3 Amazing Benefits Of Water Therapy And Things To Consider

1. It Improves The Thickness And Density Of Your Skin

Your skin contains about 30% of the total water content of your body. And maintaining this percentage is vital to keep your skin elastic and plump and prevent loss of moisture due to environmental factors. If your water intake is low, your skin cannot prevent the excessive water loss, and it will lose its resiliency. Adequate water intake maintains the skin density and thickness and prevents loss of moisture, which keeps your skin healthy (1).

2. It Helps In Flushing Out Toxins From Your Body

Your kidneys need water to flush out toxins from your body. The kidneys filter the waste from your bloodstream so that your organs receive pure and oxygenated blood. Your skin receives the essential nutrients and oxygen through blood. And unless your blood’s clear, your skin will not glow.

3. It Improves Your Normal Skin Functions

From preventing water loss and eliminating toxins to synthesizing vitamin D and protecting your body from sun damage – your skin performs multiple functions every day. Daily intake of adequate levels of water helps your skin function effectively. It can rejuvenate, refresh and cleanse your skin from within.

Ez, a beauty blogger, wrote how increasing her water intake helped heal her skin from the inside out. She said, “I drank at least 2 liters of water per day. A week after I started doing this, I began to break out like no other, like it was so bad. But anyways, I persevered because I believed water was in no way harmful to the body. After about a couple of months my skin began to clear up (i).”

A study evaluated the effect of drinking water on human skin hydration levels and other functions. The subjects drank about 2 liters of water every day for one month. The results showed that drinking water not only helped in maintaining and improving the normal physiology of the skin but also enhanced superficial and deep skin hydration levels (2).

It’s pretty evident that water intake plays a crucial role in keeping your skin healthy. Let’s understand how you can follow the Japanese water therapy to keep your skin healthy and glowing.

Guide To Follow Japanese Water Therapy For Healthy Skin

Before we proceed to the steps, here’s some encouragement for you!

A study says that drinking water can also help you in losing weight by increasing the number of calories you are burning every day (3). When you drink enough water, your Resting Energy Expenditure (the calories your body needs when you are not active) increases. All this happens due to the thermogenicⁱ  XThe tendency of the body to produce heat through metabolic stimulation that aids in calorie loss and fat burning during workouts. effect of water (4).

Note: Thermic effect is the number of calories your body spends to process any food item.

We guess this is enough to get you excited about water therapy. Now, let’s move on to the steps.

Step 1 

Drink at least four to six glasses of water right after you wake up in the morning. Each glass should hold 160-200 mL of water. Do this on an empty stomach. The water should be at room temperature or lukewarm.

Note: You may squeeze a lemon into it.

Step 2

Brush your teeth after you have drunk the water. Do not eat anything for the next 45 minutes. Carry on with your daily routine after that. During the 45 minutes, you may do light physical activities, such as jogging or yoga.

Step 3

Maintain a gap of two hours between every meal you have throughout the day. And during these two hours, avoid drinking and eating anything. For instance, after 15 minutes of having your breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, and dinner, do not eat or drink anything for the next two hours.

Step 4

If you cannot drink four to six glasses of water at one go, take a break for a couple of minutes between every glass of water.

There are a few pointers to keep in mind before you even think of starting water therapy. Take a look.

Things To Consider Before Starting Water Therapy (Or During The Therapy)

• If you are elderly or have any health issues but still want to go ahead with this therapy, start with one glass of water every day and then gradually increase the amount.
• Avoid caffeine and alcoholic beverages while you are undergoing this therapy.

• Do not drink excess water. Overdoing this may cause water intoxication, which is fatal. A proper balance of food and water intake is required by the body.

• Always consult a doctor before starting any alternative therapy. The daily amount of water required differs from person to person. It depends on your fitness levels, climatic conditions, age, and weight.

There are several water therapies out there that you may get confused with. One such is cold water therapy, which serves a completely different purpose. Read on to know how it is different from Japanese water therapy.

What Is Cold Water Therapy?

Cold water therapy involves using cold water to alleviate muscle and joint soreness and recover from physical exertion (5). It involves immersing oneself in cold water up to the neck or focusing on specific body parts. Ice bath is a popular method of cold water therapy that allows for temperature control and is done at home, therapy clinics, or specialized recovery centers. Individuals may immerse themselves in icy natural water bodies like lakes in colder regions to reap its benefits. The duration of the immersion depends on the water temperature and personal tolerance level.