How much water do you need to drink in a day?

HOW MANY LITRES OF WATER TO DRINK?

Whether you’re feeling lethargic or having dry skin, someone has probably told you to drink more water as a cure. Beauty magazines will even tell you that drinking more water will get rid of toxins in your body, give you clearer skin, shinier hair and better health. Here are some common questions regarding the world of hydration; how much do you need to drink? What happens when you drink too little, or too much?

How much water do you need to drink in a day?

Experts concur that adults, on average, need to drink at least 1.5 to 2 litres of liquid daily is enough to stay healthy and hydrated. With the key word ‘liquid’, meaning the fluids you get by eating fruit, soup, and milk would still count in your total daily liquid intake.

All these are of course based on sound medical reasoning, as stated by Dr. Wendy Doyle of the British Dietetic Association. Adults can lose about 3 litres of fluid daily: 400ml by breathing, 05-1 litres through perspiration, 1-1.5 litres as urine, and roughly 300ml in our faeces.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to drink 3 litres of fluids to replace what you lost. Solid foods alone can give you around a litre of liquid, and another 300-500ml of water are produced by your body as a by-product of digestion, which leaves just the 1.5-2 litres of liquids experts recommend.

Nalgenes’s 24oz / 709ml On the Fly (OTF) BPA-Free Water Bottle is designed to fit in work bags, gym bags, and backpacks alike, it’s slick design and capacity means that drinking liquids in one full OTF tumbler makes half of your daily needed liquid volume.

What does Staying Hydrated Do to Your Body?

Studies show that drinking enough liquids to avoid mild dehydration helps support better brain function, like the ability to do simple tasks and problem-solving. Some studies also suggest that fluid consumption can help manage weight.

Drinking Caffeine and Alcohol Means You Need to Drink Even More Water

While there is truth that the caffeine in coffee and tea has a tendency to make more frequent bathroom breaks, there is actually a net gain of fluid when you drink a cup of coffee or tea, so drinking more water to compensate for what you lost isn’t necessary.

Stanley’s Adventure Series Quencher Tumbler is a 473ml liquid container perfect for hot brewed tea or coffee, available at Gearaholic’s online store! 

Alcohol, on the other hand, does dehydrate you. Albeit you’ll need more than a glass of martini to notice any signs of dehydration, it’s still good advice to drink water as you go drink the night away with alcohol.

Drinking more than 1.5-2 Litres a Day is Helps in Flushing Out Toxins

Some say that drinking more than the recommended 1.5-2 litres a day can give you better skin, shinier hair, healthier nails, and helps flush out toxins, but that’s not necessarily true. Healthy kidneys are very efficient on their own at removing toxins, and drinking healthy amounts of water helps keep your kidneys in great shape.

Kidneys can still function properly even if you drink less than one litre a day, but higher fluid intake can greatly reduce the risk of complications like kidney stones, urinary infections, and bladder cancer.

People with Incontinence Problems Should Restrict Their Fluid Intake

This is a dangerous misconception. Dehydration is a common problem for the elderly, especially those that have senile dementia and are living on their own. It’s important for them to get enough liquid regularly, especially if they are on diuretic drugs.

The Color of Your Urine is an Indicator Whether You’re Drinking Enough Liquids

Your urine is a great indicator if you are well hydrated or not. If the color of your urine ranges from colorless to a light yellow, that means you are hydrated well. If it’s in a dark yellow or amber in color, or only urinating in small volumes, this could be an indicator that you are dehydrated and should be drinking more water.

In a healthy body, the brain detects when the body is going into a state of dehydration and initiates thirst to stimulate drinking. Your brain also releases a hormone that signals the kidneys to conserve water by concentrating the urine. That’s why when you’re dehydrated, you urinate less frequently and the color of your urine is darker.

Nalgene’s 32oz/1L Narrow Mouth BPA Free Water Bottles design makes for an easy drinking experience. The 1L liquid capacity means that you’ll make less trips to your water source to get the ideal daily water intake as well! 

Overdrinking Water is a Myth

Drinking a lot of water, say more than 6 litres over a very short period of time can upset the sodium levels in your body and can lead to a serious condition called hyponatremia, or water intoxication.

Symptoms may include bloating, nausea, swelling of the brain can cause lapses in consciousness and seizures as well. So take note!

In Thirst We Trust

The feeling of thirst is a clear indicator that your body is dehydrated, so obey your thirst! But older people’s thirst response can be blunted which could lead to more serious dehydration.

Water makes up about 60% of your body weight, water is essential in carrying nutrients to all the cells in your body as well as disposing waste products our bodies produce. Water helps regulate your temperature, protects your joints as it acts as a lubricant and as a shock absorber and plays a vital role in most of the chemical reactions that happen inside your body.

Your body regularly loses water through perspiration, breathing, and urination. It’s important to regularly replace the fluids you lost to avoid dehydration, and keep a healthy physique.