Most people, especially adults, are not hydrated enough and don’t even realize it. We think that we are drinking enough water, mostly because we are too busy to stop and think about it.
How do I know if I’m drinking enough water?
Every person is different; some are of small builds, whereas some people are much taller and bigger. Because of this, there is no exact specific amount, but there is one way you can tell for sure if you are drinking enough.
The best way to tell if you’re getting enough water is from your urine. First of all, if you’re not going to the bathroom very often to urinate, and the color of your urine are signs telling us if we are drinking enough water.
Urine that looks pretty much like water is a good sign, and going to the bathroom often is not a bad thing. Urine that is of yellow color is your body’s way of telling you that your urine is very concentrated and you need to drink more water
How much water should I drink daily?
Depending on your health, the climate you live in, whether you’re male or female, how active you are, and any health problems you may have are all factors which can alter how much more or less you should be drinking
If you work outside or often go jogging, you will sweat which means you’re losing fluids and you should be compensating for that
It’s also good to keep in mind how certain foods, like watermelon, lettuce and spinach, can also provide your body with water.
According to studies, here is how much water you should drink every day depending on your age and gender:
- Women older than 19 years old need to drink no less than 72 ounces of water a day.
- Men older than 19 should drink 104 ounces.
- Pregnant women need to drink a minimum of 80 ounces daily, but women who are breastfeeding need more; 104 ounces a day.
- Children require less water than adults, so a child of 4 to 8 years old needs 40 ounces of water every day,
- Children from 9 to 13 years old should drink 56-64 ounces, and teenagers aged 14 to 18 years old need to be drinking 64-88 ounces of water every day.
When should I drink water?
Overall, these two or so liters of water should be taken in throughout the day in small amounts. Water should be the first thing that you drink when you wake up and the last thing before you go to sleep.
It is not recommended to drink water right after eating a meal. After we eat, our body’s temperature rises for better digestions, but drinking water exactly after instantly dilutes the gastric juices, hindering our body’s ability to digest the food. Food that’s not digested properly means that our body isn’t getting all of the nutrients from the meal that it could be.
For more tips on making sure you’re drinking enough water