Water is the most essential component of our daily life; whether be it the tastiest dish that you adore or the veggie that you absolutely hate, the most essential element in both the extremities is water. Our own human body (unless you’re an alien reading this) consists of about 70% water.

Do you even need to drink water? (When you are yourself about 70% of it)

Water exists in the body as plasma, cytoplasm, serum, saliva, nasal secretion, cerebrospinal fluid, urine and sweat. It is therefore necessary for absorption of nutrition and to maintain life; without it, our cells cannot survive. Therefore, there is a constant need of influx of water into the human body. Let us understand the need of drinking water through the following:

• Water helps getting rid of wastes through urination (pee) , perspiration (sweat), bowels (poo-poo)
• It forms the base for saliva.
• Water plays a vital role in maintaining the body temperature.
• Water lubricates and cushions our joints.
• Water also protects sensitive tissues and helps in digestion.

Ashtānga Hrdya Sutrasthāna (an important ancient Indian Ayurvedic text) mentions characteristics of water as:

“जीवनं तर्पणं हृदयं ह्लादी बुद्धि प्रबोधनम्”

Jeevanam (जीवनं) means: Enlivening, improves quality of life.

Tarpanam (तर्पणं) means: Satiating.

Hridayam (हृदयं) means: Good for heart.

Hlādi (ह्लादी) means: Calming and soothing to the mind and belly.

Buddhi prabodhanam (बुद्धि प्रबोधनम्): Stimulates the intellect.

With all these benefits and characteristics of water, there is always a dilemma on the quantum of water to be consumed every day.

So how much water should we consume?

Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is commonly heard wellness wisdom nowadays; but no single formula fits everyone. Every person has a different body, hence, drinking the same amount of water cannot be recommended for everyone. For adults, the general recommendation from The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is about:

• 5 cups (2.7 liters) a day for women
• 5 cups (3.7 liters) a day for men

(This includes fluids from water, beverages like teas and juice, and from food)

How much water you need also depends on

• Diet: Your body demands more water if your diet is high in salty, spicy, or sugary foods. Or, more water is necessary if you don’t eat a lot of hydrating foods that are high in water like fresh or cooked fruits and vegetables.
• Body type and overall health condition: If you have an infection or a fever, or if you lose fluids through vomiting or diarrhea, you will need to drink more water.
• Where you live: You will need more water in hot, humid, or dry areas. You’ll also need more water if you live in the mountains or at a high altitude.
• Activities you perform: If you are active during the day or walk or stand a lot, you’ll need more water than someone who’s sitting at a desk. If you exercise or do any intense activity, you will need to drink more to cover water loss.
• Temperature and season: You may need more water in warmer months than cooler ones due to perspiration.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding: Women should be drinking more water when they are pregnant or breastfeeding as that’s a physically demanding state.

How much kids should be drinking?

No set amount is right for every child as it depends on many factors such as; their age, how much they weigh and their gender. And also how active they are and the climate they live in. In general children and teens need about 6-8 glasses of water. Some professionals also advice 30ml water per kg per day for children.

Decode your bodily signals of thirst

Your body gives you indicators to let you know it needs water. It can be broadly summarized as:

• Color of urine: Dark yellow color may indicate dehydration, while fairly clear and straw colored urine is a sign of a hydrated and satiated body.
• Lips: Dry chapped lips is also a major sign that tells you are not having adequate water.
• Skin texture: Very dry skin texture can be a sign commanding you to drink water.
• Psychological changes: Feeling irritated with your colleagues or your family members, even if they speak only a single word? This might be a sign that’s telling you to refill the water reservoir of your body.
• Physiological changes: Decreased appetite, lack of energy, decreased metabolism,  rapid breathing can be the tell-tale signs about alarmingly low water content in your body.

• Urge of thirst: Observe your body and whenever you feel thirsty, drink water.

Upto 65-70% of human body is water. Even as little as 2% drop in body water could trigger dehydration. Thirst is late symptom of dehydration; early symptoms include day time fatigue, fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with mathematics, difficulty in focusing on small print and the computer screen, and muscle pains. Prolonged dehydration can lead to serious complication like organ failure

As mentioned earlier, water is not only obtained through plain water but also from foods.

Water rich food to keep an eye on:

Mainly fruits and vegetables have high water content. Watermelon and spinach are more than 90% by weight. Other water rich foods are – strawberries, lettuce, soups, yogurt, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, grapes, coconut water, banana etc.

Drinking water the right way

Are you drinking water the right way? Besides knowing how much water your body needs and consuming accordingly; it is equally important that we are mindful of ‘how’ this water is consumed. The principles of Ayurveda suggest that the way you choose to drink water also affects your overall health.

Here are some basic yet important Ayurvedic tips to drink water:

• Drink water at Room Temperature:

  Lukewarm water is even better as it helps in controlling cholesterol levels and also keep the arteries clean. Cold water decreases the blood supply to various organs of the body further leading to constipation, shrinks blood vessels, solidifies fat in food, decreases heart rate and also aggravates joint pain. Therefore avoid drinking cold water as much as you can or you may make use of earthen pots as they are natural water coolers. You can buy earthen pot from the local potters, if it is not readily available , here’s the link to buy from Amazon: Earthen Pot

• Drink water just after waking up:

  Ayurveda suggests that is a healthy habit to drink water first thing in the morning, which is known as Ushapāna. It helps get rid of many diseases and also helps in flushing all the toxins in the body and helps cleanse your intestines.

• Using copper and silver vessel:

  Ayurveda has always suggested drinking water stored in copper (Tāmbā) and silver (Chāndi) vessels. The water stored in these vessels has the ability to balance all three doshas/humours (Vāta/Pitta/Kapha) in the body, by positively charging the water. Water stored overnight in the copper vessel has rejuvenating and purifying properties. The Anti- Bacterial / Microbial Properties of copper vessels have also been scientifically proven (Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4). Water in the silver vessel has the power to remove free radicals from the body and gives a cooling effect in the intestines and smoothens the process of digestion. If you want to purchase, here are the links for good quality vessels: Silver Vessel ; Copper Vessel

• Drink more water in summer:

  Summer season is called as the Pitta season and afternoon time is Pitta Kāla, which is hottest time of the day. Therefore, Ayurveda suggests that one should drink maximum water during this period so as to maintain the body temperature. We can also incorporate some small changes including adding Pitta pacifying ingredients in water that help maintain body heat. Some of the ingredients include lemon, mint, kokum, fennel seeds, khaskhas and rose petals.

• Drinking posture:

  Remember to be seated while drinking water. Drinking water in standing position may become the reason for joint pain and arthritis.

Be very careful

Nobody needs to drink water simply because one thinks it’s a good thing to do. We should be very careful of the following:

• Drinking excessive water:

  This increases the amount of water in the blood. This can dilute the electrolytes, especially sodium, in the blood. This may result into serious health problem referred to as hyponatremia.

• Drinking water just before the meal:

  This dilutes the gastric juices reducing the body’s ability to digest food. Here, the food does not get digested properly and rots within system. As a result, body fails to absorb the nutrients. It is better to drink water keeping the gap of 30-40 mins before meal and 1-1.5hrs gap after meal.

Bottom line

Water is one of the most crucial element in our life, and we should be very mindful about the water intake in our body. Important thing about how much water we should be drinking each day is to notice how our body responds and drink accordingly. As long as we’re eating plenty of water rich foods and drinking water in right way when we feel thirsty, we won’t have problem staying hydrated.