How much water should you drink? This simple question difficult to answer. Water is essential for health. However, the water needs for each individual is different. The studies issued recommendations vary. In fact, water needs depend on many factors, including health, activities and lodging.
The amount of water required
Every day you lose water during breathing, the sweat, urine and feces. To ensure that the body function properly, you need to replace fluids lost by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
Here are some approaches you can use to determine your water needs:
Replacement approach. Adults spend an average of 1.5 urine liters (6.3 cups) a day. In addition, you lose almost a liter of fluid a day through breathing, sweat and defecation (feces). Food usually accounts for roughly 20 percent of fluid intake. So, if you consume two liters of water from beverages (about 8 cups less) along with your normal diet, is usually sufficient to replace lost fluids.
Eight glasses of water (glass containing 8 ounces) a day. This is another approach in meeting the water intake. Drink eight glasses of water (equivalent to 1.9 liters). Although this approach is not supported by scientific evidence, many people use it as a basic guide to determine the amount of water intake.
Recommendations diet (dietary recommendations). The Institute of Medicine recommends men eat about three liters of water (equivalent to 13 cups) per day and women drink 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) drinks a day.
Apart from the above approach you can examine the adequacy of water by drinking enough water (so you rarely thirsty) and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more colored urine clear or slightly yellowish.
Determinants
You can modify total fluid intake by looking at the activity level, climate residence, as well as your health condition.
Sports. You need to increase the intake of water when doing activities that make you sweat. For a short exercise, you need to add around 400-600 (about 1.5-2.5 cups) water. But to exercise harder, you need to reproduce the extra water intake.
Environment. Hot and humid weather makes you sweat and requires additional water.
Disease or health condition. Symptoms of the disease, such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea will make the body lose more fluids. Therefore, you need to increase fluid intake. On the other hand, some conditions such as heart failure and some types of kidney and liver disorders can disrupt discharge system so you just have to restrict fluid intake.
Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Women who breastfeed need extra fluids. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink 2.3 liters (about 10 cups) of fluid a day and breastfeeding women about 3.1 liters (13 cups) of fluid a day.