Think Your Drink
How much water should I drink?
8 x 8 is the rule of thumb: 8 glasses with 8 ounces of water a day. This keeps you well-hydrated and allows the body and brain to function at their best.
Every system in your body needs water. In fact, it makes up 60% of body weight. Even mild dehydraftion can cause headaches, nausea, irritability and fatigue. You may need more water in hot temperatures, if you sweat a lot or if you are taking certain medications.If you’re getting enough water is you’ll rarely feel thirsty and urine will be colorless or slightly yellow. Dark yellow urine is a sign of dehydration.
If you need a nudge to drink more water, sign up for text or email messages reminding you to get your 8 x 8 (see Take the Plunge).
Can you drink too much water?
Though you can drink too much water, most people aren’t in any danger of it. Water drinking contests and endurance athletic events are about the only times water intoxication occurs.
At water drinking contests people drink excessive amounts of water in a short period of time, flooding their systems with more water than they can handle. It is extremely uncomfortable and no one would ever do this under normal circumstances.
When people sweat excessively for more than an hour at endurance events or doing hard physical labor, sometimes they overdo it with water in attempt to stay hydrated. It's important that they rehydrate with sports drinks or they run the risk of depleting sodium levels. Here’s how:
