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How Long Does It Take for Water to Digest? What Happens in Our Stomach?

Every living thing needs water to survive. Without water, our bodies will not be able to function correctly. The domestic use of water is said to be the most important of all water uses for most people.

Water is a tasteless, colorless liquid that makes up more than 60% of our body weight. But how long does it take for water to digest in our body?

Unlike food, the time a person can go without water seems to be very short, like one week or less.

The Water and Your Body

When we take in water, our body absorbs the amount it needs to function and rids itself of the rest. Then, the body distributes the water to the body’s different organs. So, our vital organs contain water in varying amounts.

Water plays important role in the body. It carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells, helps the body absorb nutrients from the food, and aids digestion. Water moistens oxygen, thereby making breathing and blood oxygen circulation easier.

It helps regulate our body temperature. Because our body loses water when we sweat, staying hydrated helps regulate our body temperature. It also helps in converting food to energy by activating metabolism and is very important in brain function.

Dehydration, according to research, can negatively influence focus, alertness, and memory function. It can also result in fatigue and anxiety.

The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine stipulates that men and women should take 15.5 and 11.5 cups of water daily. Curious about the best time to drink water? check our another piece When is the best time for drinking water before bed?

How Much Water is in the Human Body?

The average percentage of water in the human body varies by age, weight, and gender. Dr. Jeffery of Allegheny University recorded that babies have 78% water, which is the most seen in humans. However, this percentage changes as the baby ages.

Usually, women have a lesser percentage of water in their bodies than men, and lean tissues contain more water than fatty tissues. That is to say that your weight determines the percentage of water in your body.

An average body of a fully developed human being contains over 60% water. However, this can vary from about 45% to 75%.

According to H.H Mitchell, “the brain and the heart contains 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin is about 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79% water, and the bones are 31% water”.

Besides, the blood, which is where most water is contained in the human body, contains 92% water. That means that our organs contain water in different amounts.

To maintain a balance in the percentage of water in your body, drink more water daily, especially after working out.

Water’s Journey Through Your Body

Water’s journey in the body begins in the mouth, and it takes a while for the water we drink to get to other parts of the body. If this process is shortened, the thirst for water becomes heightened.

From the mouth, water travels through the esophagus, and 8-inches long tube that connects the throat with the stomach. Once the water goes through this pipe, the process of water absorption into the bloodstream then begins.

Water then gets to the small intestine, which is where 90% of water absorption occurs.

From the small intestine, water moves down to the large intestine, where the remaining 10% of the job is done. It is responsible for squeezing out the remaining water in ingested food.

Finally, water gets to the kidney, the organ that filters toxins. It needs a lot of water to do its job efficiently. Most kidney-related diseases occur when the kidney does not receive enough water to help it work better.

Often, the kidney reports dehydration by changing the color of urine from white to bright yellow.

How Long Does It Take For Water to Digest?

The answer to this question depends on a few conditions. Water does not go straight to the bladder after it’s taken. It performs some functions in the body.

Generally, water digests faster than solids because it is light-weighted. But, this is dependent on what is already in the stomach before and the body’s condition.

If water is taken on an empty stomach, it can pass through the stomach and small and large intestines in 5 minutes. However, if you drink water right after or while eating, it could take 45 minutes. That is because the stomach must work on the food first, before the water. The quantity of food consumed will unavoidably affect how long it will take the water to digest.

Ultimately, from the time water is taken, it takes between 5 to 120 minutes to be fully absorbed into the bloodstream.

So, if you want the water to digest faster, take it on an empty stomach when you are thirsty, and before you eat.

How Long Does Water Stay In The Stomach?

Just a little amount of the water consumed by a human gets to the bladder.

Water does not just go straight down to the bladder as soon as it gets to the body. It has to perform some other activities. This is why it is essential to drink clean, healthy water that is void of dangerous substances.

Water is quite different from food. In that, it is absorbed into the human body. As soon as the water is taken into the mouth and swallowed, its duty commences. The first job is the activity that takes place between the brain and the mouth. The brain signals the mouth that the body has had enough water. Water taken into the body is used for hydration of all the cells in the body, so it is the brain that gives the mouth a signal that the cells have been fully hydrated.

Then the water goes down through the esophagus to the stomach. This is where the bloodstream absorbs water. The amount of water drank determines mainly how rapidly water is engulfed and how much water gets to the stomach. Drinking water on an empty stomach takes a short while to be absorbed than when food has been consumed first.

How Long Does It Take The Stomach to Empty?

In the 1940s, doctors began a study on gastric emptying times. Gastric emptying time is a test that measures how long it takes for the stomach to empty. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines an empty stomach as “one hour before eating, or two hours after eating.”

Water totally emptying from the stomach varies from 5 to 30 minutes, if taken on an empty stomach. However, it will take longer to leave the stomach if food substances are present.

The sooner water empties from the stomach, the faster it is absorbed. Hence, the quicker hydration will occur

Faster Ways to Empty the Stomach

You can try a few ideas at home if you want to empty your stomach faster than usual. They are:

Water flush

Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water daily to help refresh your system and aid digestion. Taking a mug of hot water is also a good option.

Saltwater

This is done by drinking lukewarm water mixed with two teaspoons of salt on an empty stomach. After doing this, you will feel the need to visit your bathroom in just a few minutes.

Lemon juice 

Mix a glass of water with half of the lemon juice and drink before bedtime and after waking up. In case it gives your teeth a sensitive feel, try taking it with a straw.

Olive oil

To encourage bowel movement, take a spoonful of olive oil on an empty stomach in the morning.

Can We Absorb Water In Ways Other Than Drinking?

YES! If drinking water is not your thing, here are other ways you can stay hydrated without drinking water:

Oatmeal water

Oats are one of the healthiest grains. Oatmeal expands and absorbs water when it is cooked. You can replace your breakfast with oatmeal; they are filling.

To make oatmeal water:

• Soak the oats in water for 20 to 25 minutes
• Pour into a blender
• Add milk, vanilla extract, and water to the oat and blend.
• Filter the mixture
• Add sugar
• Drink.

Click here for the detailed making of oatmeal water.

Milk

Milk is better and more hydrating than water and other sports drinks because they stay in the body much longer than water. They contain protein, carbohydrates, calcium, and electrolytes.

Fruits and Vegetable Smoothies

They are a great and tasty way to stay hydrated. Try blending strawberries, peaches, spinach, cucumbers, zucchinis, cauliflower, carrot, and other veggies. Most vegetables contain 94% water. The beautiful thing is that you can choose what fruit and vegetables to add.

Fruit ice

As an alternative to water, fruit ice contains not just fruits but also a reasonable amount of cold water that can keep you hydrated. They look like ice-creams. To make fruit ice,

• Neatly wash the fruits
• Slice them into smaller pieces
• Put them into ice cube trays
• Push a popsicle stick into each of the ice cubes
• Add your water
• Freeze

Tea

Drinking four to six mugs a day can keep you as hydrated as a liter of water would. Research proves that tea helps prevent heart diseases. Also, teas are healthier replacements for water than soda, caffeinated drinks, and other carbonated drinks.

So, What Are the Best Ways to Drink Water for Healthy Bodies?

For the body to function effectively, we need to consume at least eight glasses of water daily. So, to keep your body hydrated and healthy, follow these leads:

• Drink at least a glass of water after waking up. This will help activate your organs and remove toxins from your body.
• Drink a glass of water 30 minutes before every meal, to aid digestion, and make you feel less hungry. Also, remember to drink another glass of water 1 hour after eating. This will help your body absorb more nutrients from the food.
• A glass of water right before a bath will help lower your blood pressure and body temperature.
• Before going to bed, drink another glass of water to refill fluids that might be lost at night and to aid the cell renewal process.
• Ensure to drink a glass of water every 2 hours within the day. You can set your timer to serve as a reminder.
• Sometimes, people interpret thirst as hunger. Drink water when you are hungry. This is good for those seeking to lose some weight.
• Also, drink water before and after a workout session. The amount of water you will need to drink depends on your weight, health, and weather.

How Can Excess Water Be Removed From The Body?

Edema, also known as excessive water retention, is a symptom of feeling bloated or weightier due to excess fluids. It is a malfunction of the body’s mechanism for maintaining fluid levels in the body. It can cause bloating, swelling, stiff joints, an increase in weight, and puffiness.

To reduce the amount of water in the body:

• Reduce the intake of salt. It contains sodium and chloride and can tie water to the body.
• Take more magnesium-rich foods like almonds, cashews, tofu, soy nuts, black-eyed beans, spinach, okra, and whole-grain products.
• Increase the intake of Vitamin B6. Eat foods like eggs, pork, fish, bread, vegetables, peanuts, soya beans, mils, potatoes, etc.
• Eat potassium-rich diets like avocadoes, bananas, tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, peas, and cucumbers.
• Exercise on a more regular basis to balance body fluids and rid of excess fluids through sweats.
• Stress less and sleep more.

How Long Does It Take For Solid To Digest?

Generally, it takes about a day to three days for food to be digested. The actual time, however, relies on the proportion of food and the kind of food taken.

Food is taken through the mouth and goes straight through the digestive tract. And within 6-8 hours, it has moved through the stomach, small and large intestine. The ones passed to the large intestine are partly digested food that can take up to a day or more to break down the food completely.

Proteins and fats take longer to digest because they comprise complex molecules that take longer for the body to process. But, vegetables and fruits digest quickly. You would have noticed that you feel hunger almost immediately after a fruit, this is because the body processes them quickly, leaving you hungry in no time.

After the body has digested the food and absorbed the necessary nutrients needed, whatever is left is regarded as a waste product, and this is what comes out of the body as feces.

How Long Does It Take To Digest Liquid

Consuming water on an empty stomach may go from the stomach to the bulky intestine and plunge into your bloodstream within five minutes. If you drink water at the time of eating, you need to wait for up to 45 minutes prior to water going through the intestines.

The reason is that the stomach needs to digest food first. Overall it will take 5 minutes to 120 minutes to fully absorb into the bloodstream from the time of consumption.

The University of Montreal had done a study poetically named “Pharmacokinetic analysis’’ of absorption, distribution, and disappearance of ingested water labeled with D₂O in humans’’ that has timelines and graphs analyzing the study since you prefer this type of stuff.

How Long Is Food In The Stomach?

The time it takes to digest food in the body varies for people and among males and females.

Once food enters through the mouth, it needs about 6-8 hours to pass through to the intestine. The body digests different nutrients at varied rates, the combination of all the nutrients at once affects how fast it will move through the digestive system.

Meals with high moisture quantity will be digested faster than high nutrient meals. A mixture of all nutrients slows down the digestive system since they’ll need more enzymes to crush them down. Many people think eating fruits alone is a healthy meal, yes, it is, but when it is a combination of different fruits, like fruit salad, then it is not considered a healthy meal. It will even take longer to break down in the body.

The food will remain in the stomach when you eat and don’t allow it to digest before taking another food. In some cases, this undigested food can stay in the stomach for more than half a day, and when the stomach can no longer take it, the food will be hurled into the intestines.

Ever wondered why some people have a big stomach? Most of them are walking about with a large chunk of undigested food.

Additional Functions Of Water

All water does not come from drinking or food. Much digestive juices secreted by the body’s glands is the view of the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.

Water has a great role in the digestive system of your body nourishing your cells, altering toxins from the organs, and keeping your ears nose and eyes moist. Use a water purifier to get safe water for us.

How Long Does It Take for Water to Digest video:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

Water is essential for the survival of all living things. Apart from its health benefits, it is also vital for proper digestion.

It plays lots of roles in the body and keeps the organs hydrated to function effectively. Every time we drink water on an empty stomach, it gets digested in minutes. It helps accelerate the hydrating process needed by vital body organs.

The answer to the question of how long it takes for water to digest helps us know how and when to take it.

Sources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/digestive-system/expert-answers/faq-20058340

https://www.quota.com/What-happens-when-you-drink-water-on-an-empty-stomach

http://health.usnews.com/doctors/michael-picco-28528