A Guide To How Much Water You Should Be Drinking

We all know how important it is for us to stay hydrated to stay healthy. Not only does hydration ensure that you digest your food correctly and clear your skin, but it also heals many other ailments that you may be experiencing.

Drinking enough water daily is something that we all know we should be doing, but people often find it difficult to know how much water is enough and drinking too little water. Drinking too much water can result in drowning your organs, and drinking too little can result in dehydration.

Here is a guide on how much water you should be drinking every day.

Health Benefits

You probably already know of the obvious health benefits that come along with drinking water, such as staying hydrated and clearing your skin because it flushes toxins out of your body. Still, staying hydrated carries many other benefits.

You have many sensitive tissues in your body that need to be protected. Since your body is made up of 50-70% water, these tissues are protected by the water in your system. Therefore, if you are dehydrated, those tissues are at risk of being damaged.

Water also regulates your temperature when you have enough of it in your system, and it lubricates and cushions all of your joints so that you don’t feel any pain when moving them.

Adults

As an adult, you should be drinking about 131 oz. of water if you are a man and 95 oz. If you are a woman, this will vary from person to person based on body weight, body mass index, and personal health issues.

Many hydration calculators can tell you how much water you should be drinking based on your height and weight, but it is important to consider health complications such as diabetes. Consult your doctor to find out exactly how much water is right for you.

Children

For children, it is just as important, if not more important, to drink enough water as it is for adults. Of course, the younger a child is, the less water they will need, but they must get enough water for their bodies at their particular age.

Between four and eight years old, children should be drinking about 5 cups of water a day, by nine to thirteen years old, they should be drinking 7 cups, and by the time they have reached fourteen to eighteen years old, they should be drinking about 10 cups of water a day. However, this does include any water intake such as that of fruits and vegetables, too. Consult your doctor to see exactly how much water your child needs per day.

Options

You do not need to rely simply on plain water to get your daily water intake. Foods and vegetables such as spinach and watermelon consist of almost 100% of water, and drinking herbal tea will account for a significant amount of water, too.

Even your coffee has a small amount of water in it and can account for a small portion of your daily water intake. However, you should be careful to stay away from sugary drinks as this will do more harm than good.