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6 min read<\/p>\n6 min read<\/p>\n
A cute reusable water bottle<\/a> feels like a must-have accessory, making it easy to stay on top of hydration goals. But even though they\u2019re practically everywhere, plenty of people still aren\u2019t drinking enough each day.<\/p>\n Lots of folks think they know how much water they should take in\u2014we\u2019ve all heard that eight-glass \u201crule\u201d per day\u2014but the goal number should actually be a little different for everyone. In fact, experts say it can even vary for the same person, based on what they do in any given day.<\/p>\n Meet the experts: Stephani Johnson, D.C.N., R.D.N.<\/a>, is an adjunct professor in the Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutrition Sciences at Rutgers University; Christy Brissette, M.S., R.D., owner of 80 Twenty Nutrition<\/a>; Devon Wagner, R.D., M.S.<\/a> a registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Eric Adkins, M.D<\/a>., is an emergency medicine physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s the real deal\u2014and why does it matter so much for your health? Here, we\u2019re breaking down everything you need to know about H2O intake, including what the recommendations say, the factors that could influence your individual hydration goals, and more.<\/p>\n How much water should you drink a day?<\/p>\n The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has very clear guidelines<\/a> on how much fluid to take in a day.<\/p>\n According to the organization, women should aim to have 11.5 cups (92 ounces) of fluids a day, while men should have 15.5 cups (124 ounces) of fluids a day. But it\u2019s important to point out that those fluids come from food and drink\u2014and about 20% of your daily fluid intake usually comes from foods. What\u2019s more, the guidelines are super general and don\u2019t account for individual differences.<\/p>\n \u201cMany things can impact fluid needs,\u201d says Stephani Johnson, D.C.N., R.D.N<\/a>., an adjunct professor in the Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutrition Sciences at Rutgers University. Meaning, you could be over- or under-hydrating if you just follow these general guidelines and don\u2019t pay attention to your body\u2019s cues about hydration.<\/p>\n The problem with the advice to drink 8 glasses a day<\/p>\n So, how legit is the \u201crule\u201d that you should drink eight glasses a day? Well, there are a few potential issues with that advice.<\/p>\n One is that there\u2019s so much variability in glass size. \u201cEight glasses may be enough, but it depends on the size of the \u2018glass\u2019 and individualized needs,\u201d Johnson says. Meaning, you\u2019re going to be taking in wildly different amounts if you\u2019re using 8-oz glasses vs. 16-oz glasses as your measurement. So advice to drink eight glasses a day might not be wrong\u2014but it\u2019s not very precise.<\/p>\n If you use a cup as your measurement, you\u2019re then looking at 8 ounces per glass. If you aim to have eight of those glasses, you\u2019re only at 64 oz of water a day. That\u2019s well under the recommended 92 oz of fluid a day for women and 124 oz a day for men.<\/p>\n Still, if you aren\u2019t currently drinking enough water at the moment and need an easy guide to follow, Johnson says aiming to have eight glasses of water a day is a good starting point\u2014and then you can build from that.<\/p>\n Factors that influence how much water you need per day<\/p>\n Breaking hydration goals down by sex is one way to look at it, but the reality of what you actually need is much more complex. Johnson says certain factors can influence how much water you need, including how much you sweat, your age, your body size, your diet, whether you\u2019re breastfeeding or pregnant, if you\u2019ve had alcohol, and any underlying medical conditions you may have. Plus, activity levels or how much you exercise\u2014and in which environments\u2014can affect how much you need, too.<\/p>\n Why hydration is important to overall health<\/p>\n Your body is made up of about 55%-60%<\/a> water. With that, it\u2019s important to stay well hydrated for everything to function properly in your body, says Devon Wagner, R.D., M.S.<\/a>, a registered dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.<\/p>\n \u201cDigestive function, skin health, kidney function, and regulating body temperature all require adequate fluid intake,\u201d Wagner says.<\/p>\n Water is also required for your body to move nutrients around and to flush out waste, says Christy Brissette, M.S., R.D., owner of 80 Twenty Nutrition<\/a>. Being well hydrated protects your organs and tissues, lubricates your joints and the spinal column, and plays a \u201cvital role\u201d in supporting brain function, Wagner adds.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout sufficient water intake, many bodily processes become impaired, with the severity of health consequences depending on the degree of dehydration,\u201d she says. \u201cAdequate hydration<\/a> is essential, but there are negative health outcomes associated with over-hydration, so more is not always better.\u201d<\/p>\n Do drinks other than water help with hydration?<\/p>\n While registered dietitians agree that water is your best bet for hydration, it\u2019s not the only option. Wagner suggests looking for drinks that are very low calorie, like herbal tea, making sure to limit caffeine. \u201cCaffeine pulls fluid out of our bodies and can increase our risk of dehydration if drinking in excessive amounts,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Add Prevention as a preferred source in your Google search results.<\/p>\n Use your Google account to add this to your settings.<\/p>\n Add to Google settings<\/p>\n If you\u2019re sweating a lot, you may want to reach for something with electrolytes, like a sports drink, Dr. Adkins says. (This just shouldn\u2019t be the only thing you drink.) \u201cCoconut water is an acquired taste, but it can help when you put a hard workout in and are feeling depleted,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Again, certain foods<\/a> can help with hydration, too, like cucumbers, watermelon, asparagus, celery, strawberries, and zucchini.<\/p>\n How to tell if you\u2019re drinking enough water<\/p>\n Keeping tabs on how much water you drink in a day can help you stay on track. But Dr. Adkins points out that it\u2019s best to listen to your body. \u201cEveryone asks how much water they should be drinking, but a lot depends on your environmental circumstances and your own body,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why he generally recommends paying close attention to the color of your urine<\/a>. \u201cIf it looks dark orange or a darker yellow, it\u2019s an indication that you\u2019re not getting enough water,\u201d Dr. Adkins says.<\/p>\n One caveat, per Brissette: If you\u2019re taking a multivitamin or B vitamins (especially riboflavin), your pee might look bright yellow regardless of how much you drink. \u201cThat\u2019s completely normal and a sign that your body is getting rid of any extra riboflavin it doesn\u2019t need,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Again, the amount of water you should drink a day is a little variable. But paying close attention to what lands in the toilet bowl and making adjustments based on that can go a long way toward making sure you\u2019re well-hydrated.<\/p>\n Can you drink too much water?<\/p>\n Yes, you can drink too much water. This can lead to a serious and potentially fatal condition known as hyponatremia, according to Eric Adkins, M.D<\/a>., an emergency medicine physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.<\/p>\n Hyponatremia is when the level of sodium (salt) in your blood is lower than it should be\u2014specifically below 135 milliequivalents\/liter, per the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>. When sodium levels dip too low in the blood, water moves into the tissues and keeps them from working properly. This is particularly dangerous in the brain, where it can lead to coma, permanent brain damage, or death.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re drinking so much that it looks like you\u2019re constantly urinating out water and having other symptoms like headaches, low energy, and vomiting, that\u2019s probably a sign that your water intake is too aggressive,\u201d Dr. Adkins says.<\/p>\n![\"Google\"](\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/social\/google.1467f37.svg\")
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