How Often to Drink Water

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You often hear that you should drink 8 glasses of water per day to stay healthy and hydrated, but how should you spread this throughout the day? You could, for example, drink 8 glasses of water in the morning and be done for the day. But are there downsides to this compared to drinking more slowly and steadily throughout the day?

In this article, we’ll look at some tips to help you figure out how often you should be drinking water throughout the day and some of the best times to do it.

Can you drink too much water?

If you’re chugging glass after glass of water, then there is a risk of what’s known as overhydration. Drinking too much water disrupts the balance in our bodies. Diluting the blood with too much water throws off the ratio of liquids to electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium, and potassium, which can cause symptoms of overhydration or water intoxication, such as:

  • Light-headedness

  • Fatigue

  • Weakness

  • Confusion

  • Changes in mood, i.e. irritability

However, you would have to drink a lot of water in a short space of time to suffer from these side effects. Drinking a glass of water in one go should not put you at risk, and fasting from water for a few hours at a time or for several hours overnight should not put you at risk of dehydration as long as you drink enough water at other times of day.

How much water can our bodies use?

Our bodies use the water we consume through food and drink for various purposes, including hydrating the cells in our body. The rest is flushed out of our bodies by our kidneys, which serve various essential purposes. But our kidneys can only flush out a maximum of around one liter per hour. So, drinking more than this will put a strain on our kidneys and could lead to the consequences described above.

The best times of day to drink water

So, to hydrate more efficiently and more safely, it is better to drink little and often throughout the day rather than knocking back glass after glass of water. There are even certain times of the day that can be the most beneficial times to hydrate, which we discussed in a previous blog. These include:

  • First thing in the morning

  • Before eating a meal

  • Before a hot bath (to lower blood pressure)

  • Around one hour before bed

So, it’s a good idea to drink water regularly throughout the day, just make sure you don’t drink too much. Having water on hand thanks to a water cooler and bottled water delivery service is the best way to remind yourself to drink enough each day. Contact us at Mountain Park Spring Water to find out more about our water delivery service.