How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day to Stay Hydrated?

Drinking water is crucial for survival. But is that it? Absolutely not! Water plays an essential role in your health, clear skin, glossy hair, and many more. Staying hydrated is something you should never compromise on.

So should you just drink as much water as possible every day? Again, the answer is No! You don’t want to overwork your kidneys. At this point, you must be wondering how much water you should drink a day. We have answered all your queries about staying hydrated and more below. So keep reading!

How Much Water Should You Drink a Day?

The amount of water you need to drink per day will vary based on various factors, including where you live, how old you are, what your sexuality is, and more. Here are some specific answers:

1. How Much Water Should a Man Drink Per Day?

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends an adult man living in a temperate climate drink about 3.7 liters of liquids per day.

2. How Much Water Should a Woman Drink a Day?

For adult women living in temperate regions, the official recommendation from the US NASEM is 2.7 liters of liquid a day.

Remember, the above numbers are for total everyday fluid intake, including the fluids you derive from foods and beverages other than water. About 20% of daily fluid intake for an average adult comes from food.

Factors That Affect Daily Water Intake

Factors That Affect Daily Water Intake

As mentioned before, several factors can include the amount of water you need per day to stay hydrated. Here are some:

1. Your Place of Residence

Where you live can significantly impact the amount of water you need every day. If you live in a hot and humid region, you’ll need more water than average. Also, living in a mountainous or high-altitude region will require you to drink more water than average.

2. Your Age

You must’ve already noticed that the above official recommendations were for adults. For kids, the numbers are different. Check out the water intake chart by age below:

3. The Weather

In hot weather, you sweat more. So you need more water in summers as compared to winters.

4. Your Profession/Activity Level

Suppose you are highly active during the day either by choice or due to your profession. In that case, you might need to drink more water than regular people to stay hydrated.

5. Your Diet and Nutrition

The way you eat dramatically affects the amount of water your body loses daily. People who eat fewer fruits and vegetables, don’t take any juices or other beverages, or consume too much caffeine, need to drink more water than the recommended amount per day.

6. Pregnancy

Pregnant or breastfeeding women need more water than the recommended amount for adult women. This is because their bodies work overtime to supply nutrition to two people instead of one.

7. Weight

The daily water intake is different, even for adults of varying body weights. To know the recommended amount for yourself, multiply your weight in kgs by 0.033. The resulting number will be the number of liters of water you need per day.

Also Read:- What is Alkaline Water? Uses and Safety

What Happens When You’re Dehydrated?

Now that you know exactly how much water you need to drink per day to remain hydrated, it’s time to learn what happens to your health when you’re not consuming an appropriate amount of water each day.

75% of your body is water. So lack of it, even in tiny amounts, can adversely affect your health. If you’re dehydrated, you will experience the following symptoms:

1. Primary or Beginning Symptoms

  • Immense thirst
  • Darker Urine
  • Less frequent urination

2. Symptoms of Moderate Dehydration

  • Weakness
  • Headache
  • Lethargy
  • Fatigue
  • Dry Mouth and Throat
  • Dizziness

3. Symptoms of Extreme Dehydration

  • Lack of sweating
  • Dry Skin
  • Low blood pressure
  • Fever
  • Unconsciousness
  • Delirium
  • Faster heartbeat

What are the Symptoms of Dehydration in Babies?

Symptoms of Dehydration in Babies

The symptoms above might not be noticeable in babies, but here are some things you can check for to see if your baby is dehydrated:

  • Are they crying without tears?
  • Are they increasingly irritable and haven’t wet themselves for more than 3 hours?
  • Do they have sunken cheeks or eyes, seem overly tired without reason, or are they just cheerless?
  • Do they have a sunken fontanel?

If you suddenly notice any of these symptoms in yourself or a family member, you need to seek immediate hydration. For mild to moderate dehydration, you can drink water or other fluids to replenish your body. An oral rehydration solution might also work excellently.

However, if you’re dealing with extreme dehydration, the only solution might be intravenous rehydration. You should go to a hospital and have a medical professional set up an IV to rehydrate you properly in this case. Do not attempt DIY.

If you’re dehydrated, you should also avoid sugar-rich, salt-rich, and caffeine-containing foods or drinks. All these draw water from your body at an increased rate and will do nothing to help.

As is true for any disease, prevention is better than cure. Try to prevent dehydration by drinking the recommended amount of water per day. You should also include juicy fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. Moreover, ensure that you stay indoors when it’s sweltering outside and avoid physical activity when you’re sick.

Also Read:- When Can Babies, Toddlers, or Newborns Have Water and How Much to Feed?

How Staying Properly Hydrated Benefits Your Body?

How Staying Properly Hydrated Benefits Your Body

Drinking the right amount of water can have excellent effects on your overall health. Here are some:

1. You’ll Have Glossy Hair and Healthy Skin

Drinking the right amount of water keeps your skin hydrated. Properly hydrated skin will always be healthier. The same is true for your hair too.

2. You Can Avoid UTI’s

Urinary Tract Infections, more common for women than men, often occur due to a lack of water in your body. By drinking a good amount of water, you can keep this painful problem at bay.

3. Drinking Water Helps With Constipation

Constipation is another painful issue that many of us are familiar with. What you might not know is that many times, dehydration causes constipation. Drinking water helps soften your stool and therefore helps with constipation.

4. It Might Prevent Kidney Stones

This is another ailment that proper hydration can cure for you. Water can help you prevent kidney stones.

How Lack of Water Affects Brain Function?

We have already told you the effects dehydration can have on your body. But what about your brain? Can lack of water affect brain function?

As demonstrated by a study, dehydration can cause reduced concentration, mood impairment, and even headaches. Moreover, it can also negatively affect muscle strength and endurance and even make you less attentive and alert.

Ways to Stay Hydrated Throughout the Day

Ways to Stay Hydrated Throughout the Day

While water is best at keeping you hydrated, there are many reasons why people don’t drink the appropriate amount every day. You might not like the taste of water, you just don’t pay enough attention to your water intake, or you are too busy – these can all be the reasons.

Regardless, it’s crucial to do your best to fulfill your daily water intake. Here are some tips that might help you.

1. Take Little Sips of Water Every Few Minutes

Drinking a full glass of water, let alone 7-8 in a day, might not be appealing to you. There’s a simple solution to this. Keep sipping small amounts of water every now and then.

To do this, keep a sippy cup with a straw with you. If you’re at work, keep this cup on your desk and make sure it’s attractive enough to grab your attention even while you’re busy.

2. Drink Flavored Water

Water infused with fruit juices or essences is more pleasant to drink for some people. If that sounds like you, you can try putting a bunch of fruits and herbs in your water bottle and drinking from it.

Some fruits you can put in your water are berries, kiwi, watermelons or melons, pineapples, etc. If cutting up fruit seems like too much effort, you can always buy flavored water. You’ll easily find several brands in the market. Just make sure none of these formulations contain artificial flavoring or caffeine.

3. Do Not Head Out When It’s Hot

We know you can’t avoid going to work every morning and returning home in the evenings. But this advice still holds true.

If you wake up and see that the day is scorching, head outside early and try to finish your work before noon. If you’re going to the office, leave before your usual time so that you can avoid the peak sun hours. Sun rays are the strongest between 10 AM and 2 PM, so you should avoid traveling during these hours.

Unless it’s absolutely urgent, do not go out on very sunny, humid, or hot days. And even if you do, carry a water bottle with you and keep drinking from it every few minutes.

If you’re already outside and it’s too hot, try to stay in the shade for as long as possible.

4. Pay Special Attention When You’re Sick or Dehydrated

You already know what dehydration looks like and how you can treat it. Keep an eye out for these signs on those particularly hot days.

If you or a family member is sick with stomach issues that cause excessive diarrhea or vomiting, provide them more hydration than usual. ORS really helps with both these conditions. If necessary, see a medical professional.

When sick, don’t sleep or stay in very hot rooms. Also, do not head out.

5. Eat Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables

Many fruits available during the hotter months are particularly rich in their water content. Make it a point to include them in at least one meal during the day. You can even munch on them as snacks if that’s something you like.

Fresh berries, watermelons, citrus fruits like oranges, kiwis, grapes, cantaloupes, peaches, etc., are all excellently hydrating. You should also eat leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce, and collard greens for better hydration.

Fruity ice pops are also a great way to consume some water without sacrificing the taste. However, these might sometimes contain too much sugar. So pay attention to their labels before buying these.

FAQs

Q1. How much water should you drink a day according to age?

Ans: Scroll back up refer to our daily water intake chart according to age to see how much water you need to drink per day. Follow it to the T, and you’ll be perfectly hydrated.

Q2. How much water should I drink to avoid dehydration?

Ans: Adult men should drink 3.7 liters of water every day, while adult women should drink 2.7 liters a day. This amount, of course, will increase if you live in a hotter region, are obese, have medical conditions, perform a lot of physical activity, or drink a lot of caffeine.

Q3. How many glasses of water do you need to rehydrate?

Ans: While everyone is asked to drink about eight glasses of water a day, this number will increase when you’re trying to recover from dehydration. For extensive dehydration treatment, you might even need an IV.

Q4. How much water should you drink a day to lose weight?

Ans: It’s a common belief that drinking lots of water can cut down your weight. And some research has also backed this claim. Drinking more water than usual can help decrease body weight. Moreover, drinking water before meals can lower calorie intake by making someone full before they even begin eating.

Wrapping it Up

If you have been overlooking your water intake, stop right away! Now that you know how much water you should drink a day, the terrible consequences of staying dehydrated, and how you can also hydrate yourself properly, do not slack off on drinking this magic fluid.

Have any more questions about hydration? Speak to the experts at WaterSeer.org for anything you need, or comment your queries down below!