Hydrate! How much water do we need?

Water is a key component to staying healthy 

Our bodies are composed of about 60% water. Isn’t that crazy?! We are like a walking water balloon. This is for a good reason; water is what keeps our body systems working properly. So staying well hydrated is very important. Being well hydrated helps reduce the risk of getting kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and constipation. And it is almost like the secret beauty tool. Drinking water is great for your hair, skin, and nails. It’s good for you inside and out! It is important to try our best to remain hydrated. The issue is, we lose water throughout the day in many ways such as using the bathroom, sweating, being out in the sun, and sickness.

The risks of being dehydrated or overhydrated  

If you are losing water more than you are taking in water you can easily become dehydrated. Being dehydrated causes many disruptions in our body. It can cause headaches, dizziness, or digestion issues. Mild dehydration can impact your mood, memory and how you process things which is not ideal for college students. These two cases of dehydration can be easily fixed by drinking water until you are well hydrated again.  But if dehydration continues, you will go into severe dehydration and will require medical care. Severe dehydration is serious because it can cause kidney failure, heart problems, confusion, and possibly death.

Now before you start chugging water, too much of a good thing can be bad. It is very easy to become overhydrated and that is just as dangerous as being dehydrated. Back in 1999, Tamara Hew-Butler, a podiatrist, was volunteering at a marathon. Things went from bandaging blisters to much more serious problems in a matter of seconds. Runners were being carried in on stretchers to the medical tent and suddenly started having seizures. They were taken to the hospital and all 5 runners were in a coma for a week. They all had hyponatremia. This is when the sodium levels in your blood are too low due to too much water in your system. After this she went back and decided to check how much water the runners were drinking; turns out they were drinking from 80 – 90 cups of water. All due to fear of dehydration, forgetting that too much water can be just as deadly. This is a common occurrence for athletes, but it can happen to anyone.

How much water should I drink? 

Now we know that drinking water is important, but also that we have to watch how much we drink. So how much should we drink? That is a hard question to answer and the only true answer is…… It depends. It depends on your age, sex, and medical conditions you might have. It is said that women should drink about 11.5 cups of water a day, but about 20% of that comes from your food, so in reality it should be 9 cups. Men should drink 15.5 cups of water a day, but taking into account food, it should actually be 13 cups of water. Unfortunately it isn’t that simple, it still varies between each person. A great way to check your water intake is to check your urine (pee) color next time you take a bathroom break. If your pee is a pale yellow color you are consuming enough and you should continue to do what you’re doing. If your pee is instead a dark yellow or amber color you should increase your water intake.  

Where to get your water from  

You can get your water intake from a variety of sources such as different flavored drinks, eating high water content foods such as fruit and vegetables. When it comes to choosing your drink, lean towards water, but it’s ok to drink other things as well.  

Here are a few tricks for hydrating yourself:  

• Listen to your body!  
  • If you feel thirsty, drink some water. Especially if you are under great heat or being active.  
• Choose water 
  • Instead of reaching for a soda, an energy drink, or even an iced coffee… reach for a nice glass of water. 
• Drink water throughout the day 
  • Make sure you are sipping on water throughout the day including during your meals and in between meals.  
• Get a reusable water bottle 
  • Not only are you cutting plastic use by having one, you will have water easily accessible at all times. Put some fun stickers on it to make it more fun to drink your water.  
• Add a fun flavor 
  • You can squeeze in some lemon, add cucumber slices, or basil to give your water a new flavor every time.  

All information from this article was adapted from How much water do you need by Barbara Gordon, RDN, LD and Sarah Klemm, RDN, CD, LDN , and Busting 5 common myths about water and hydration.