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Hydration and Conservation: How Much Water Should You Actually Drink?

  • Writer: Asiya Siddiqui
    Asiya Siddiqui
  • Mar 31
  • 3 min read

By: Danwoo Kim

March 24, 2025

Introduction:

While it is commonly associated with a lack of water in your body, dehydration is actually defined as when you lose more water in your body than you take in, meaning your body does not have enough fluid to carry out bodily functions and maintain homeostasis [2]. It is unbiased in its attack, targeting people of any age, race, or gender. It comes on much faster than starvation will, and its effects can even cause death among other diseases within the short span of five days if one abstains from water, compared to the 70 days one can survive without food [4].

A woman drinking water.
A woman drinking water.

As such, the importance of water in our everyday lives is exemplified as a necessity that people require for healthy bodily functions, particularly clean water to avoid other unhealthy pathogens. While the common consensus is that 2 liters of water is a healthy amount of water to drink per day, other factors can influence how much water you need to survive and live healthy lives each and every day.


The Problem with Dehydration:

While not explicitly taught this at school, many people are under the understanding that 2 liters a day will enable them to live healthy lives. Sometimes unhealthy drinks such as soda or beer are factored into this, and many consider these non-water fluids as their daily hydration methods. However, these misconceptions are leading to a vast array of problems in America. Surprisingly, nearly 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated according to a study conducted in 2022, with dehydration being more commonly associated with the elderly [3].

Many people do not consider the importance of drinking water, or sometimes even satisfy themselves with other counterproductive methods of hydrating. Rather than the two liters that many are comfortable drinking, men are generally recommended to drink 15.5 cups (about 3.7 liters) and women are recommended to drink 11.5 cups (about 2.7 liters) [1]. However, this amount varies across every individual, as most people in the world are slightly different than everyone else. Some are taller, shorter, bigger, older, or sick, and all these factors play into how much water one needs to stay healthy. However, one thing is for sure: Most people in the world are dehydrated.


Potential Solutions:

While there are not any really particularly innovative solutions available for this problem, one thing that everyone can do to live healthier lives is to just drink more water. As simple as it sounds, most people are most likely drinking less water than they should. Tracking how much water one drinks a day through how many times they have to refill a liter-water bottle can help with this as well. There are also other rare products such as Air Up can help incentivize people to drink water, as scent capsules can trick people into thinking water is tasty. Physical exertion, such as working out or playing a sport, will most likely demand more water necessary to replace water lost through physical exertion and sweat. Overall, water is vitally important to the body, and to avoid dehydration, one should make sure to drink a healthy amount of water.



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References:

1. How much water should I drink a day?. Harvard Health. (2023, May 22). https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink 

2. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (n.d.). Dehydration. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086 

4. We can survive without food for about 70 days, but only 5 days without water. Office for Science and Society. (2025, January 10). https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/we-can-survive-without-food-about-70-days-only-5-days-without-water 


 
 
 

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