If one of your end is to drink more water , you ’re on your way to a salubrious consistency . “ Every cell in our torso requireswater . Water is vital for the mapping of your digestion , affectionateness , lungs , and brain , ” saysSarah Krieger , a show dietitian dietician in St. Petersburg , Florida .
There are many guidepost about how much to drink . Krieger learn client to take their trunk weightiness in pounds ( lb ) , divide this act in one-half , and drink that many ounces ( oz ) in fluid , including water , each solar day . ( If you are 140 lb , that ’s 70 oz of fluids , which is the combining weight of almost 9 cups of fluids . ) That also depends on your activity level , if you ’re in the heat , or if you ’re significant , breast feeding , or ill — all factors that require you to increase hydration . likewise , water intake recommendations from theNational Academies of Sciences , Engineering , and Medicinesuggest men drink at least 13 ( 8 oz ) cup of fluids per twenty-four hours and that women aim for 9 ( 8 oz ) cup of fluids or more .
6 Health Benefits of Water
no matter of your hydration goal , it ’s important to drink systematically throughout the daytime . Here are seven times when sipping is a smart move to make :
1. When You Wake Up, Consume One to Two Cups of Water
Rather than a blear - eyed reach for thecoffee , wassail one to two cups of water first . Because you do n’t drink while you’resleeping , you wake up alreadydehydrated , explains Krieger . Having water system as you set out your day can get you back up to your service line . This can also help if you take medicine in the morning . Then , yes , go get your chocolate . The ripe news is that it count as fluent , too , and , although it is acaffeinateddrink , which lean to be dehydrating , moderate amounts of java are not dehydrating , fit in toone study . ( Still , coffee bean is not a replacement for piddle . )
2. To Regulate Hunger, a Glass of Water Before a Meal May Help
water supply may play a persona in weighting direction , saysMelissa Mitri , RD , a register dietitian based in Monroe , Connecticut . “ Drinking a cup of piddle before a repast can assist you feel more full and help forestall overeating , ” she say . Indeed , a little study bring out in 2018found that salute water before a repast helped men and women exhaust less and feel just as satisfied as a group who did n’t fuddle pee before .
It may also be better if it ’s iced . A small subject field of work force that was published in 2019found that player who fuddle two cups of iced water at 35 degrees F exhaust less nutrient compared to groups that drank warm or hot water , as the chilly temperature slows digestion and may help reduce appetence .
3. Have a Glass of Water to Help Wash Down a Meal
Drinking urine with food aids digestion , says Mitri . piss is especially significant to drink alongsidehigh - fibre foods . Fiber moves through your digestive organization and absorbs body of water , help form stools and upgrade regularity , she says . So if you ’re packing your home plate withplant - base foods(as you should ! ) , sip on weewee , too .
4. Rather Than Reaching for Coffee to Cure a Midafternoon Slump, Drink Water
It ’s common to see the midafternoon dip , a downward playground slide of energy that happens around 3 p.m. This drop-off compels many multitude to get coffee tree to power through the end of the day , but this beverage choice can cut into your sopor , pronounce Mitri . Even toast caffein six hour before bed was found to interrupt sleep compare to a placebo , agree to enquiry . Reaching for a sugary collation can have likewise unwelcome effects : namely , an energy crash after a ear . Instead of turn to these imperfect root , address the rootage suit , which may be dehydration . A recapitulation write in2019noted that in addition to tiredness , evaporation can cause choler , ill will , confusion , anddepression . Thus , make water supply a daily habit can serve ensure your energy — and mood — stay steadfast .
5.Drink H2O When You Have a Headache
A headache can be asymptom of dehydration , says theNational Headache Foundation . What ’s more , it can also trigger migraine attacks . For those withmigraines , increasing water intake may aid decrease migraine severity , oftenness , and continuance , noteda field release in 2020 .
6. Hydrate Smartly Before, During, and After Exercise
Hydrating begins a day or two beforeexercise , say Krieger . You also wo n’t want to flap down body of water before a physical exercise in promise of hydrating up — that will likely lead to uncomfortable sloshing and bloating as you move . verify you ’re drinking water regularly in the days leading up to a workout , specially those that are tough or sweaty . In fact , grant toCleveland Clinic , you should focus on a hydration scheme starting the workweek before an endurance race . And astudy published in 2019showed that going into an survival race dehydrated , even by a small amount , can decrease performance .
For moderate workouts ( such as a jog outside , a speed walk in the cockcrow , or hopping on a recumbent bike ) , drink in a cupful of water about 30 mo prior , and sip during exercise , adds Mitri . Then be sure to hydrate well after your exercise is complete to supervene upon what you ’ve fall back through perspiration .
7. Have a Sip or Two of Water Before Bedtime
Do n’t drink a cup or two of water before bed — you ’ll have to get up in the middle of the dark to go to the lavatory , and that will raise up your sleep . However , go ahead and fetch a glass of water to your bedside at Nox , just in case you get thirsty . For many patients on medicament , one common side gist is teetotal mouth , so stay fresh water nearby can be helpful , say Krieger .
Expert Tips to Make a Water Habit Happen
Know how many water system bottles you need to salute . It can be gruelling to count cup , ml , or ounce . A simpler tracking method acting , pronounce Krieger , is to secernate yourself you ’re going to drink X bit of bottles . For example : You need to fill up your 500 milliliter ( ml ) Swell nursing bottle four times . Or you ’re give-up the ghost to drink four Dasani bottles .
Make drinking body of water more interesting . “A band of masses do n’t have a gustatory modality for piss , ” says Krieger . There ’s nothing wrong with that , but you ’ll want to do the work to identify how you like it so that you ’ll really wassail more . Maybe that ’s room temperature or with meth . Filtered or from the spigot . Or with slices of orange .
Keep water by your bedside . This is n’t just critical for staying hydrous but also for reinforcing the riding habit , because it serve as a visual reminder to commence sipping , says Mitri . What ’s more , “ if you start with water , it make up it easy to go forward that habit throughout the day rather than play catch - up , ” she says .
Whether you prefer your water iced, filtered, or infused with fruit, it’s important to make sure you’re drinking enough.
Try a challenge . honest-to-god habit can be voiceless to break , and new one can be tough to form . To hold yourself accountable , place to a hydration challenge , like the one that Jennifer Ashton , MD , ( chief medical correspondent of ABC News ) took on for her book , The Self - Care Solution . Fun apps likePlant Nannycan coach you through your “ self - watering ” process . Or tryMadefor , which is pore on building those cognitive connection that make respectable - for - you motility , like hydrating , reflexive .
Allison Buttarazzi , MD , is board - certified in internal practice of medicine and lifestyle medical specialty , and is a certified wellness and well - being coach . In her primary care drill , Dr. Buttarazzi focuses on lifestyle medicine to help her patients improve their wellness and longevity , and her passion is help patient preclude and revoke chronic disease ( like heart disease , high stock pressure , and diabetes ) by meliorate their lifestyle habits .
She is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine and completed a abidance at Maine Medical Center . Diagnosed with coeliac disease during medical school , she actualise the business leader of improving one ’s wellness through diet and lifestyle habits , which she later incorporate into her praxis .
Jessica Migala is a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience , specializing in wellness , victuals , fittingness , and beauty . She has written extensively about visual sense care , diabetes , dermatology , GI health , cardiovascular health , cancer , pregnancy , and gynaecology . She was antecedently an adjunct editor in chief atPreventionwhere she wrote monthly skill - based beauty news items and feature news report .
She has contributed to more than 40 print and digital publication , includingCosmopolitan , O : The Oprah Magazine , Real Simple , Woman ’s twenty-four hours , Women ’s Health , Fitness , Family Circle , Health , Prevention , Self , VICE , and more . Migala lives in the Chicago suburb with her married man , two young boys , deliverance beagle , and 15 Pisces the Fishes . When not reporting , she likes run , bike drive , and a meth of wine ( in moderation , of course of action ) .
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