Water: How Much Do You Need

This article was originally posted on WellnessWorksNW.com on 2/3/2026

About a month ago, Karen G Clemenson asked me to write about water. I was thinking, we’ve written about water. In the over 340 articles we have shared with you, we have certainly written about water. Haven’t we? Jamie Holloway and I talked about it at our writer’s meeting in January. Of course we had! But you know what? After I searched our site yesterday, there are no articles about water. Until now. So let’s talk about water. You’ve probably heard that we need 8 glasses of water a day and that might be correct. At least it is a good goal. But it might not be all. Water: How Much Do You Need? Water makes up to 50-70% of our body weight. Water is needed to:

Breathe
Improve blood flow
Carry nutrients and oxygen to your cells
Aide in digestion
Prevent constipation
Eliminate waste through urination, sweating and bowel movements
Maintain electrolyte (sodium) balance
Protect your kidneys
Boost skin appearance
Protect your teeth
Normalize blood pressure
Regulate body temperature
Lubricate and cushion joints
Protect sensitive tissues

Dehydration

When we don’t have enough water in our body, it is called dehydration. In even very mild cases of dehydration, our bodies are drained of energy and this is when we feel very fatigued. Warning signs of dehydration are:

Urine that is dark yellow in color
Urine has a strong odor
Weakness
Low blood pressure
Dizziness
Confusion
Dry Mouth
Fatigue
Muscle cramps
Constipation
Abdominal pain
Lethargy

On average 20% of our daily fluid intake can come from foods, especially like soups, fruits and vegetables, but the rest must come from beverage consumption.

An average sized woman needs about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluid every day.
An average sized man needs about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluid every day.

But consider those numbers a starting point. Your size, metabolism, location, diet, physical activity and health all factor into how much water you need to drink per day, says family medicine specialist Saadia Hussain, MD.

These numbers can vary depending on many factors:

Exercise & Movement – The more you sweat the more you need to replace the fluids you lose.
Environment – Dehydration can happen at high altitudes, not just when it is hot and humid.
Metabolism – If you have a fast metabolism and your body tends to use more fuel to keep going, it would be wise to add a couple more glasses of water to your intake every day.
Overall health – If you have a fever, vomiting or diarrhea, a bladder or urinary tract infection or kidney stones, all of these conditions can affect your need for more fluids. Sometimes medications can cause you to need more fluids. On the other hand, certain health conditions such as thyroid disease or kidney, liver or heart problems, or if you are taking medications that cause you to retain water, like NSAIDS, some opiate pain meds and certain antidepressants, you should drink less water.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding – You are supporting more than one body so it might make sense that you would need more fluids.
Age – Older people sometimes don’t sense thirst like they once did and this can be a problem, especially if they are taking a medication that can cause fluid loss.
Size – The more you weight, the more water your body needs to handle the fluctuations throughout the day.
Alcohol consumption – Alcohol is a diuretic and it can make you become dehydrated. Before you have a drink, make sure to have a glass of water. Before you have another alcoholic beverage, have another glass of water. The more you replace your fluids, the less chance you have of being hung over the next day.

So what that comes down to is that a person really needs, alongside a well-balanced, diet with plenty of variety is about 4 to 6 cups of plain water, depending on how much coffee, tea, fruits (apple sauce) and vegetables they consume.

What if You Don’t Like Water?

I guess I am pretty lucky, I have always liked water. It’s a good thing too, because I was not given much of a choice growing up. Mom was not going to fill us full of sugar. We were the house with the whole grain bread, the tubs of yogurt and the fresh carrots for snacks. One of my friends always brought her own snacks when she came to my house. And if you look in my fridge, now, you are bound to find carrots and cottage cheese (I like cottage cheese better than yogurt) and water filters under the counter and on top of the counter. But if you can’t stand water, we live in a world with lots of options. I personally like to add 2 drops of Meta PWR from doTERRA to a liter of water (Contact Me if you want to learn more about Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils®). But there are a lot of drops you can add to your water. You can also add fresh fruit or lemon or lime juice. I love my decaf coffee with some organic half and half. I also enjoy several cups of herb tea every day. Occasionally I will have some almond milk or coconut water. I have tried soy, rice and hemp milk, they were not very enjoyable to me. I don’t care to drink cow’s milk and it tends to give me a tummy ache, which is another reason, I don’t drink it. I personally cannot take caffeine because of a medication I take. Which is why I drink decaf coffee. The positive part of that is that caffeine is a diuretic, which means you will have to drink a little more water to replace what you will lose ; I don’t have to do that. if you are enjoying regular coffee, you will have to drink a little more fluids somewhere in your day. The same goes with tea with caffeine in it, as well. Soda and juice (not to mention alcohol) are fluids but they are not the best choice because they are full of sugar and that will add to your waistline. The chemicals in sports drinks will also cause inflammation which causes pain (this is also the same for caffeine), so if pain is part of your life, you might want to try to get a nap in and drink more plain water in order to decrease your inflammation and have more energy. It is best to drink gradually throughout the day. Drink a beverage with each meal and with medicine. I hope this article helps you. If you have any questions please let me know. And drink up! If you are needing help creating a Wellness Plan that works for you, please Contact Wellness Works NW at 360-270-3880. Karen G Clemenson is a very caring and authentic person and she is looking forward to talking with you and helping you define your Wellness Goals and strategies. I hope this article answered questions you had and was easy to understand. If you would like us to write about a particular topic that you can’t find on this site, please send us an email on our Dear Jamie page and someone from Our Team will be glad to research and write about your topic.

How much water should you drink? by Harvard Medical School for Harvard Health Publishing
How Much Water You Should Drink Every Day by Cleveland Clinic Staff for Cleveland Clinic, October 3, 2924
Water: How much should you drink every day? by Mayo Clinic Staff for Mayo Clinic, October 12, 2022

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Summer D Clemenson is a co-owner Clemenson Enterprises, LLC and Wellness Works NW. Summer her wife, Karen G Clemenson’s personal motto is Creativity, Honesty & Positivity are a must! This mantra helps them stay community and wellness minded in all they do. Summer is an Independent Wellness Advocate at dōTERRA. Summer also writes poetry and inspirational blogs @ GoodTimesAlways.com.