Hey there viewers!
You’ve probably heard that you should be drinking
six to eight glasses of water a day for optimal health and digestion.
While that may be a good rule of thumb,
there is really no standard amount of water that everyone should be drinking.
In today’s video, we’ll tell you the amount of water your body needs and the factors like health,
physical activity, environment and more that affect it.
So stay tuned!
Is the 8 glasses a day recommendation a myth?
The simple answer to this is yes, it is a myth.
It is thought that this water intake rule originated loosely from a recommendation
made by the National Academy of Medicine in 1945, then called the Food and Nutrition Board.
The organization advised that the average person
should consume 1 mL of water for every calorie consumed.
This equates to about 64 ounces a day on a 1900
calorie diet which is close to current USDA recommendation of 2000 calories per day.
A large review of water intake-related
studies found no scientific reports concluding this rule as good as law.
The author of this review actually found several studies noting the potential dangers of following
the “8x8” recommendation including hyponatremia, a condition caused by drinking too much water
and leaving people feeling guilty if they weren’t meeting that benchmark.
What are the Benefits of Water?
As you know, water has a wide range of benefits.
It keeps every system in your body functioning properly,
while carrying oxygen and nutrients to your cells.
It also flushes bacteria from your bladder, aids digestion,
prevents constipation and normalizes your blood pressure.
It can also stabilize your heartbeat,
protect organs and tissues, as well as regulate body temperature.
About 60% of the adult human body is made of water.
This includes most of your brain, heart, lungs, muscles and skin.
Even about 30 percent of your bones is comprised of good old H2O.
If you’re giving your body enough fluids and staying hydrated,
it would be able to perform all its functions smoothly.
But not giving your body enough water can lead to dehydration.
Your body is constantly losing water through sweat, urination and breathing.
Ensuring you have enough water is a fine balance, and crucial to avoiding dehydration.
The symptoms of dehydration can become detectable when you lose between
1-2% of your body’s water and will continue to deteriorate until you top your fluids back up.
In rare cases, dehydration can be fatal.
Warning signs of dehydration include weakness, low blood pressure,
dizziness, confusion and dark urine.
The best way to counter dehydration is to
drink ample amounts of water and keep your body hydrated.
Water consumption according to your weight:
You can determine the exact amount you should drink using a simple formula.
Take your weight in pounds and divide that by 2.
Multiply that number depending on your age.
If you’re younger than 30, multiply it by 40.
If you’re between 30-55, multiply by 35.
If you’re older than 55, multiply by 30.
Now divide that sum by 28.3.
Your total is how many ounces of water you should drink each day.
Divide that number by 8 to see your result in cups.
Water consumption according to your Physical Activity:
If you’re someone with a high level of physical activity and workout on a regular basis,
you should definitely be drinking more than someone with a sedentary lifestyle.
If you don’t up your fluid intake to match your exercise and physical activity schedule,
it can lead to dehydration as your body tends to lose a lot of water through sweat.
While everyone’s sweat rate is different, it is safe to assume that for every 45 to
60 minutes of exercise you do, you’ll need to drink a minimum of 40 ounces of water.
Which might seem staggeringly high to some of you.
You need at least 72 ounces of water per day based on your weight,
that number should jump to 120 ounces or 15 cups if you're doing an hour-long workout.
Water consumption according to your diet:
Your diet habits can also determine how much water you need.
Your body absorbs water in foods just like it would liquids.
Many fruits and vegetables like watermelon, cucumbers, lettuce, celery, tomatoes,
strawberries, oranges and grapefruit have high water content, fulfilling your daily intake.
But some foods and drinks can have a diuretic effect leaving you dehydrated.
These are alcohol, coffee and asparagus,
which cause you to excrete more water so you may need more.
High-sodium foods are also a big culprit as they can make your body retain more water,
leaving you thirstier.
Drinking more water will help dilute your system and get the fluids moving regularly again.
Water consumption according to your age:
Age is another factor that contributes towards how much water your body needs.
Your thirst mechanisms lose sensitivity once you are over 60.
As a result, your body becomes more prone to dehydration than younger people.
So you may need to be more attentive to your fluid consumption habits.
Water consumption if you are pregnant:
Women who are expecting, or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated.
The recommended amount for pregnancy is about 10 cups or 2.4 litres of fluids daily,
and for women who breast-feed, it comes to 13 cups or 3.1 litres.
Water consumption according to where you live:
This may come as a surprise to you, but where you live can also determine your body’s water needs.
If you live in a warmer climate,
you should drink more water to compensate for liquid lost through perspiration.
In case you live at high altitudes, the lack of oxygen in the air can prompt
more rapid breathing and a greater loss of moisture when you breath.
This will cause you to drink more water.
Regardless of the environment, you should generally drink more H20 in the summer months.
The heat and extra time spent outside can result in greater liquid loss.
Water consumption according to your overall health:
Your overall health is another factor which can dictate your body’s water needs.
Your body loses fluid when you have a fever or diarrhea.
So you need to drink more water or follow a doctor's recommendation
to drink oral rehydration solutions.
Other conditions that might require increased fluid intake
include bladder infections and urinary tract stones.
Now that we have told you how much water your body needs,
you might be asking if there's such thing as too much water?
And the answer to that is YES!
Water poisoning or water intoxication is a
condition where you drink too much water in a short period of time.
This can make your cells become imbalanced due to a loss of sodium.
It is a serious condition but extremely rare.
It is recommended that you should not drink more than 27-33 ounces of water per hour.
This means drinking a gallon of water in an hour wouldn’t be recommended.
Overhydration can also bring on a condition known as hyponatremia, which happens when the sodium
levels in your bloodstream become unusually low, which can cause your cells to become waterlogged.
Signs of this happening include nausea, becoming confused, run-down, and irritable.
Overhydration can also cause seizures and put you into a coma if it’s not caught in time.
So how can you increase your water intake and make sure you are always hydrated?
Well, Drinking enough water may sound like a challenge,
but making a few small changes can help you up your count.
Wake Up and Drink:
Start your day with 16 ounces of water right away.
Keep a glass or bottle on your nightstand as a visual cue.
Keep Track By Your Container:
One thing that can help you drink enough water daily is buying a special container for your
water and set a goal of how many times you will fill and finish the container.
So, if you buy a 16 oz container and need to drink 80 ounces of water a day,
your goal would be to drink 5 of those daily.
Need to drink more water?
Try a larger container.
Add Caffeinated Drinks:
Unsweetened beverages such as coffee and tea count towards your goal.
The recommended intake is 300–400 mg per day which is about 3–4 cups of coffee.
Although this may cause you to urinate more often.
Choose Sparkling Water:
Seltzer and club soda will help you hydrate, too!
Choose flavored or plain options, but skip brands with higher amounts of sodium,
acesulfame-K, stevia, or sucralose.
They can exacerbate bloating.
Eat More Produce:
Just one apple, for example, can pack up to 1⁄2 cup of water.
Snack on extra veggies with salsa, add extra tomatoes to a salad,
and get generous with your serving sizes of berries, citrus, melon, grapes, and other fruits.
Put Fruit in Your Water:
Frozen fruit works for this, too!
It’ll supply flavor and deliver an extra hit of fiber.
So what exactly counts as water?
All food and drink that contain water actually
count but it’s best to focus on the fluids rather than the foods you eat.
Fluids like tea, coffee and milk count too but without any additives.
One more thing to mention, you should not swap water for options with added sugars
like soft drinks, cordial, vitamin waters, juices,
energy and sports drinks, as they can result in excessive weight gain.
Are you drinking the correct amount of water?
Let us know in the comments below.
We’d love to hear from you!