At some point in time, we’ve all been told that 8 cups of water a day is the magic amount to achieve optimal hydration, but how accurate is this claim?
While studies show that drinking adequate amounts of water helps your body regulate its temperature, flush out waste and perform all major bodily functions – is it possible to have too much of a good thing? And are there alternative, effective ways of getting your fluids up?
Can you drink too much water?
However unlikely it may seem, drinking too much water can actually be dangerous. Consuming 3 to 4 litres of water in a short time period would prompt your body to experience the negative impacts of water intoxication. This sort of over hydrating can lead to hyponatremia, which is the state when your bodily electrolytes become too diluted and you drink more water than your kidneys can remove in your urine. Because of this, over hydration can cause too much water to collect in your blood which can have devastating impacts on your overall health. Far from optimal.
Dispelling the 8 glasses myth.
Although drinking 8 cups of your preferred hydrating beverage a day isn’t too far off the ideal amount, the Institute of Medicine’s actually recommend slightly more. As per the Institute’s guidelines for adequate water intake, they indicate that a healthy adult should drink 9 to 13 cups of fluids per day, on average. While this is a highly researched indicator of how much you should drink, it’s also important to note there’s no exact formula and that H20 needs vary depending on age, body type, climate, activity level and overall health.
Some water alternatives to keep things interesting.
Don’t get us wrong; we have absolutely nothing against H20 in its pure form, it’s cheap, readily available and tasteless, but drinking cup after cup of water can sure get boring. With a huge variety of electrolyte drinks, fruit juices and superfood beverages out on the market, it’s hard to know what’s best. Enter: BetterDays’ Sparkling Cactus Water, AKA, the new and exciting hydrator on the block. Not only does cactus water tick the incredibly hydrating box, it has a wealth of other benefits. Containing prickly pear cactus, our sparkling water alternative contains several antioxidants, such as betanin, betacyanin, and isorhamnetin, which are highly inflammatory and may help heal stomach ulcers and boost skin health.
Why you should up your fluids.
Whether it’s a simple glass of water, electrolyte drink, or our Sparkling Cactus Water - there’s a tonne of benefits to drinking enough fluids. Aside from obvious ones like allowing your body to function effectively and flush out toxins, being optimally hydrated can have other flow on effects. These include but are not at all limited to aiding physical performance and weight loss, preventing hangovers, and even help prevent and treat headaches and kidney stones. No matter how you chose to hydrate, it’s one of the best things you can do for your overall health so drink up!