The Importance of Hydration Essay Example

Water, it iswe used it for washing, transporting, production of several items, but most importantly we used it for human consumptiondrinking. Despite years of research on why hydration is one of the key components for human our health, findings still suggest that in order to attempt increase in water intake, we must also increase in our knowledge about the importance of hydration as well as encourage individuals to develop effective water drinking habits (Papies et al, 2021). A pure source of hydration with no negatives and benefits such as improved cognitive performance, mood, and overall health can effectively be obtained through a habit loop.

The three main components that a habit loop is built on one trigger, one behavior, and one or more reinforcements. The trigger for a specific habit should be unique to the individual, the habit itself, and how it pertains to daily life in order to achieve positive reinforcements. A trigger is what cues an individual’s behavior to then preform a specific action. According to Chan et al (2020), the cuing environment is a habitual trigger that tells an individual’s brain to get ready and go into automatic mode, thereafter, letting a behavior unfold. For example, when it comes to drinking water, the trigger should be rising and having a glass of water ready to drink when once awakened. Research suggests that reducing distraction associated with thirst and arousal being increased by water, improves cognitive performance. Further, studies examining visual attention, proposes that both children and adults’ performances are improved with a small drink of water and over a short time period (Edmond et al, 2021). We have theThe trigger here is of waking up, which is inevitable and then knowing that glass of water is available to start off the day. The specific time of day in which the cue is carried out is important as it reinforces a routine similar to setting an alarm for waking up to brush teeth. This makes the trigger accessible, and it does not require much of a routine change which is an important element in the habit loop. 

The routine or specific action is the actual habit part of the loop. Every day and throughout the day, people naturally have routines for different actives. For example, waking up and then brushing teeth, having breakfast before work, to simply turning on an alarm before bed. Contrastingly, an unwanted routine could involve needing to use the restroom every time at the dinner table or eating junk-food before bed. Routines refer to the behavioral patterns repeated most often that are etched into the brains our neurneurologicalal pathways (Chan, 2020). After the cue of waking up, drink a glass of water before doing anything else. This will become a practiced routine and eventually be done with little to not thought as those neurological pathways will become accustomed to the pattern (Chan, 2020). The habit of drinking a glass of water in the morning will not only accept a clear mind for the day, improvement in mood willhavewill have also taken a positive and beneficial turn. A 2021 study conducted in studying mood during controlled changes of hydration showed demonstrated that early consumption caffeine or other drinks of choice when compared to water, did not have the same effects of enhanced mood, decrease in dehydration, cooler thermal sensation, increased satisfaction, as well as stomach fullness (Armstrong et al, 2021). Through the concept of a habit loop the habitual behavior of drinking water will become a routine to then yield reinforcement.

Humans naturally like being praised and rewarded, more specifically when they are purposely out for a specific reward. This is how the third and final function of the habit loop works, a person preforms the routine or specific behavior to then yield a reward that reinforces the habit routine. The reward refers to the affective outcomes of the specific routine activity as well as the stabilization of the habit, as through this stabilization people practicing habit forming will feel their needs get fulfilled, satisfied, and the additional feeling of beneficial accomplishment (Chan, 2021). The nature of the reward depends on the habit, and when it comes to water intake, the benefits of having a glass of water in the morning surrender to immediate and long-lasting rewards. While it has been proven that there are few negative effects of exact water intake, the evidence of positive effects is quite clear. These positive health effects include protection against colorectal and bladder cancer, heart disease, hypertension, and kidney stones. Further, an imbalance of the right fluids in our bodies can cause hydration headaches (Adee et al, 2017). The reward function of a habit loop is said to be the most important element as it is the reason why we performance of certain habits occurs. The routine or specific action then that yield rewards that give us thedesires desire to continue behaviors. 

Understanding three main functions of a habit loop- trigger, routine, reinforcement, is a vital part fragment of forming habits as it is through a habit loop that behavioral changes are just as obtainable as they are beneficialconstructive. The concept of a habit loop introduced by author Charles Duhigg’s allows for the formation of the habit of drinking a glass of water every day in the morning as obtainable as it is beneficial. Improvements in areas in cognitive function, mood, and areas of physical health. With time and through the understanding of how habits work, experiments on ways to make the trigger stronger, routine easier, and reward more rewarding will begin to form, prolonging efforts to continue pattern and habit forming. Patterns and behaviors are used all around and enhance different aspects of one’s life including personal, financial, and societal. Choosing a pure source oh hydration with several benefits, and little to no negatives is feasible through a habit loop.