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Aug 2, 2024

How Much Water Should You Drink in a Day?

Drinking water is a basic necessity for the human body, especially since 60-70% of it is water. However, one question that is burning fire among healthy, mindful youth is, “How much water should I drink?” There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Just like we all have different body types, our bodies need different amounts of water daily. While the basic necessity remains the same, four to six cups of water, one’s needs may vary depending upon activity, climate, and body size. However, many of us are unaware of the rules for hydration intake and how hydration affects our overall health. This blog will help you understand the needs and benefits of proper hydration.

How much total water do you need daily?

A healthy individual must consume 11.5 cups to 15.5 cups of water on average for men and women, respectively. Now, consuming these many cups of water is ideally not possible. But you know what! We do contribute to our hydration needs somehow. Our body absorbs water from our diet, too. When we consume coffee, smoothies, juices, or even soups and vegetables, we are indirectly increasing our daily water intake. These are the factors that contribute to adding more plain water to your diet:

Activity Level:

Higher levels of physical activity increase the need for water to replace fluids lost through sweat and to maintain optimal muscle function and performance.

Age:

As you age, your body’s ability to conserve water decreases, making it essential to consciously increase your water intake to stay hydrated and support bodily functions.

Weather Conditions:

Hot and humid weather increases fluid loss through sweat, requiring you to drink more water to prevent dehydration and maintain body temperature.

Diet:

Dietshigh in protein, fiber, or salt can increase the body’s water needs to aid digestion and help process these nutrients effectively.

Overall Health:

Fever, diarrhea, and infections can cause increased fluid loss. Drinking more water helps maintain hydrationand support recovery.

Medications:

Certain medications, such as diuretics, can increase urination and lead to higher water loss, necessitating increased water intake to maintain balance.

Benefits of Drinking Adequate Amount of Water

Helps in Regulating Body Temperatures

Water plays a significant role in regulating body temperature. The body’s temperature varies depending on the outside temperature and physical activity. As the outside temperature increases, the body manages to bring it back to the ideal degrees by sweating, leading to fluid loss and excess energy use. Hence, to sum up, the loss, by drinking excess water during hot summer days or moist humid days, we eventually bring our body temperatures to their ideal saturation.

May Help Prevents Constipation

Lack of water in the body leads to constipation. Water is the major source of digestion. It helps break down food and helps the body absorb nutrients. When there is a lack of proper hydration in the body, the large intestine starts absorbing water from food waste, which can lead to harder stools in the long run. To avoid chronic constipation, drinking water after waking up in the morning can help make the process easier and faster.

May Prevent Headaches

Have you ever experienced frequent headaches but not migraines? Tried linking that with how much water intake you had that day. Well, in that case, you might want to link your number of glasses of water to how well your brain is feeling. Because, as per the research, dehydration causes headaches. As you start drinking water, this will reduce the ache, and your brain will start functioning properly.

Promotes Skin Health

Your skin is the largest organ of your body. This organ can instantly react to dehydration, which could further increase anti-aging and wrinkles.

Hyaluronic acid and collagen requirefluid to function properly. These enzymes are responsible for providing elasticity and glow to the skin, hence as the skin gets dehydrated, the skin starts becoming, saggy and wrinkly.

Hydration promotes skin moisturization and acts as a barrier by preventing any skin damage or skin-related illnesses like eczema, sunburn, or rashes.

May Help in Recovering Faster from Chronic Diseases

Consuming adequate water daily is a boon to people with cardiovascular diseases, UTIs, and brain strokes.

Drinking less water might increase the risk of thrombosis, fibrosis, hypertension, and stroke. People with Urinary Tract Infections can recover faster when they drink up to 3 liters of water daily, which helps flush out the microbes from the body.

While drinking water does not guarantee that one will not contract any of the above diseases, daily hydration may prevent diseases and help with faster recovery

Alternatives that Keep You Hydrated

It is true that water cannot be replaced with any other beverage, but the truth stands, that hydration can come from many other sources of drinks as well. Drinking coffee, alcohol, energy drinks, juices, or smoothies also helps to hydrate the body and fulfill daily needs. While it is well said that alcohol makes you dehydrated, as you frequently urinate, over the course of the day, the water from alcohol does add up to the positive contribution to requirement. However, along with many other things to keep in mind, it is vital to realize that consuming sugared beverages may lead to other side effects like weight gain, anxiety, and restlessness when not provided.

Final Thoughts

The human body needs a significant amount of water to function properly, which varies depending on activity level, age, and overall health. Drinking adequate water has numerous benefits, including regulating body temperature, preventing constipation, and promoting skin health. Additionally, various alternatives to plain water can contribute to overall hydration, but it’s important to be mindful of potential side effects from sugared beverages.

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