How Much Water to Drink Per Day: The Truth and Myths About Water Balance

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27.03.2020

How much water do you really need to drink a day? When is it better to drink water? Is it possible to lose weight, keeping the water balance? We’ll answer all these questions in the article.

Why is it important to keep the water balance

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Water balance affects everything in our body: blood pressure, normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, hair condition, nails and overall health. The disturbance of the water balance affects the skin condition: it can be seen in unhealthy skin, increased dryness, flaking, clogged pores. Lack of water in the body leads to increased production of sebaceous glands. Therefore, if your hair quickly becomes greasy, this may indicate a lack of water in the body.

What problems arise in case of violation of water balance

If the water balance is disturbed, the body will not be able to run properly. Lack of water can lead to headaches and even migraines, especially among women. They may also have sexual infections or increased bactericidal flora, so it is especially important for women to drink a normal amount of water a day.

Is it true that you need to drink 2 liters of water a day

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The volume of 2 liters is taken from the ratio of height and weight of the average person, of a man, to be specific. In fact, each person has their own norm. It is usually calculated using the following formula: for every pound of your body weight, you should have 30 milliliters of water. That is, if you weigh 50 kilos, your norm will be about 1.5 liters of water a day. At the same time, the norm is not water in its pure form, but all the liquid that we get by eating fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee and even juices.

If you are indoors with increased dryness most of the time, especially in winter when the batteries are turned to maximum and there is no humidifier, it’s recommended to increase this amount to 35-40 milliliters per kilogram.

Is it possible to have the whole daily amount at one time

If you drink the entire amount at once, it won’t be very good for your health. It’s recommended to divide it into some long period: it’s better to drink 200-300 ml once an hour than to drink a whole liter at a time.

What will happen to the body if not to drink the daily norm

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A person may not notice for a long time that he doesn’t have enough liquid. Some argue that they feel good without drinking a single glass a day. But after a while, it will definitely affect the health. If there is not enough liquid in the body, the sweat-releasing system, which is responsible for detoxification, does not work properly. As a result, the body accumulates harmful substances.

Is it true that tea, coffee and juice negatively affect water balance

Tea and coffee speed up the excretion of water from our body. Logically, if we drink something with a diuretic effect, for example, a cup of tea or coffee, we should drink additional two glasses of water. Some types of juice, especially from celery, apples, cabbage - it is also desirable to add a clean glass of water to them.

Can we drink more than 2 liters of water a day

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If you do a lot of sports or you are often hot and thirsty – this is normal. But if you drink three or four liters of water in dry weather, it’s quite a lot, and you need to consult an endocrinologist or physician.

Do we need to drink a lot of water if you suffer from edema

If you suffer from edema, it’s necessary to monitor the reaction of the body. Swelling may also occur not only when there is an excess amount of water in the body, but also when there is a lack of it. If you didn't drink normal water amount for a day and tried to compensate for this in the evening, the body won’t be able to withdraw it quickly and in the morning you will see swelling. Eventually, when you learn to follow the water balance, the body will no longer feel the lack of water and make reserves, and the swelling will go away.

What to do if you are constantly thirsty

Some people say that after they drink water, they are even more thirsty. This may be a sign of diabetes: the constant lack of water, dry throat – these are symptoms of this disease. It is also worth paying attention to the condition of the heels and elbows: if the skin on them is dry and cracks, this also indicates a violation of the water balance.

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