How much water should a person drink each day? 8 glasses, right? Well, actually, scientists say that the answer is different for every person and possibly even different from day to day. Click here to view an online calculator that may help you figure out if you are drinking enough water today.
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several formulas for figuring out how much water to drink each day. One is that men should drink approximately 3 liters of water each day and women should drink 2.3 liters each day. Do you drink so much that you never feel thirsty? Then, according to Mayo, you are probably drinking enough water.
There are several factors that will change the amount of water you need in a day. One is the amount of exercise you participate in. Exercise causes increased sweat which means that you need to replace significantly more water. Women who are breastfeeding need more water than women who are not. On days of extreme temperature you need more water than days of mild temperature.
Many people suffer from low levels of dehydration because “their thirst mechanism is so weak they mistake they mistake thirst for hunger” (The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust). If you are concerned that you may be mistaking thirst for hunger, try having a full glass of water the next time you feel “hungry” and waiting five minutes to see if the hunger is still there.
Keeping a cup or bottle of water in your line of site on your desk is a good way to increase hydration throughout the day because you will be reminded periodically to have some water.
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