Water is one of the most important factors in keeping our bodies healthy. Our vital organs are mostly made up of water, and they constantly need water to function properly.
We’re always reminded to stay hydrated and drink enough water; but at some point in our lives, we may have found ourselves asking: how much water should you drink per day or how much water should you drink in a day for daily hydration?
We recommend eight 8-ounce glasses, which is called the 8×8 rule. This equals about 2 liters or (half) 0.5 a gallon per day!
But, before answering that, it’s best to understand how much water we lose each day. Even when you’re not doing anything physically, your water level is still dropping. You lose water by sweating, urinating, and simply breathing.
If you don’t restore the water you’re losing, you have a higher chance of being dehydrated.
Now, to answer the question, how much water should you drink a day in oz? Well, many studies recommend that we consume around 68 ounces of water daily, in general. However, as we grow or be more physically active, we should be more conscious of how much water we’re intaking.
This article does not mean to just say your body needs at least 8 glasses of water, per day. We’d rather inform you of the positive impact it has on your body. Here are the benefits of drinking enough water on a daily:
Does Water Improve Cognitive Ability?
We may not be aware of it but drinking a healthy amount of water which is at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day greatly increases our chances of recalling things.
And, many studies recommend drinking around 68 ounces of water in a day.
The homeostatic imbalance is the state wherein your cells lack the nutrients they need to function properly, and this occurs even when we become mildly dehydrated.
Having that imbalance reduces our cognitive ability such as staying alert, focused, being able to sort things out, and remember details.
SUMMARY
Homeostatic Imbalance occurs even at the slightest level of dehydration and reduces cognitive performance.
Does Drinking Lots of Water Help To Maintain Energy Level?
We’re always consuming energy and our brain is functioning pretty much most of the time. We may not be aware of it but water is our main source of energy.
However, studies claim that after the age of 20, we become less and less aware of the sensation of thirst. Thus, dehydration is more common at that age and so is the depletion of energy.
Most people have this misconception or malpractice of drinking water only when they’re thirsty. Having a dry mouth and feeling the thirst is already an indication that our body lacks water and is already below the minimum level.
When we’re dehydrated, our body is already not functioning at an optimal level. Thus, our organs compensate for it creating an imbalance. As a result, more energy is needed to perform certain tasks,
SUMMARY
We should drink water before we feel thirsty. Being thirsty is already a signal that the water level in our body is below the minimum. Water, for us, is similar to how gas and gas tanks work in cars.
Complements Weight Loss – Does Drinking Water Help Lose Weight?
If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s best to supplement your diet with water. Although a lot of drinks claim to be beneficial for weight loss, they may not be the best option.
Water has the purest 100% calorie-free claim. Don’t get us wrong but other beverages who claim they’re calorie-free have a little of something else which is bad for our body – aka sugar.
As discussed above, water helps keep our energy at the optimal level. As a result, it increases our metabolism as well. As we all know, metabolism helps us burn fat more quickly. On average, humans should consume approximately 2 liters daily. However, if you’re trying to lose weight faster, you will have to ingest 5 liters of water daily, according to studies.
Also, we’re sorry to burst your bubble but there really are no calorie-free drinks aside from water. The FDA has legally allowed manufacturers to label anything as calorie-free – as long as they have less than 5 calories.
Furthermore, if we drink water before eating, it’s known to suppress appetite as your stomach feels full faster.
To prevent over-eating, you should practice drinking at least 500mL of water before meals. Sometimes, we even mistake thirst with hunger. To find out which one it is, you should drink a glass of water first before eating. This avoids the unnecessary urge to snack too.
SUMMARY
Before meals, it’s best to drink a glass of water first to fill up space in our stomachs. That will result in us feeling hydrated and full at the same without risking overeating.
Does Water Really Help To Improve Mood?
This is one of the facts that not everyone is aware of. A study found that the greater the water consumption, the better the mood of a person is.
It also reduces the feeling of tension, anxiety, stress, and depression. This is because lack of water depletes our energy which also makes us confused, tired, and prone to headaches.
We can all agree that experiencing headaches along with the feeling of tired doesn’t help us keep our mood up all day.
SUMMARY
Water helps balance the hormonal levels of a person which results in increased overall satisfaction. Frustrations arise when we lack energy, physical, and mental strength leading to poor moods.
Does Water Prevent Health Problems – Health Benefits of Drinking Water?
Water does a lot of things apart from quenching our thirsts and keeping us hydrated. This is one of the benefits that you wouldn’t really notice with your eyes.
Drinking enough water consistently helps prevent joint pains as cartilage contains 80% water. If you’re getting dehydrated often, the shock absorption ability of your joints and spine gets reduced.
Thus, you’re prone to feel pain or numbness in that area.
Furthermore, water flushes out the toxins in our body and most of our vital organs depend on it to be able to function properly. When water is enough to be well-circulated in our body, this decreases our chances of having kidney stones, heartburn, ulcers, and even constipation.
In addition to that, saliva and mucus may not be our favorite but it helps our body in a lot of ways. Saliva keeps our mouth, nose, and eyes moist which prevents friction, damage, and strains. This reduces the chances of tooth decay as well.
Also, there are other health benefits of drinking water.
SUMMARY
Water flushes out body toxins that lead to health problems. It also makes our bones stronger and makes organs function efficiently, decreasing our chances of having skin disorders, overly acidic stomachs, and increased blood pressures.
Do Other Fluids Count?
Most of us would like to drink something different once in a while. Water is tasteless after all. Sometimes, you’ll be offered something to drink which is not water.
Don’t be too hard on yourself and stick too much with water. Other fluids do add up to your count – as long as they’re non-alcoholic drinks!
Fruits and vegetables also make up for our water intake. Watermelon alone is 90% water. There a lot of options that count up to your tally too like coffee and tea.
However, you have to keep in mind that the diuretic effect of those drinks does not offset hydration.
If water is not your go-to drink because of taste, you might want to try adding lemon to give it some kind of flavor. If you prefer something more, you can try Sparkling water. That adds up too.
SUMMARY
We need to drink at least ½ gallon of water but there are also other options where you can get water from such as cereals and even sodas.
Don’t Wait For Thirst – It’s There for a Reason
We should look after ourselves and one way of doing so is to not let our body feel thirst. As we’ve stressed in this article, feeling thirsty is an indication that the water in our body is below the minimum.
The 8×8 rule has no science behind to support the theory. It’s totally up to you!
As we grow older, the less sensitive we get to the feeling of thirst as we’ve gotten used to ignoring it.
Perhaps, this is caused by the fact that we’ve been pushing the limit of the level of thirst before actually getting up to get a glass.
SUMMARY
There are other indicators of dehydration other than thirst such as no fluid passing for six hours.
How Much Water Is Best?
When this question pops up, we recommend a water intake of 8 8-ounce glasses, which equals about 2 liters, or half a gallon. This is called the 8×8 rule.
Although we can have other sources where we can get water from, it’s still best practice to follow the 8×8 rule. It may be too much for us but as we get used to it, you might even want to drink more than the 8×8 rule.
It’s also important to take into consideration the weather and our physical activity when figuring out the answer to this question. The 8×8 rule is a general rule estimated if the weather is generally cool and there’s not much activity for you to do.
However, if it’s summer or you’re into sports, you may want to add more water to your diet.
Nutritionists recommend starting with half-ounce of water per pound of body weight. If you feel like you need more water, you can adjust it but that’s the general computation of how much you need in a day.
Remember: never let your body feel thirsty again!
Is There Overhydration?
We’re all familiar with dehydration and its negative effect on our bodies. We’ve always been warned of this.
In a day, we recommend drinking ½ gallon of water at least.
However, you still have to watch out for overhydration which means you’re taking in too much water that it’s already injurious to your health. Although this rarely happens, it’s still best to be aware of it.
If you’ve noticed your pee is almost always clear, that’s not a good sign. The color of urine should be between pale-yellow to tea-colored most of the time. That sign will be followed by too many trips to the bathroom.
Don’t get us wrong, keeping yourself hydrated is good and drinking a lot of water is good as well. However, you need to make sure it’s spread across the day.
Summary
Drinking water up to 2 or 2.5 liters daily is a healthy habit to live by.
However, if you drink too much water in a short time span, your body might not be able to process the water properly. This results in vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea because your kidneys are having a hard time distributing too much liquid in your body.
Another sign of overhydration is when you start feeling throbbing headaches throughout the day. This happens because the composition of your blood starts to be imbalanced.
When you drink too much water, the salt composition in your blood starts to be compromised. Then you become counterproductive in losing weight because your body would start swelling due to excess water in the bloodstream.
Drinking enough water is good but make sure to not be too over about it as well. Don’t let yourself be too consumed by it either. You can still take in other fluids.
The goal of this article is not to make you too conscious of the amount of water you intake in a day. Instead, we’re informing you how much water should you drink per day and the benefits of drinking healthy amounts of water on a daily.
Remember to regulate your drinking time and not rely on the feeling of thirst.
Article by: KITCHEN PRODUCT
