How Much Water Does One Need In A Day?

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Water is necessary for our body to function optimally. But exactly how much water does one need in a day? We will try to answer this question here.

Water is vital for your body because almost 60-70 percent of your body weight consists of water. You cannot survive without water. Every cell, tissue, and organ of an individual cannot work without water. 

Apart from this, water helps flush the toxins from your body in the form of urine, bowel movements, and sweat.

How Much Water Does One Need In A Day

So, a lack of water can make you feel dehydrated and exhausted. It can even give birth to various diseases like kidney failure, urinary tract infections, and numerous others.

This article discusses more the daily water requirement in a day for an individual. So, continue reading the article to get more information about it.

Why Is Drinking Enough Water So Important?

Drinking enough water has several benefits. 

#1. Teeth

Sufficient water intake keeps your mouth clean as well as lowers the risk of dental problems.

#2. Skin

Sufficient water intake in a day will prevent wrinkles on your skin. You don’t have to spend much money on antiaging creams and lotions available on the market.

#3. Kidneys

Sufficient water intake will help improve kidney function. It will prevent the kidney from damage or any other disorder.

#4. Joints

The joints in your body are similar to the gears of a vehicle—sufficient water intake cushions our joints.

#5. Digestive system

Sufficient water intake helps in digesting your food. As a result, you will not have gastric issues.

How Much Water Does One Need In A Day

Daily Water Requirement

Some health experts advise drinking eight glasses of water each day, while some say that you need to sip the water continuously throughout the day, even when you don’t feel thirsty. 

However, sufficient water intake in a day depends on various factors like the size of the body, activities you perform on a day, the environment you live in, your health conditions, and numerous others. So, there is no fixed rule which fits every individual.

Every individual loses water in the form of sweating, breathing, or urine and bowel movements. So you need to replenish the water supply lost from your body to function every organ properly. But there is no fixed rule for daily water intake.

How Much Water Does One Need In A Day

Earlier, the U.S Food and nutrition board advised people to drink 2.5 liters of water in a day, whereas the CDC did not recommend any fixed intake of water by an individual.

The U.S National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adult man should take 3.7 liters of fluid in a day and an adult woman should take 2.7 liters of fluid in a day. This recommendation covers fluid intake from water, food, and various beverages. 

The 2015-2020 U.S Dietary guidelines do not recommend drinking any specific amount of water in a day to remain healthy.

In the U.K, the National Health Service recommends drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day. Well, an individual may need more than eight glasses of water if he stays in a hotter climate.

Recommended Water Intake By Age

There is no fixed amount of fluid recommended for people of any age group. However, the following sections will show the average water intake for people of different age groups.

Infants

Experts usually recommend breast milk as the primary source to hydrate infants. They don’t recommend infants below six months to drink plain water.

Infants above six months can drink plain water. But the primary source should be breast milk or formula milk. The CDC recommends infants between 6-12 months of age drink 4-6 ounces of water per day.

How Much Water Does One Need In A Day

Children Above 12 Months Of Age

Children above 12 months of age should drink water in the following instances like

  • As part of their daily routine like after brushing teeth or after playtime.
  • As an alternative to juice

Adults Between 19-30 Years Of Age

The recommended water intake from all sources for adults in-between age groups of 19-30 is as follows.

  • 3.7 liters for men (15 cups)
  • 2.7 liters for women (8 cups)

But the women who are pregnant or breastfeeding need more water than the recommended value.

Older Adults

Older adults are at high risk of dehydration because medication problems, memory loss, or mobility issues may prevent drinking enough water. Dehydration can lead to urine infections, tired, saggy skin, cancer, constipation, and various others.

Experts recommend older adults drink at least 1.7 liters of water (about 7 cups) in 24 hours to fight various diseases. They should drink an ample amount of fluids at one time; instead, they should drink water in small amounts throughout the day.

How Much Water Does One Need In A Day

Should You Drink 8 Glasses Of Water In A Day?

You may have heard the advice from many people to drink eight glasses of water per day. It’s hard to pinpoint from where the eight glasses per day rule originated. It’s just a simple answer to the complicated question of how much water one needs in a day. 

Many people stay hydrated by drinking water whenever they feel thirsty, which can be even less than eight glasses of water, whereas others may need more than eight glasses of water in 24 hours.

The quantity of drinking water that you need in 24 hours depends on many factors, such as:

Exercise

If you do more physical exercise in a day, then you are likely to sweat more. So, you need to drink more water to replenish the fluid loss.

Environment

If an individual stays in a hot and humid climate, then he is likely to sweat more. So, he needs to drink more water in a day to cover the fluid loss.

How Much Water Does One Need In A Day

Health

If you have fever, diarrhea, vomiting, or kidney diseases, the doctor advises you to drink more water to stay hydrated and fight various diseases.

Pregnancy And Breastfeeding

If a woman is pregnant or breastfeeding her baby, she needs to take additional fluids to stay healthy and hydrated.

Consumption Of Sodium And Protein

If an individual consumes food containing more sodium and potassium, he is likely to drink more water.

Consumption Of Fruits And Vegetables

If a person eats more fruits and vegetables in a day, he may drink less water.

Size Of Your Body

If you are bulky, then your body needs more water to stay hydrated.

Metabolism

If your metabolic rate is high, then your body needs more fuel to keep the engine active. So you need to drink more water to stay active and hydrated.

Consumption Of Alcohol

If a person is taking more alcohol, then he is likely to feel dehydrated. If this is the case, then you need to drink more water to rehydrate your body.

How Much Water Does One Need In A Day

Is Water The Only Option To Stay Hydrated?

No, you don’t have to depend only on the water to stay hydrated. Various fruits and vegetables can keep you hydrated as well. 

For instance, if I talk about spinach or watermelon, they contain almost 100 percent water by weight. So, if you consume them daily, it will keep you healthy as well as hydrated.

Another way to stay hydrated is by drinking beverages like milk, herbal teas, various juices, sports drinks, or sweet drinks available in the market. But sweet drinks contain added sugar, which may increase your weight.

The table below shows the water content in percentage for different foods.

Water Content In PercentageFood (Fruits, Vegetables, or Beverages)
100 %Water
80-89%Yogurt, apple, pears, oranges, carrot, broccoli
70-79%Banana, baked potato
60-69%Chicken
30-39%Bread
1-9%Nuts, cereals, chocolates
0%Oil, sugar

Signs That You Are Not Drinking Enough Water

You may not always feel thirsty. But that does not mean your body is entirely hydrated or has enough water for functioning all its organs and tissues. I will suggest you observe the color of the urine. 

If it is a clear and pale yellow, you are on the right track, i.e. your body is hydrated enough. In contrast, if you observe dark yellowish urine, it signifies that your body needs more water to function various organs.

The other signs of not drinking enough water are as follows.

  • Dizziness
  • Dry mouth and lips
  • Skin becoming dry
  • Increase in body temperature
  • Feeling exhausted
  • Increase in a heartbeat
  • Trouble in concentrating
How Much Water Does One Need In A Day

Is Too Much Drinking Water Intake Dangerous?

Drinking too much water is rarely dangerous. A person may drink more water in a day if he does vigorous exercises for a long time. Sometimes it may lead to hyponatremia, in which the sodium level in the blood becomes too low.

Some of the common symptoms seen in hyponatremia include

  • Headache
  • Vomiting
  • Seizures
  • Confusion
  • Death
  • Swelling of brain

Wrap Up

You should drink enough water in a day to stay healthy and hydrated. But the amount of water needed to keep hydrated varies from one individual to another. 

How Much Water Does One Need In A Day

Many people believe that drinking eight glasses of water will keep them hydrated and healthy. But in reality, that is not true. It depends on several factors like age, sex, type of activity performed by an individual in 24 hours, and others.

I hope this article has given you helpful information, and please don’t forget to share how much water you drink in a day to stay hydrated.