Expert reveals how much water you actually need to be drinking per day

Let’s be honest, most of us probably don’t drink enough water.

Unless you’re one of those people who carries around a massive water bottle 24/7, it can be hard to remember to chug down an appropriate amount of tap water.

You might not realize this, but it’s also possible to drink too much water. One woman died after drinking four bottles of water in 20 minutes.

Now, an expert has revealed that the conventional wisdom we've been given about how many glasses of water we should drink is completely wrong.

What are the health impacts of not drinking enough water?

According to Dr Marjan Moghaddam, a family medicine doctor with Henry Ford Health, there are all sorts of annoying side effects if you don’t guzzle down enough fluids.

You can expect persistent headaches, a pretty common one for me whenever I realize I don’t have a glass of water on the go.

Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty Images

According to Dr Moghaddam, you may also suffer from ‘hard stools and constipation’, dull skin, fatigue and a dry mouth.

Even more annoying, sometimes not drinking enough can lead to weight gain.

Dr Moghaddam said: “Sometimes people mistake thirst for hunger and they eat more, but really they just need to drink more.”

Can you tell if you’re drinking enough from the color of your pee?

Short answer: yes. And you can also tell if you’re drinking too much.

According to Healthline, you want your pee to be a light yellow color.

If it’s dark yellow, you’re not drinking enough. If it’s clear, you’re drinking too much.

How much water should I be drinking?

Experts are divided on this.

According to the NHS, you should be drinking six to eight glasses a day, and tea and coffee both count.

But one expert told the New York Post you need to be drinking more than this.

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Dietician and author Amy Goodson told the New York Post: “The truth is that many factors impact how much water you need, including your age, sex, activity level, and overall health.

“For women, the amount of total water is about 11.5 cups per day, and for men, about 15.5 cups.

“These estimates, however, include fluids consumed from both foods and beverages, including water.

“You typically get about 20% of the water you need from the food you eat (fruit, vegetables, soup, etc.).

“Taking that into account, women need about nine cups of fluid per day and men about 13 cups in order to help replenish the amount of water that is lost.”

So, stop reading this article and pour yourself a glass of water pronto!

Topics: Health, Science

Simon Fearn

Simon is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He studied journalism at City, University of London, and has written for Digital Spy, The Stage and The Drinks Business. He's a big fan of low budget horror films, regular caffeine hits and extended arguments about Oxford commas. You can contact Simon at [email protected].

@smffearn