How Much Water to Drink to Stay Hydrated
There is certainly no correct answer to just how much water you need to consume everyday. Just like the fact that you are unique, your needs for water are also. The amount of water you need to have to consume depends on several factors such as your health
condition, how active you usually are and the climate you live. However there isn’t a single formula will be for all people, as there are a few guidelines that are available to assist you. The important thing is to stay hydrated and by knowing how much water to drink this will eliminate ever having a dehydration problem.
Health benefits of water
Water is essential to your overall health. Water makes up just about 60 percent of how much we weigh. Just about every system that is in your body is dependent on water. The absence of water can lead to getting dehydrated, a problem that occurs when you don’t have a sufficient amount of water in your body to perform normal functions. Sometimes even a mild case of dehydration can make you feel tired by taking away your energy. Dehydration presents a particular health risk for both the very young and also the very old. Some of the signs and symptoms of dehydration may include:
* Excessive thirst
* Fatigue
* Headache
* Dizziness
* Lightheadedness
* Dry mouth
* Little or no urination
* Muscle weakness
Every day you will lose water—by means of sweating, urinating, exhaling, and bowel movements. For the purpose of your body to function correctly, you have to replace this water by taking in beverages and foods that include water.
There are three approaches at least that are used to figure out the total fluid requirements for healthy, adults that are sedentary that live in a climate that is temperate.
1. Replacement method. The average output of urine for adults is 1.5 liters per day. You will also lose about another liter of water a day through bowel movements,breathing, and sweating. Food will also make up fluid intake at about 20 percent, add this with 2 liters of water consumed or any other beverage per day (a bit over 8 cups), to your typical diet, you just replaced the lost fluids.
2. Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. A second approach on how much water to consume is the “8 x 8 rule” — have eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day (about 1.9 liters). This rule can also be written as, “drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid every day,” as all fluids add up to the daily total. Although this approach isn’t recognized by scientific evidence, countless people use this common rule as a guideline on how much water they should have.
3. Dietary recommendations. Institute of Medicine has a recommendation that men drink about 13 cups a day of total beverages and women should take in their total beverage amount of 2.2 liters (which is about 9 cups) each day. The guidelines here are centered on several national food surveys that looked at the average fluid intake of people.
You can go for any of these fluid intake strategies to gauge just how much water to drink. Most likely your present total of fluid you take in is most likely OK if you have enough water to get rid of thirst, and you have a colorless or a very light yellow in color urine, and you feel well.
Factors that may impact water needs
You might want to adjust your total fluid intake from these suggested amounts depending on a number of factors, which includes how active you are, the climate you live in, your health condition, and if you are breast-feeding or pregnant.
1. Illnesses or health conditions. Several signs and symptoms of illnesses, such as vomitting, fever, and diarrhea, can cause your body to lose extra fluids. To restore lost fluids, drink more water or take in a beverage like Powerade, Gatorade, or a similar sport drink. Any time water loss can’t be replaced orally, then intravenous electrolytes and water may be needed. Increased water intake is usually recommended in people that get urinary tract stones. On the contrary, you may want to limit the amount of water you consume if you have some conditions that hinder excretion of water — such as heart failure and some types of liver, kidney, liver, thyroid and adrenal diseases.
2. Environment. You will need to drink more water if you are in hot or humid weather to help reduce your body temperature and to substitute what you lose when you sweat.
3. Exercise. If you exercise or take part in any activity that tends to make you sweat, you will have to drink more water to make up for that fluid loss. Take in at least 2 cups of water about two hours before a long endurance event, such as a marathon or half-marathon. Having one to 2 cups of water is also enough for shorter rounds of exercise. Throughout the activity, replace fluids often, and continue drinking water or other fluids right after you’re finished.
Knowing how much water to drink can be crucial to your health. Stay hydrated and stay healthy.
This post is sponsored by:
kitchen cabinets nyc
perfume outlets
long island roofing
New Jersey Roofing Companies
Skeletoes
Stucco contractors
Click here to become a sponsor
Check out these great products to keep you hydrated!
Nathan Endurance Race Vest (Grey)
PUR 18 Cup Dispenser with One Pitcher Filter DS-1800Z





















For me, nothing beats any water therapy. Water is one of the things that are mostly taken for granted. Thanks for this healthy reminder. I’ll definitely share this on Facebook.
Stacy Jenkins recently posted..Director of Customer Care
Very informative article, this is worth sharing to other people. Might as well print it out and hand this over to my students. Would you allow me to do that? Thanks!
Kyle Cooper recently posted..Office Beauty Essentials
I am clearly not drinking enough Mike. I have found that drinking an hour before my twice weekly 3-mile run has made a huge difference in performance. So I do it before all my workouts. Just an 8 once glass suffices.
Cheryl
Cheryl Boswell recently posted..How Does Turbo Jam DVD Home Workout Rate Among Users In the Home Workout Routines Market?
Well, I am a 71 year young retired U.S. Navy EOD Diver. I have found that a great rule of thumb for water is drinking 1/2 your weight in ounce’s of “Alkaline Ionized” Water as a solution for most people and it contributes significantly to the over-all health of almost everyone. Peace and Joy be in your life and may you die very old…. at a very young age.
Thanks for your comment and thanks for your service!
Mike,
Thanks so much for your imput. I am assuming you mean to drink that amount per day? My only misgiving with that is obviously the constant need for elimination. I have also read and practices augmenting fruit for a little water during the day. You get the nutrients and the water that goes with it.
Cheryl
Cheryl Boswell recently posted..Beachbody Slim in 6 is in the Family of Lower Impact but Effective Exercise Workouts
I am sorry, I mean to address the above question to Richard not Mike.
Cheryl Boswell recently posted..Beachbody Slim in 6 is in the Family of Lower Impact but Effective Exercise Workouts
Water is really very important element and that it is also necessary that we drink water every once in a while especially during hit days to keep our skin hydrated as well and maintain its glow. When doing exercises water is a good aid in making us sweat more, eradicating more toxins away from our bodies. Great post you have here.
Thanks for this post, i couldnt agree more
See my similar thoughts here: The 6 Essentials – 2: What we drink
http://wp.me/p3i8mj-63