Every day, people need to drink a healthy amount of water to keep their bodies hydrated and strong. However, it can be challenging to know how many bottles of water to drink in a day. There has been a lot of debate about this question over the years, and if you find yourself asking, “How many water bottles should I drink a day?” regularly, we’re here to help.
In this article, we’ll answer questions like “How many water bottles should you drink a day?” as well as help you understand why hydration is so important. Without proper hydration guidelines, you won’t know how many water bottles a day keep you healthy or wonder how many water bottles should I drink to stay healthy, and you might run into real health problems that impact you for years.
Why Hydration Matters
Hydration is vitally important because it keeps your body operating safely and efficiently. After all, a vast majority of our bodies are made up of water, and a regular flow of water keeps your organs healthy and minimizes damage. Without water, you’ll suffer from a high risk of dehydration and other common issues that could impact your health. Regular water consumption:
- Creates saliva, which helps break down your foods and keeps your mount healthy
- Managers your body temperature, especially in hot environments or while exercising
- Protects important tissues and joints to minimize damage risk to sensitive areas
- Lubricates your spinal cord to ensure that it doesn’t experience any issues
- Gets rid of waste by improving urination, defecation, and perspiration
- Enhances your physical performance during exercise to keep you healthy
- Increases strength, power, and endurance to minimize long-term health issues
- Improves bowel function and minimizes the potential for constipation
- Boosts your digestion to ensure you process your food safely
- Helps absorb nutrients more effectively to improve your overall nutritional health
- Aids in weight loss because of its appetite-suppression capabilities
- Increases blood oxygen circulation to keep your organs and tissues healthier
- Boosts your energy levels and fights off conditions like kidney stones
Just as importantly, knowing how many bottles of water to drink in a day can help you prevent dehydration. This health danger is a serious problem that can cause minor issues, like constipation, all the way up to cognitive concerns and even higher potential for disease and death. Here are a few facts and myths you need to understand here:
- If you’re thirsty, it’s usually a good idea to drink a small amount of water to fight off dehydration
- Track your urine color to gauge dehydration: if it’s dark yellow, you need water
- Avoid drinking excessive amounts of water because you can actually damage your body
- Dehydration is a higher risk for children, pregnant women, and older adults
- Poor sleep might cause serious dehydration risk, especially if you aren’t drinking enough
- High dehydration levels can damage organs and tissues throughout your body
- Unchecked dehydration could impact your mental function and nerve health
- You can prevent dehydration by drinking fluids and eating certain foods
Daily Water Intake Recommendations
You’ve probably heard the idea that eight bottles of water a day is enough for most people. Well, your water intake will vary depending on many unique factors. Typically, eight glasses a day is a good guideline for most people, though others might need more. Here’s a guideline created by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that should work for most people:
- Men: 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day
- Women: 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day
They suggest that about 80% of your fluids come from liquids, while 20% come from your foods. Breaking these numbers down into ounces that means men need 124 ounces and women 92, on average. That’s 15.5 eight-ounce, 7.75 16-ounce, and 3.875 32-ounce bottles for men and 11.5 eight-ounce, 5.75 16-ounce, and 2.875 32-ounce bottles of water for women.
Note that older adults typically need more water due to various age-related factors, such as quicker dehydration rates, higher body weights, and other common issues. Here’s a quick calculation you can make for your hydration: divide your body weight by three and drink that many ounces of water a day. So, if you’re 150 pounds, you need 50 ounces of water.
If you exercise regularly, your intake will naturally increase. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests drinking 17-20 ounces of water a few hours before exercising and a further eight ounces 20-30 minutes before exercising. While working out, drink 7-10 ounces every 10-20 minutes and eight ounces 30 minutes after your exercise. Note that this intake is on top of your normal drinking patterns. This increase is due to high sweat levels as you work out.
How Many Bottles of Water Should You Drink?
Here’s a quick calculation you can make for your hydration: divide your body weight by three and drink that many ounces of water a day. So, if you’re 150 pounds, you need 50 ounces of water. But how does that translate to bottles? Well, water bottles come in many sizes, including eight-, 16-, and 32-ounce varieties. Let’s take a look at a few ideas here to get you going.
As mentioned above, men need an average of 15.5 ounces, while women need 11.5 ounces every day. While we also know that this level varies depending on the person, we’ll use these amounts as a base level. So, just how much do experts suggest? First, let’s examine the ratio of water you need to get from your food compared to your water to get a better understanding.
Experts suggest that about 80% of your fluids come from liquids, while 20% come from your foods. Breaking these numbers down into ounces that means men need 124 ounces and women 92, on average. That’s 15.5 eight-ounce, 7.75 16-ounce, and 3.875 32-ounce bottles for men and 11.5 eight-ounce, 5.75 16-ounce, and 2.875 32-ounce bottles of water for women.
| Water-Consumption Table | 8-Ounce | 16-Ounce | 32-Ounce |
| Men: 124 ounces a day | 15.5 bottles | 7.75 bottles | 3.875 bottles |
| Women: 92 ounces a day | 11.5 bottles | 5.75 bottles | 2.875 bottles |
You don’t have to be a math wizard to see that your bottle needs decrease by half as you double their input. Many people prefer drinking out of large water bottles because it helps them focus their consumption more effectively and minimizes the amount of times they need to fill up their bottles. It has the psychological benefit of making it seem easier to hit your water level, even if you’re literally drinking the same amount that you would if you drank from smaller bottles.
Factors Influencing Water Intake
While you know how many bottles of water to drink in a day, it’s important to answer a few other questions. For example, questions “How many bottles should I drink a day in a hot environment?” and “How many water bottles should you drink a day at various altitudes?” can greatly affect your intake. Here are a few factors you need to consider.
Temperature
In hot areas or during summer temperature peaks, the answer to the question “How many water bottles a day are healthy?” will increase significantly. Specialists state that you need to start and end your day with a glass of water, take a bottle with you everywhere, and drink when you are thirsty. The exact increase will vary depending on the temperature and your health.
Altitude
When hiking or increasing your altitude, you need to know how many water bottles should I drink during your trip. Experts suggest drinking another 1-1.5 liters of water at altitudes over 5,000 feet. That’s a further 33 to 50 ounces or 3-5 eight-ounce, 1-2 16-ounce, or about one 32-ounce bottle of water while hiking. That should keep you healthy and protected.
Diet and Health
Your diet can greatly impact your water intake needs. For example, people who eat a high amount of protein and minimal fiber may need more water to improve their bowel movements and handle other needs. Diseases like colds and flu also increase your water intake because you might get dehydrated more easily and need more fluid to stay healthy.
Signs of Dehydration
Now that you know how many bottles of water to drink in a day, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to avoid dehydration. However, we all have busy lives, and it’s not unusual for us to miss out on our regular water intake. As a result, it’s critical to know a few warning signs that you or someone you love might be dehydrated. Here are some things to watch out for:
- Dry mouth and tongue that create a rather arid feel
- No tears when crying or no wet diaper for three hours (for babies)
- Sunken cheeks and eyes
- Listlessness and irritability paired with extreme thirst
- Infrequent urination that might be concerning
- Dark-colored urine that may have a fairly sharp smell
- Fatigue, dizziness, confusion, and other cognitive issues
If you spot these problems, make sure that you slowly add a little water to your diet. Avoid drinking huge glasses right away because you might flush your body’s system and cause other health concerns. If you experience any of the following symptoms, you need to talk to a doctor right away because there might be a more severe problem at play here:
- Increased heart rate or other cardiac issues
- Diarrhea for 24 hours or more
- Disoriented and unable to sleep or rest
- Struggle to keep fluids down properly
- Blood or black stool when you pass
- Confusion or delirium that makes your life challenging
- Extremely low blood pressure that won’t increase
- Dry or shriveled skin that feels painful to the touch
- Unconsciousness or inability to wake up
Staying Hydrated on the Go
If you live a busy life and struggle to get enough water, here are a few tips that you can consider to stay hydrated while on the go:
- Carry a Water Bottle: Always have a water bottle with you at all times and regularly fill it up to keep yourself fully hydrated and healthy.
- Keep Your Car Stocked With Water: Keep emergency water bottles in your car to ensure that you don’t run out of water at any time.
- Set Hydration Alarms on Your Phone: Set an alarm on your phone every hour or so to check whether you’re thirsty and take a drink if needed.
- Snack on Healthy Fruits and Vegetables: Healthy fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water that can make it a form of hydration for you.
- Put Chia Seeds in Your Water: Chia seeds in your water will absorb up to 12 times their weight in water and help you feel hydrated for longer.
- Reduce Your Caffeine Intake: Caffeine can dehydrate you, so make sure that you limit your intake to no more than 1-2 glasses a day.
