Home > Weight Loss > How Much Water Do You Need & How Does It Help?
There are a lot of different ideas floating around in natural medicine when it comes to water: Do you need more? Do you need special types? Do you have to ‘override’ your thirst? Getting hydration right can be one of the simplest and best things you do for your body.
So let’s talk about it. Consider this the definitive guide to water, dehydration, and how much water you need, and how it’s going to help you…
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Struggling with drier skin, constipation, joint pain, difficulties with movement, fatigue, or brain fog? These can all be symptoms often associated with low levels of dehydration.
It is a real problem and can be surprisingly common.
Beyond symptoms, we can also find certain blood markers that play a role. This includes markers like:
Generally, a lot of things that are normally carried in the blood appear as elevated when you’re struggling with dehydration (an example would be sodium). This is occurring because of a higher concentration of blood elements, which would normally be diluted by water.
When it comes to the amount of water that you need, it can be tough to pin down. A good ballpark mechanism might be an ounce of water per pound per day.
Key Insight: If you’re a 100 to 150-pound adult woman, an easy calculation would result in about a gallon of water per day. But this is just a rough estimate to give you a starting point.
Now, some of the variables that come into play include:
There are a lot of popular ideas that thirst cannot be relied upon as an indicator of hydration. This was an idea that was quite prevalent for some time, especially in exercise circles.
The thinking goes that, by the time we’re thirsty, it’s already too late. And that we now need to drink ‘in excess’ of our thirst. But is that true?
Key Insight: The short answer is that our thirst is a pretty good gauge of hydration. We can trust it and we can rely upon it — there’s little need to overthink it.
Another thought is that if we ‘hyper hydrate,’ drinking beyond what we seem driven to drink, that it will take the detriments of dehydration and make them even better.
A good example is satiety. You may feel even hungrier if you are mildly dehydrated. Therefore, if you hydrate aggressively, you can get rid of that appetite and feel satiated.
You can also hear people making an argument for hyperhydration in exercise cycles. Folks suggest that it will help you run faster, train better, or lose weight more easily.
But is it true? If you look at someone who is normally hydrated versus someone who is under-hydrated, there is a loss with even in mild cases of dehydration.
That said, like a lot of things in the world of health, that doesn’t scale upward forever. It’s not like gasoline that makes a car go faster and faster. It’s more like a key.
If you have that key, the car will start, but it doesn’t mean that the car will become faster and faster simply by turning the key again and again. You’ve already turned the car on!
Key Insight: The same logic is true of water. Aggressively hydrating way beyond thirst is likely not required, and not a benefit across the board, some might argue.
Do other liquids work in place of water? What about the fluid that you might get in smoothies, soup, or naturally occurring in fruits?
The fact is that each of these things has water, and all of it will contribute to your body’s total water intake for the day.
Caffeinated beverages are a special case, though. They still have water, but they can have a certain degree of a diuretic effect. This causes you to pee a little more than usual.
While there isn’t an example of where it will make you pee more water than what you’d otherwise take in, they can cause less build-up of fluids than would be preferable.
If caffeinated beverages are a bit part of your overall fluid intake, you may need a bit more water to compensate. That said, it’s not typically a huge issue.
The discussion around water can quickly feel overwhelming if you dive into the various types. If you’ve ever looked into it, you’re likely to see a whole collection of terms, like:
When we ingest water, we take in the water, and that goes from our intestinal tract and into our bloodstream. It then goes throughout our body.
From there, it’s used in a variety of ways. At some point, our kidneys release water, choosing when to do so in order to maintain good balance throughout our body.
In doing so, they are holding onto our minerals and electrolytes, which ultimately are not coming from our water — they’re coming from food sources, salt, and our overall diet.
Because of that, purified forms of water (even reverse osmosis or distilled), do not take minerals out of our bodies. They neither add nor subtract.
This is true for humans, but not all animals. For example, if you put a saltwater fish into freshwater, it would experience issues due to its semi-permeable membrane.
But humans don’t have that. We are not plunged into water; we choose to ingest it, moving it into our bloodstream and then out as part of a system of equilibrium.
Now, there is data suggesting that when water has naturally occurring healthy minerals, this could be a benefit. Mineral waters are a good example here for magnesium, potassium, and others. It’s not taking nutrients, but adding extra ones.
Key Insight: If we’re consuming appropriate amounts of healthy foods, especially plant foods, we’re not likely to need the added minerals that could come from water.
It’s also worth touching on terms like magnetized, ionized, or alkaline water. Honestly, these are more buzzwords than legitimate terms.
We can’t really alkalize water any more than we can turn a circle into a square. If you alkalize it, then by definition it is no longer water — because water, by its nature, has a neutral pH.
In terms of practicalities, I’m a fan of home reverse osmosis. Let me explain why.
I’m not a fan of municipal water in nearly all areas, mainly due to the risks of chronic exposure to chloride as well as other contaminants that may be present.
Well water can be good if it is tested and is low enough in various contaminants. But the simplest thing is to enjoy some home reverse osmosis water.
Short of that, good filtration units that capture heavy metals and organic compounds are the next best option. But I’d almost always recommend buying a reverse osmosis system, or purchasing reverse osmosis water at the store.
Over the course of your life, you’re going to go through a lot of water. And even a little bit of junk in your water can add up and cause some real risks to your body over a long enough timeframe.
When we talk about timing, there’s not a lot to it. If you get the right amounts, there isn’t any sort of ‘hidden art’ to getting the right amount of water at specific times of the day.
That said, one thing you might want to avoid is trying to get excess amounts of water at bedtime. Basically, because you’ll find yourself peeing all night!
When it comes to water, purified forms are best. We don’t need to magnetize or ionize them, or even add electrolytes, because it already has everything we need.
And we can follow our thirst! We don’t need to worry about hyperhydration or accepting dehydration as a foregone conclusion after we feel a little bit thirsty.
The fact is that water has been our drink of choice for quite some time. And it is definitely the best beverage out there.
Whether it’s cold water, enjoyed during meals, or however else you like it, water is a beautiful thing. And the purified forms are simply the best.
Water is one thing, but what about the other elements of your health? If you’re ready to take the next step in your health journey, I have a recommendation.
If you feel like you’re doing everything right, but still not seeing results, it may be the result of your thyroid health. More specifically, whether your thyroid is getting what it needs.
That’s why I built this very quick quiz that can give you a read on your health, and how different supplements may be able to benefit both your thyroid and your overall body.
I hope it helps and that it sets you up for success no matter where your journey takes you! Thanks for reading, and here’s to your best health.
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Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Hormone Healing Cookbook, The Metabolism Reset Diet, and The Thyroid Reset Diet.
Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what works has helped hundreds of thousands reverse thyroid disease, heal their adrenals, and lose weight naturally. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.
