How Much Water Should I be Drinking?
Most of us have heard the 'myth' that we are supposed to drink 8 glasses of water per day (2 litres!).
While it has since been shown not to be based on any particular piece of evidence, it's not far from the truth. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (USA) released a report in 2004 stating that an average male needs 3.7 litres per day, while the average female requires 2.7 litres. Depending on how healthy your diet is, about 20-30% of that fluid intake will be derived from food, leaving roughly 3 litres required for men and around 2 litres for women.
Obviously, these requirements will change given certain conditions.
For example, pregnant women require and additional 300mL per day, while nursing women lose an additional 400-800mL through breast milk.
Other factors that affect hydration include exercise levels and weather conditions. The human body is reasonably good at regulating fluid intake, so unless you're running a half marathon in 30+ degree heat, you're unlikely to rapidly dehydrate unless you are repeatedly ignoring feelings of thirst. It is advisable to hydrate before, during and after exercise, monitor feelings of dizziness (a sign of dehydration) and maintain a clear or pale yellow urine colour (a sign of being well hydrated). If the weather is hotter than you are used to, it can be a good idea to carry a bottle of water with you even if you're only walking around.
Last of all, there is no need to go to extremes when it comes to fluid intake, as it is possible to drink too much and overload the kidneys (3-4 litres at once would be dangerous).
Keep in mind that your daily intake will include any coffee, tea, alcohol, milk, juice or soft drinks that you have consumed, regardless of the mild diuretic effects that some of these drinks may have.
REFERENCES
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE. 2005. DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES FOR WATER, POTASSIUM, SODIUM, CHLORIDE AND SULFATE. WASHINGTON, DC: THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.17226/10925
MCKENZIE, A. L., ARMSTRONG, L.E. MONITORING BODY WATER BALANCE IN PREGNANT AND NURSING WOMEN: THE VALIDITY OF URINE COLOUR. ANN NUTR METAB. 2017;70(SUPPL 1): 18-22 DOI: 10.1159/000462999
AUTHOR: SCOTT MARSHALL
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