Water: How much should you drink every day?
Water is essential to good health, yet needs vary by individual. These guidelines can help ensure you drink enough fluids.
By Mayo Clinic StaffHow much water should you drink each day? It's a simple question with no easy answers. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live.
Although no single formula fits everyone, knowing more about your body's need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day.
Health benefits of water
Multimedia
Water is your body's principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells, and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.
Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.
How much water do you need?
Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
So how much fluid does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day.
What about the advice to drink 8 glasses a day?
Everyone has heard the advice, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day." That's about 1.9 liters, which isn't that different from the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Although the "8 by 8" rule isn't supported by hard evidence, it remains popular because it's easy to remember. Just keep in mind that the rule should be reframed as: "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," because all fluids count toward the daily total.
Sept. 05, 2014 See more In-depthProducts and Services
- Book: The Mayo Clinic Diet
- The Mayo Clinic Diet Online
- Book: Mayo Clinic on Digestive Health
- Book: The Mayo Clinic Kids’ Cookbook
See also
- Healthy-eating habits
- 5 strategies to improve eating habits
- Reduce sugar in your diet
- Acai berries
- Add flax to your diet
- Added sugar
- Alcohol use
- Alkaline water
- Are energy drinks bull?
- Art of Healthy Eating
- Artificial sweeteners
- 2015-2020 Dietary guidelines
- Breast-feeding nutrition: Tips for moms
- Butter vs. margarine: What's healthier?
- Caffeine: How much is too much?
- Is caffeine dehydrating?
- Can whole-grain foods lower blood pressure?
- Carbohydrates
- Chart of high-fiber foods
- Cholesterol: Top foods to improve your numbers
- Coffee and health
- Diet soda: Is it bad for you?
- Dietary fats
- Dietary fiber
- Do you drink enough water?
- Prickly pear cactus
- Don't go cuckoo for coconut water
- Make healthy snack choices
- Eat more of these key nutrients!
- Eggs: Bad for cholesterol?
- Energy drinks
- Fat grams
- Fiber: How to get your fill
- Fit more fiber into your diet
- Flaxseed for breakfast? You bet!
- Foods for healthy skin
- Grape juice health benefits
- Health-boosting nutrients
- Is chocolate healthy?
- Healthy eating: What are legumes, anyway?
- Healthy heart for life: Avoiding heart disease
- Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid tool
- High-fructose corn syrup
- High-protein diets
- Alcohol during the holidays: 4 ways to sip smarter
- Takeout containers
- Is sea salt healthier than table salt?
- Is there more to hydration than water?
- Juicing
- Depression and diet
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- MUFAs
- Multigrain vs. whole grain
- Need a snack? Go nuts!
- Need more fiber? Do it the easy way
- Nutrition Facts label
- Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health
- Olive oil
- Omega-6 fatty acids
- Phenylalanine
- Protein: Heart-healthy sources
- Healthy eating plans
- Reduce sugar in your diet
- Health foods
- High-fiber diet
- Portion control
- Planning healthy meals
- Social eating can be healthy and enjoyable
- Sodium
- Sodium: Look beyond the saltshaker
- Stevia
- Tap water or bottled water: Which is better?
- Taurine in energy drinks
- Time to cut back on caffeine?
- Trans fat: A double whammy
- Trans fat
- Trans fat substitutes: Not always better
- Underweight: Add pounds healthfully
- Water softeners and sodium
- Functional foods
- What's considered moderate alcohol use?
- What to know before you juice
- What's the difference between added sugars and total sugars?
- What's the difference between juicing and blending?
- Yerba mate