We all have the habit of getting home and drinking water right away, often standing. Since we all believe that there is nothing wrong that water can do, we don't give it a thought how we are having it - standing or sitting. Well, wake up to the reality. When you have water standing up, you don't get the required nutrition. Shocked? Water, if not consumed in the right manner, can be very bad for you and put you at risk of potential health problems.
The human body is made of 75% water and to stay healthy it is advised that you drink 8 glasses of water. This keeps the body hydrated. It also depends on the way you drink water like if you are drinking water while standing or sitting or while you are moving around. Most people are unaware of the fact that standing and then drinking water is not good for your health. It can lead to multiple health problems. When you stand up and then drink water, then it reaches the lower region of the oesophagus and damages the sphincter. The sphincter is a muscle that connects the oesophagus to the stomach.
There is actually a right way to have water to detoxify the body and gain all the nutrients and minerals. It is important to remember that our body, though made up of 70% water, loses so much of it everyday, it is crucial to fill up on the quantity and hence, it matters that you consume it the RIGHT WAY. And no, it cannot be achieved when you stand up and drink! Wondering why? I will tell you.
When water is swallowed whilst standing, it goes with a great force and speed through the food canal and falls on to the lower stomach wall, with a big splash. This can be very harmful, as it actually injures and damages your lower stomach wall, and even the nearby organs. It may also lead to digestive issues in the long run.
Apart from that, it could have an adverse impact on our kidneys as well. It is believed that Kidneys filter better while we're sitting. As we drink water while standing, it passes down at a rapid pace without actually facilitating much filtration. It may cause the impurities to gather in the blood and even the bladder, further leading to kidney damage in the long run.
However here are the 9 reasons why you should never drink water while standing.
1 Causes Heartburn and Ulcers.
Drinking water while standing puts a lot of pressure on the esophagus when the water splashes and flows hard through it. This sometimes causes damage to the sphincter, the joint between stomach and esophagus. Due to this you may experience heartburn or a burning sensation due to the acids in the stomach flowing backwards.
2 Causes Indigestion.
If you drink water while standing, your body and muscles are in a constant state of tension. Sitting down keeps them relaxed and allows the body to absorb the fluid at a much better pace along with other food items.
3 Arthritis.
When you stand and then drink the water then you are clearly inviting the problem of Arthritis. When you are standing and drinking the water then it leads to the imbalance of fluids in the body. So, the joints are unable to obtain the fluids and they get affected. This leads to arthritis.
4 Affects kidney health.
When a person drinks water in a standing position, water flows down rapidly towards the lower stomach without getting filtered. This makes the impurities present in the water to accumulated in the gall bladder which is detrimental for kidney health.
In addition to this, drinking while standing disallows nutrients to reach the liver which doesn’t satiate the thirst. This is why we don’t feel satisfied even after drinking multiple glasses of water. All the essential nutrients pass through without benefitting the body.
5 Stomach Disease.
Standing and drinking water drains water rapidly through the food pipe. This causes damage to the organs around the stomach. Due to this, stomach disease can occur.
6 The water you drink, gets splashed into the wall of the stomach if you drink while standing.
The splash of the water into the stomach wall cannot only harm the stomach, but also the whole gastrointestinal system and the surrounding organs. The function of the entire digestive tract may also become compromised.
7 Nerve tension.
The sympathetic system, which is the fight system of our bodies, is activated. When in a seated position, the parasympathetic system, or calming system, is activated and this calms down the nerves and improves digestion.
8 Drinking water in standing position doesn’t dilute the acid levels in the body.
According to Ayurveda, water must be consumed in slow, small swigs while sitting down. This helps to properly dilute the acid levels in the body by getting combined with the necessary proportion of water.
9 It Will Not Allow Your Body to Absorb the Nutrients in Water.
When you are standing, your body is tense. Sitting down keeps your muscles and body relaxed, and they can actually focus on digesting the fluid in a more slow and relaxed way.