to go for are packed with vitamins C, B6, and vitamin E, the top nutrients that you should be looking for to boost your immune system.

Foods rich in these nutrients include:

• Foods Bursting with Vitamin C

Citrus fruits, bell peppers, strawberries, blackcurrants, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts all contain high levels of vitamin C.

• Vitamin E Rich Foods

Pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, wheat germ oil, almonds, peanut butter, and red bell peppers all contain high levels of vitamin E

• Whole Foods Filled with Vitamin B6

Avocados, quinoa, chestnuts, oranges, tahini, banana, pistachio nuts, spring greens, and nutritional yeast are some great examples of foods high in vitamin B6.

Drink more water

Water is one of the quickest and easiest ways to boost your immune system fast.

Your body is 60-70% water and requires at least 6-8 cups of water per day to stay hydrated and healthy. In saying that, everyone is unique.

Water also helps remove waste, and as such is great for cleansing and boosting your immune system.

• Take Your Vitamins

Vitamin deficiencies can lead to the development of disease. Therefore, it’s important that you top up your fuel reserves of vitamins. A daily multivitamin is a great place to start.

Also, having your nutritional status checked annually can spot problems before they develop into symptoms.

Many diseases are characterised by a vitamin deficiency. Vitamin D is implicit in your immune response, so if you live in an area that has long winter months, a vitamin D supplement is a good idea.

Related: Top 5 Vitamins to Boost the Immune System

 The Bottom Line

Water is vital for all systems of your body to function. Any imbalances in these systems can lead to the development of disease.

Water is the lubricant (alongside lipids) that allows your body to function effectively. A lack of water can result in a toxic body that’s blocked and unable to flow naturally, meaning you can’t excrete waste and as such disease becomes inevitable.

Ensuring adequate water intake is the main component in boosting your immune system, and in turn, improving overall health and well-being.

Written by best-selling author and integrative nutrition health coach Rowanna Watson, who has a passion for natural health. Rowanna is an expert in all areas of holistic health, plant-based nutrition, detoxification and personal development.

Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.