How Does the Body Use Water?
Water carries nutrients to cells, removes toxins and supports digestion.
Throughout the day, your body loses water through functions like urination, sweating and breathing.
If you don’t drink enough fluids to replace the water you use, you can easily become dehydrated, dizzy and confused.
How Much Water Does Your Body Need Each Day?
You’ve probably heard the “8 glasses a day” rule before, but the answer to how much water you should drink each day is actually a lot more complicated than that...
- Men should drink about 13 cups of fluid a day
- Women should drink about 9 cups a day
- Pregnant women should drink about 10 cups a day
- Breastfeeding mothers should drink about 12 cups a day
You should also consider drinking more water if you are…
- Outside on a hot day
- Exercising or doing anything that causes you to sweat
- Sick with diarrhea, vomiting or fever
- Living in a dry, hot, humid or high-altitude area
Your diet also affects how much water you should drink...
If you consume diuretics like coffee and other caffeinated beverages, chances are you’ll lose more fluids because you’ll have to pee more.
Likewise, if you eat a lot of salty, spicy or sugary meals, you could become dehydrated faster.
Lastly, you’ll need to drink more water if you don’t eat many hydrating foods like fruits and vegetables.
Health Benefits of Drinking Water Daily
Still not convinced that you should drink more water?
Take a look at these powerful health benefits of drinking water daily:
If you don't drink enough water, your energy and focus might suffer.
In fact, mood and attention are two of the first things to go when you become dehydrated.
According to recent research, a fluid loss of just 1.36 percent after exercise can impair mood and attention.
Another study tracked 12 university students for 36 hours and discovered that not drinking water had significant effects on tiredness, concentration, focus, response time and short-term memory.
Drinking more water might help you lose weight by boosting metabolism and decreasing hunger.
In fact, drinking water approximately 30 minutes before meals can help you consume fewer calories because the body often mistakes thirst for hunger.
Another study found that consuming more water might help you lose weight and improve body composition.
At the same time, a separate study linked persistent dehydration to obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.
The results are in… if you want to lose weight, you better hydrate!
3. Better Bowel Movements
Constipation is a common problem for people who don't drink enough water.
But although extra fluids might keep your stool soft, it probably won’t relieve constipation on its own.
If you want perfect bowel movements, it’s also important to stretch, exercise and eat plenty of fiber.
4. Treat Urinary Tract Infections
Fortunately, drinking at least six tall glasses of water a day may help prevent UTIs by flushing dangerous germs from the bladder.
5. Kick Kidney Stones to the Curb
Early research shows that increasing fluid consumption reduces the risk of kidney stones.
As it turns out, water flushes out toxins and helps the body pass kidney stones and grit from the urinary system.
Dehydrated skin indicates a lack of water in the cells, leaving it dry, itchy, irritated and dull.
It can even make your complexion uneven and wrinkled. Yikes!
Fortunately, studies show that drinking more water can help soothe inflammation and hydrate the skin.
How to Know If You’re Dehydrated
Dehydration occurs when the body is low on water due to sweating, exercise, and not drinking enough fluids.
Believe it or not, by the time you start feeling thirsty, your body is already dehydrated!
Early signs of dehydration include:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Extremely dark colored urine
- Infrequent urination
- Extreme thirst
Because the body’s thirst processes can start to fail with age, people over the age of 65 are at a much higher risk of dehydration.
Can I Drink Too Much Water?
Yes, people have died from hyponatremia, or drinking too much water.
Hyponatremia occurs when you drink more water than your kidneys can get rid of.
During hyponatremia, the minerals in the blood become diluted and organs start to fail.
Then as the salt levels in the blood plummet, water levels grow rapidly and the cells swell.
Hyponatremia has the potential to cause life-threatening complications.
Please consult your doctor if you are experiencing any of the following:
- Kidney problems
- Thyroid disease
- Liver problems
- Heart-related issues
- Medications that cause water retention, like NSAIDs, opiates and some antidepressants
Remember, There’s No Perfect Amount of Water for Everyone!
Water is life, but no one can tell you exactly how much water you need every day.
That depends on factors like temperature, elevation and diet, and how much you exercise.
The bottom line is, the more you work out, the more you sweat, the hotter it is, and the higher the altitude, the more you’re going to need to drink.
You’ll have to experiment to find out what works best for you.
Some people need more water, others need less, that’s just the way it is.
Don’t like plain, boring water?
Drinks like milk, juice, and herbal teas are hydrating too.
Plus, lots of fruits and vegetables, like watermelon and spinach, are 99% water by weight.
Just stay away from concentrated juices and soda because they’re too high in sugar.
So stick to the healthy options, stay hydrated and keep chuggin’.
