How Much Water Should You Drink In a Day?

How Much Water Should You Drink? | Benefits of drinking Water Daily | How water impacts human health?

Your body contains more water than anything else - roughly 60% of your total body weight. Water helps regulate body temperature, transport nutrients, and remove waste. You lose water every day through breathing, sweating, urinating, and defecating, and this water needs to be replenished.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

People often wonder how much water they need to drink each day to stay healthy. While this may seem like a simple question, there are not always easy answers. It depends on several environmental and physical factors that can vary on a daily basis.

Plus, it's not just the water you drink that keeps you hydrated - about 20% of your water intake comes from the food you eat. The remaining 80% comes from beverages, including water, coffee, tea, milk, and anything in liquid form.

The Medical Institute of the National Academy has reviewed the old scientific evidence on adequate water intake and made the following recommendations for total daily water intake (including food and drink) for adults aged 19 to 50.

General Guidelines of Hydration for different ages

• Men: a total of 16 glasses

• Women: a total of 11 glasses

• Pregnant: a total of 13 glasses

• Breastfeeding: a total of 16 glasses

Pregnant Women

According to medical institutions, pregnant women need about 13 glasses of fluids per day. Some people retain extra fluids and experience slight swelling during pregnancy, but this does not reduce their water requirements.

Breastfeeding Women

Breast milk is mostly water, so you need to drink more water or healthy drinks while breastfeeding. The Institute of Medicine recommends that all breastfeeding people drink about 13 glasses of fluids per day.

Children

Water intake varies in children under the age of 18 and depends on factors such as age and gender. The Medical Institute recommends the following fluid intake (includes water and other drinks) for children of different age groups:

• Children from 1-3 years: 5.5 glasses of liquid per day.

• Children aged 4-8 years: 7 glasses of liquid per day.

• Boys aged 9–13 years: 10 glasses of liquid a day.

• Boys between 14 and 18 years: 14 glasses of liquid a day.

• Girls aged 9–13 years: 9 glasses of liquid per day.

• Girls aged 14-18 years: 10 glasses of liquid per day.

Benefits Of Drinking Adequate Water

There are many good reasons to drink more water. In addition to maintaining hydration and maintaining optimal body function, drinking more water can cause the following:

•Improved physical performance: A 2018 study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that adequate hydration improves strength, focus, and recovery time in athletes.

•Fewer headaches: A 2011 study found that increased water consumption was associated with lower headache frequency. Researchers recommend increasing water consumption as a potential non-invasive treatment for people with chronic headaches.

•Bowel regularity: Although laxatives are considered a useful treatment for constipation, a 2015 study found that older adults are often dehydrated from not drinking enough water, which can lead to the condition.