How Often Should You Drink Water and How Much?

Evidence based article

Benefits of drinking water

Throughout history, humans the world over have considered water as the very foundation of life itself.

You, sitting in front of the screen and maybe even sipping on a water bottle, are mainly built of water. About 55% to 65% of you in fact, when you stand on the scales.

So it is no stretch then to say that drinking enough water is crucial to your existence. It keeps you alive and in addition, if you hydrate well enough regularly, will keep you healthier than if you didn’t do so.

Each part of your body, down to the cellular level, needs water to stay alive and function as it should.

Examples of water’s important jobs (this list is virtually endless):

• Helps carry oxygen and nutrients around your body
• Flushes your body of waste
• Helps you digest food and absorb
• Maintains optimal body temperature and blood pressure
• Protects muscles, joints and vital organs
• Helps keep skin, eyes and mouth healthy

As if this is not enough, some have claimed that increasing your water intake can help you lose weight by increasing your metabolism (how many calories your body burns) and reducing your appetite. Water’s effect on metabolism is still under investigation but it can definitely reduce appetite and decrease food intake.

Dehydration – what’s the fuss?

Drinking water to the appropriate levels is called hydration.

Your body is continually losing water, mostly in the way of respiration, urine and sweat.

If you are drinking less than you should, it is called dehydration – a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions.

There is good scientific data to back up that even short term and relatively mild dehydration can affect how your feel as well as your mental and physical performance. It can cause dizziness and falls.

Dehydration can drain your energy, give you a headache, make you feel depressed, affect your physical ability and exercise capacity, lead to constipation cause confusion as well as make it difficult to concentrate and focus.

Dehydration over the longer term or on the more extreme end can even lead to seizures, constipation, infections, kidney stones, heart problems and cancer (reference).

It is particularly important for older people and kids to drink enough water through the day.

So drinking water regularly is a crucial part of a balanced diet.

Keep in mind, it is best to talk to your doctor in order to get advice regarding water intake. Especially if you are confused about any of this or if you have any medical conditions or symptoms.

There are also numerous myths about benefits and risks of drinking water circulating on social media and the internet that are totally unfounded, so be vary of these and don’t believe everything you read. Always fact check.

So how much and how often should we drink water?

Which factors influence how much water I should have?

The amount of water you need will vary somewhat depending on your individual circumstances, health and activity.

The temperature or season outside, your diet, gender, age and overall health will impact just how much water or fluids your body needs.

Here are some factors that will will impact just how much water or fluids your body needs:

• Level of physical activity – Any activity involving sweating will mean you need to drink more to account for the increased fluid loss. Obviously, if you have just ran a few kilometres in the heat, it goes without saying you will need more than if you were home reading during this time.
• Gender – On average, males need to drink a little more water than females. However this is not universal of course.
• Temperature and season – You will need to drink more water in summer for example or during a hot and humid day as you sweat more
• Altitude – you will need to drink more water at higher altitudes
• Health and illness – extra fluids will be needed if you have a fever or have gastroenteritis, vomiting or diarrhoea. There are a number of other conditions that may increase your need for water. Speak to your doctor. In addition, as we will discuss a bit later, some medical conditions require sufferers to be cautious and not over hydrate, some even being on fluid restriction regimens.
• If you are pregnant or breast feeding – both of these will increase your individual fluid requirements.

How much water should I drink?

We all have heard that saying, “drink 8 glasses of water a day” and been told many times to aim for this daily. Is it true?

Most solid foods also contain some water. Some, for example watermelon, are even loaded with it. In general, about 20% of water our bodies need comes from solid food, so we need to make up the majority from drinking water and other fluids.

Do fluids have to come from water or can I drink something else?

In order to reach these targets, you can have any fluids really and it does not have to be water. Tea, soda water, coffee and juice are examples.

Keep in mind that some of these can have unrelated negative health consequences (eg sugary drinks on dental health or weight gain) so I would recommend sticking to water whenever you can.

How often and when should I drink water?

Now we know how much water we should approximately have, but what about how often and the timing.

For most of us, the simplest and best indicator to drink water is whenever we feel thirsty. The brain’s thirst trigger is good and for most sufficient to ensure we don’t become too dehydrated.

Regarding timing, ensure you are drinking water equally spaced out throughout the day.

In addition to this, drinking water at certain times of the day can be more beneficial for your body. It is a good idea to begin your day by drinking a glass of water. And if you can, at least 15 minutes before food.

Another excellent time to drink water is before exercising as well as after. This will prevent dehydration and replenish any fluids that you may lose during your workout sweat session.

And as we said before, if you are unwell with a stomach bug, ensure you are hydrating extra to make up for the losses (you should also incorporate a rehydration solution with electrolytes but that is a story for another day).

If you are not thirsty, don’t drink! It’s mostly as simple as that.

Can you drink too much water?

Yes you can, so don’t overdo it.

Contrary to popular opinion, it is absolutely possible to drink too much water and this can be detrimental to your health.

For example, it can rarely lead to serious conditions including hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood) which we can sometimes see happen in long distance runners.

In people with certain medical conditions, including some types of heart, liver and kidney disease among others, drinking too much water can be very dangerous. Discuss your water intake and needs with your doctor.

Doctors also advise avoiding drinking large amounts of fluids along with your meal. Water is best consumed and absorbed into our body when our stomachs are not full. Hence, gulping down water while eating food is not recommended.

Tap or bottled water?

In short, it depends on where you live. If tap water is considered safe in your area at any given time (by stringent independent international standards), you can rest assured that there is generally no overall health benefit to drinking bottled water over tap water.

While each country and region will differ, drinking expensive bottled mineral does not usually equate to higher levels of minerals or less harmful substances if tap water is considered safe.

In some regions of the world, tap water is deemed unsafe to consume and in this case, bottled water is a must. So regardless of whether you are wondering for safety of tap water at home or about to travel, check the local characteristics from a trusted source or your doctor.

Some regions worldwide also have public health measures to include small, safe quantities of fluoride added to the water, which is important for healthy teeth.

Final Word

It is important to be aware of your individual and environmental factors as they can help you adjust your water intake accordingly. The simple rule is to drink when you are thirsty. Consume water more often when the weather is hot or if you are sweating more to replenish any lost fluids.

How often do you drink water? Do you think that is enough?

Add your opinion in the comments below.

References

1. “How much water should you drink?“, Harvard Health Publications, accessed August 2020, available here
2. “Impact of mild dehydration on wellness and on exercise performance“, Maughan RJ. , Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003 Dec, accessed August 2020, Pubmed link
3. “Water-induced thermogenesis reconsidered: the effects of osmolality and water temperature on energy expenditure after drinking“, Brown CM, Dulloo AG, Montani JP. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Sep, accessed September 2020, Pubmed link
4. “Safe Drinking Water“, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed September 2020, available here
5. “5 Reasons Why Fluoride in Water is Good for Communities“, ADA, accessed 10 September 2020, available here
6. “Dehydration can lead to serious complications“, Mayo Clinic, accessed August 2020, available here
7. “Drinking Water”, World Health Organisation, accessed September 2020, available here
8. “Water myths debunked“, University of Washington, accessed October 2020, available here

Cover Image courtesy
Image by congerdesign as accessed from Pixabay in 2020

The text written in this article on how often you should drink water is meant for general informational purposes only. It is not to be used in any way or in place, even partly, of qualified medical advice. Each person’s individual situation is different and no blanket advice applies. Refer to your doctor for all water intake recommendations and advice. This is especially important if you have any medical conditions, illnesses or symptoms. Ensure you agree with the terms of howoftenshould.com prior to use.