So, How Much Water Do You Actually Need To Be Drinking In A Day?
Water is somewhat of a miracle liquid. The benefits of drinking enough water are endless. It clears our skin, keeps our body healthy and keeps us going through our daily lives.
A large majority of people actually aren’t drinking enough water. The average person reports they drink 3 – 4 cups of water per day. On the other hand you have people chugging a gallon or more of water a day.
You may have seen the gallon water challenge going around on social media. Celebrities, notably Khloe Kardashian and influencers are documenting their attempt to drink a gallon of water, with the help of a snazzy looking bottle.
So, it begs the question how much water do you actually need to be drinking? and is it possible to drink too much?
This is what science says…
According to the experts the average male needs 3.7 litres and the average female needs 2.7 litres. It all comes down to your height, weight, and activity levels. Your lose water every day through things such as breathing, perspiring and going to the bathroom! In order to keep your body in tip top shape you need to replace the water lost. These reccomendations are based off how much water the average male and female lose on a daily basis, but take note you don’t have to replace all the water lost by chugging water all day long! 20% of your average daily water intake comes from your fruit. So eating your fruits and veggies are just as important as downing a pint size glass of water!
Can you drink too much water?
Can you really have too much of a good thing? It’s a tricky one in terms of drinking water. There is an age old myth that drinking too much water is bad for your kidneys because they can’t get rid of the excess water, but how much do you have to drink to get to that point?
There is no set in stone answer. The best way of measuring how much water you need to drink is to let your body do the talking! Aim to hit the recommended intake and if you aren’t showing any signs of dehydration – headaches, feeling thirsty or dark yellow urine, then there really isn’t a need to be forcing yourself to drink an extra litre of water a day!
The chances of over hydrating yourself are slim. You would have to be drinking upwards of 5-6 litres for that to happen. If you do do this however it can throw your sodium levels out of balance which can be serious, but like we said you would have to be drinking A LOT of water for that to happen.
But what happens if you drink too little?
On the other hand you don’t want to drink too little. Not drinking enough water in a day can lead to symptoms of dehydration and might lead you to feeling a little foggy and tired! So aim to drink around 1.5 to 2 litres a day depending on your height, weight and activity level.
It doesn’t have to be boring though, if you struggle to drink water try out some of these methods to make it a little easier for you:
- Drink flavoured water or juice
- Eat your 5 a day of fruits and vegetables
- Add fruit to your water to make it taste nicer
- Carry a water bottle with you
- Track your water intake in a journal
So the moral of the story is…
The moral of the story is that no, you don’t need to be drinking a gallon of water a day, but it isn’t any harm associated with it. All you need to do is aim for your 1.5 litres to 2 litres a day to keep yourself feeling fresh and eating your fruits and veggies! There are much worse things you can be drinking than water!
Water bottle inspo!
Let us help you out on your quest to drink more water. It is the perfect excuse to get your hands on some cute bottles. How fab are these!
Will you be trying to drink more water this summer?
Take a look at these tips on how to drink more water!