Up until recently, I was that guy who joked around that I got my daily water intake through a combination of coffee and/or beer, depending on the day. I’d always been really, really bad at drinking enough water… that is, until one of my family members started talking about the immediate benefits they saw from drinking 8 cups a day. On his – and my wife’s – insistence, I started doing the same. Here are some of the things I experienced.

More energy.

This one was immediate. The first day I started drinking enough water, I found I was way less reliant on coffee than I normally am. Now, I’m not a huge coffee drinker as it is, but I usually have a cup in the morning, then a half-caf in the afternoon.

Now that I’m drinking water throughout the day, I find I no longer need that second coffee, and even the first one has become optional. I drink it more because I like coffee than because I need it.

Better sleep.

I also found that drinking the right amount of water seems to lead to a better night’s sleep. I’d often wake up with back and neck pain throughout the night, but lately I find I’ve been sleeping better. Just make sure you don’t go drinking tons of water before bed; otherwise, you’ll be waking up for different reasons!

Less joint pain.

Water lubricates your body’s joints, which helps reduce joint pain. I didn’t know this until I researched it recently. I wish I knew this years ago, because then maybe I would have started drinking more water earlier on in my life, and I wouldn’t be in so much pain all the time!

I think this is a big part of my personal reason that I find drinking more water leads to a better night’s sleep. If you’re someone with joint paint, whether from old age or an injury of some sort, make sure you’re getting enough water to drink each day – it’ll make a noticeable difference.

Better bodily functions.

With the right amount of water, everything’s just… smoother. We’ll leave it at that J

Better focus.

This one was huge for me. I have always found that I have a very short attention span, but drinking more water has actually helped me maintain my focus for longer periods of time. It has literally made me more productive at work, plus I’m also a better listener in meetings. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t experience it myself, honestly.

Wrapping it Up

My wife has been telling me for years to drink more water. I can understand her frustration when all it took was someone else to suggest that I do it, and I was sold on the idea. Annoying her was just a bonus though; there are so many other benefits to drinking lots of water each day, like I said.

The suggested daily intake is around 8 cups of water; if you need a little help tracking that, I find this canteen to be a fun way to stay motivated. It holds a full day’s water intake, and even gives you some motivational words of encouragement along the way. Any old cup will do just fine too, of course; so get drinking and feel the benefits for yourself!