How Much Water Should You Drink a Day? (2024)

Getting enough water daily is essential to staying healthy, but how much water is enough? The widespread advice is to drink eight glasses of water daily, but this recommendation does not apply to everyone. Daily water intake recommendations vary by a person's age, sex, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and health status.

Read more about how much water you should drink a day, why it is important to overall health, and signs of adequate hydration.

How Much Water Should You Drink a Day? (1)

How Much Water Do You Need Per Day?

Adequate hydration, or consuming enough fluids, is essential for your health. Hydration impacts skin health, neurological function, digestion, and kidney function.

People lose (and must replace) water throughout the day from sweating, breathing, urinating, and having bowel movements. For healthy people, the vasopressin hormone (also called the antidiuretic hormone) and the kidneys help to regulate fluid loss. Thirst tells your body to drink more fluids.

Most people will lose a little over 16 ounces (or 500 milliliters) of fluid through urine per day. That means that if you drink more than 16 ounces (2 cups) of fluids to replace the urine lost. If your urine is very pale and has little to no odor, this is a good indication that you are well hydrated. Darker, concentrated urine can indicate dehydration.

The amount of water your body needs varies and depends on how much you exert yourself and how much you urinate or sweat. For most healthy adults, the volume of fluids to prevent dehydration is:

13 cups for men
9 cups for women

You can get water through other beverages or foods high in water content, like fruits and vegetables. In the United States, some estimates show that about 22% of our water intake comes from our food.

You may need more water if you:

Live or work in hot climates
Are physically active and sweat a lot
Have a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting
Are pregnant or breastfeeding

What Are the Benefits of Drinking Water?

Water is essential to health; humans can only survive for a few days without it. Water makes up 75% of body weight in infants and 55% of body weight in older adults. Every cell in your body requires water to function and repair itself.

The benefits of drinking water include,:

Avoiding dehydration
Helping to regulate your body temperature and blood pressure
Lubricating and cushioning your joints
Protecting your spine and other body tissues
Ridding the body of waste through sweat, urine, and bowel movements
Preventing urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and constipation

Does Drinking Water Help You Lose Weight?

The advice to drink water for weight loss is widespread. One study found that 30% of adults in the United States who tried to lose weight stated that they drank a lot of water. A smaller research study showed that 59% of adults applied drinking water frequently as a weight loss or weight control practice.

Some people believe that drinking water in place of sugar-containing beverages such as soda and juice may prevent overweight and obesity by reducing the total number of calories consumed. Further, drinking plenty of water can increase the feeling of fullness and reduce hunger in the short term.

However, there's limited evidence that drinking water can help with weight loss or maintaining weight over time. Many studies showed that more water consumption was not associated with reduced body weight.

Despite inconclusive evidence around water for weight loss, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends choosing calorie-free beverages, such as water, as a primary source of hydration over other sugar-sweetened beverages as part of a healthy diet.

Can Other Fluids Help You Stay Hydrated?

There are many other beverages besides water to help you stay hydrated.

Best choice beverages include:

Low- or no-calorie beverages such as plain coffee, plain tea, sparkling or seltzer water, and flavored waters
Drinks with calories and other essential nutrients, such as dairy and fortified nondairy milk, 100% fruit and vegetable juices, or smoothies

Other fluids that can help you stay hydrated, but should be limited include:

Sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda and fruit drinks
Caffeinated drinks such as energy drinks, as well as coffees, and teas with added milk and sweeteners
Drinks with sugar alternatives
Sports drinks

Sports drinks generally contain carbohydrates, electrolytes, and vitamins. Research indicates that sports drinks may benefit people engaged in vigorous exercise for more than one hour, especially if they are sweating heavily. For most people, regular water is sufficient to stay hydrated during exercise.

How to Tell If You're Hydrated

The easiest way to tell if you're hydrated is to check your urine. If you urinate regularly and it is light to clear in color and does not have a strong odor, you are likely hydrated.

Other signs of hydration may include a regular pulse, firm skin (bounces back when pinched), and adequate moisture in your eyes, mouth, and lips. Drinking water or other fluids regularly throughout the day and eating water-rich foods can help you stay hydrated.

Summary

Drinking water is necessary for optimal health. The amount of daily water intake required to stay hydrated can vary depending on your specific needs, health conditions, and lifestyle. You can consume water and fluids through foods and other beverages. If you live or work in a hot climate or exercise and sweat a lot, consider increasing the number of glasses of water you drink daily.

A Word From Verywell

For most people, eating and regularly drinking throughout the day is sufficient to stay hydrated, especially if you are eating water-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables. Not waiting to drink when you are excessively thirsty and making sure that you are urinating regularly can help you stay on top of your hydration status. If you are still concerned about how much water to drink, speak with a trusted healthcare provider, such as a registered dietitian, to help you develop a plan to stay hydrated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much water is too much in a day?
There's no clear benefit to drinking more water than the recommended daily amount to stay hydrated, 13 cups for men and 9 cups for women. Healthy people will excrete excess water through their urine.
Learn More:How Much Water Is Too Much?
How much water should you drink during exercise?
For high-intensity exercise exceeding 45–60 minutes, you should drink 17–20 ounces of water two hours before the start and seven to 10 ounces of fluid every 10–20 minutes during exercise.
Learn More:What Is Aerobic Exercise?
How much water should you drink based on your weight?
Several formulas across the internet use weight to calculate the amount of water an individual should drink daily. However, this rule doesn't consider the number of fluids you consume through food or other beverages. An easier way to check your hydration status is to examine your urine output and look for a pale yellow color with no odor to indicate hydration.
Learn More:Understanding Unusual Urine Color, Odor, or Appearance

9 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Water and healthier drinks.
Liska D, Mah E, Brisbois T, Barrios PL, Baker LB, Spriet LL. Narrative review of hydration and selected health outcomes in the general population.Nutrients. 2019;11(1):70. doi: 10.3390/nu11010070
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Water.
Popkin BM, D’Anci KE, Rosenberg IH. Water, hydration and health.Nutr Rev. 2010;68(8):439-458. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00304.x
Muckelbauer R, Sarganas G, Grüneis A, Müller-Nordhorn J. Association between water consumption and body weight outcomes: a systematic review.The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013;98(2):282-299. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.055061
USDA. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.
Pound CM, Blair B, Canadian Paediatric Society, Nutrition and Gastroenterology Committee, Ottawa, Ontario, et al. Energy and sports drinks in children and adolescents.Paediatrics & Child Health. 2017;22(7):406-410. doi: 10.1093/pch/pxx132
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hydration Status.
Medicine & Science in Sport and Exercise. Exercise and fluid replacement.

Daily Water Intake Recommendations:

The article mentions that the recommended daily water intake varies based on factors such as age, sex, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and health status. While the widespread advice is to drink eight glasses of water daily, this recommendation does not apply to everyone. For most healthy adults, the volume of fluids to prevent dehydration is approximately 13 cups for men and 9 cups for women [[SOURCE 1]].

Benefits of Drinking Water:

Water is essential for optimal health. It makes up a significant portion of our body weight and is necessary for various bodily functions. Some benefits of drinking water include:

Avoiding dehydration
Regulating body temperature and blood pressure
Lubricating and cushioning joints
Protecting body tissues, including the spine
Assisting in waste removal through sweat, urine, and bowel movements
Preventing urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and constipation [[SOURCE 1]].

Drinking Water for Weight Loss:

While there is widespread advice to drink water for weight loss, the evidence supporting its effectiveness is limited. Some studies suggest that drinking water in place of sugar-containing beverages may reduce calorie intake and increase feelings of fullness in the short term. However, many studies have not found a significant association between increased water consumption and reduced body weight [[SOURCE 1]].

Other Fluids for Hydration:

In addition to water, there are other beverages that can help you stay hydrated. The best choices include low- or no-calorie beverages such as plain coffee, plain tea, sparkling or seltzer water, and flavored waters. Drinks with calories and essential nutrients, such as dairy and fortified nondairy milk, 100% fruit and vegetable juices, or smoothies, can also contribute to hydration. However, it is important to limit the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, caffeinated drinks with added milk and sweeteners, drinks with sugar alternatives, and sports drinks [[SOURCE 1]].

Signs of Hydration:

To determine if you are hydrated, you can check your urine. Light to clear urine with little to no odor is a good indication of adequate hydration. Other signs of hydration include a regular pulse, firm skin that bounces back when pinched, and adequate moisture in the eyes, mouth, and lips. It is easier to identify signs of dehydration, such as excessive thirst, dry mouth, headaches, confusion, lack of urination, and fatigue [[SOURCE 1]].

How Much Water is Too Much:

There is no clear benefit to drinking more water than the recommended daily amount to stay hydrated. Healthy individuals will excrete excess water through their urine [[SOURCE 1]].

Water Intake During Exercise:

For high-intensity exercise exceeding 45–60 minutes, it is recommended to drink 17–20 ounces of water two hours before starting and seven to 10 ounces of fluid every 10–20 minutes during exercise [[SOURCE 1]].

Water Intake Based on Weight:

While there are formulas that use weight to calculate the amount of water an individual should drink daily, these formulas do not consider the fluids consumed through food and other beverages. A pale yellow color with no odor in urine can indicate hydration [[SOURCE 1]].

It's important to note that the information provided here is based on available sources and general recommendations. Individual needs may vary, and it's always a good idea to consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalized advice.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with!