[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/08\/how-much-water-should-i-drink\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/08\/how-much-water-should-i-drink\/","headline":"How Much Water Should I Drink?","name":"How Much Water Should I Drink?","description":"Drinking water is one of the healthiest habits you can have. But how much is enough? And can you drink too much water? Here's what you need to know.","datePublished":"2022-08-25","dateModified":"2023-07-11","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/","name":"UPMC","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/upmc\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1352302431.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1352302431.jpg","height":867,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/08\/how-much-water-should-i-drink\/","about":["Family Health","Living and Wellness","New Here"],"wordCount":680,"keywords":["New Here - Living and Wellness"],"articleBody":"Good hydration is essential to keep all of our systems running smoothly. Dehydrated people don\u2019t function as well, cognitively or physically. Drinking water gets linked to everything from weight loss to better skin to healthier joints.But how much water do you need to survive \u2014 and thrive? And is more always better?Here are some simple guidelines to follow to ensure you\u2019re getting the right amount of fluids in your diet every day.How Much Water Should I Drink Every Day?Humans have evolved to have a strong thirst mechanism for a reason, according to UPMC kidney disease experts at the UPMC Kidney Disease Center.Thirst is the most sensitive trigger for how much fluid to drink. For most people, drinking to quench thirst is a good guide for how much to drink.For people who are otherwise healthy, this means drinking enough water that you don\u2019t generally feel thirsty. If you\u2019re well hydrated, your urine will be light yellow or clear. Dark yellow can be a sign that you\u2019re not drinking enough (though B vitamins can also turn urine bright yellow).The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies agrees.\u00a0Their report\u00a0found that the majority of healthy people drank enough water by following their thirst.They did set some recommendations for how much water to drink, based on national averages. To recommend how much water a woman should drink a day,\u00a0they looked at women who were adequately hydrated. These women consumed about 91 ounces of water each day (that\u2019s water from all beverages and foods).Men who were well hydrated consumed about 125 ounces of water each day, from all sources.As for the\u00a0persistent myth of eight glasses of water\u00a0a day? Not so much, said the panel. That\u2019s a bit of folklore that may have been something a nutritionist named Fredrick Stare wrote in passing in the 1970s.Drinking Enough Water When You ExerciseFor active people, people with certain conditions, and people in hot environments, hydration is even more important.Some people can lose one to two liters of sweat per hour when exercising, especially in hot weather. If you sweat a lot and lose 2% to 3% of your body weight while exercising, it\u2019s important to replace it.What makes hydration during activity a little trickier is that by the time you feel thirsty, you\u2019re already losing fluid. But guzzling a bunch of water all at once in the middle of a workout may cause cramping. A good rule of thumb is to start drinking before you feel thirsty but stop when you feel recharged.Athletes need to learn what works best for them. Additionally, people with kidney disease should always work with their doctor to come up with a hydration plan.Too Much Water or Not Enough Water Are Both ProblemsDehydration is when you are losing more fluid than you\u2019re taking in. This fluid deficit means that the systems in your body don\u2019t have the fluid they need to work as they should.Mild dehydration can make you feel dizzy or tired. Extreme dehydration can cause confusion, rapid breathing, and rapid heartbeat. It can be life threatening if severe.Drinking too much water (like three to four liters) too fast is often called water intoxication, or\u00a0hyponatremia.This can cause your sodium levels to drop too low. And the extra water causes your cells to swell, which can be dangerous. In fact, hyponatremia is equally as life threatening as dehydration.So, we\u2019re back to where we began \u2014 with the idea that, for most people, the best approach is to drink to quench your thirst. When exercising, start drinking before you feel the thirst. And stop when you feel replenished.Editor's Note: This article was originally published on August 25, 2022, and was last reviewed on July 11, 2023.SourcesCDC, Get the Facts: Drinking Water and Intake, LinkCDC, Water and Healthier Drinks, LinkAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, How Much Water Do You Need, LinkEPA, Bottled Water Basics, LinkFDA, Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much? Link"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2022","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"08","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/\/08\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How Much Water Should I Drink?","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/08\/how-much-water-should-i-drink\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]