How much water is good ?

[Lifesforloving1]

I drink (6) 500ml bottles of water a day.
Is this to much ?
I feel a lot better for it ?
But ..... it does make me urinate a lot !! Up to 8, 9 times a day ?

That’s 3 litre of water, too much, 2 litres is plenty. You are risking upsetting your electrolytes balance.

@PurplePumpkinDream
How many 500ml bottles should I drink a day then ?

They used to say 2l of water needed to be taken in including water from food or other drinks but they changed it to just 2l water somewhere along the way. Someone was talking on mn about children drinking too much and a lady who said she was a doctor said you couldn't which bothered me, you'd have to assume that too much liquid does something negative. And I'm not talking hyper hydration where people drink crazy amounts. But yes, op I definitely feel better getting more water!

Evolution has equipped us to drink when we need hydration. That's the purpose of thirst.

If you drink when you are thirsty then you should be getting enough water. If you drink water when you aren't thirsty, then you are having more than you need.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-much-water-should-i-drink-day

It seems that around 2 litres of liquids a day, from water, tea, coffee, milk and the food we eat is sufficient.

If you're drinking so much that your urine is completely clear like water you're having too much water and it can make you ill.

2l is enough.

[quote Lifesforloving1]@PurplePumpkinDream
How many 500ml bottles should I drink a day then ?[/quote]
4

It depends who you believe.
Some say (as above) just drink when you are thirsty as the body self-regulates.
Others put, possibly arbitrary, amounts on it.
A good guide is the colour of your wee which should be a pale yellow/straw colour.
For me, 2l is way too much most days; it makes me feel like a balloon and I've never noticed any of the perceived health benefits. So I now drink moderately and it doesn't have to be water. I've never had a problem with urine colour.

2 litres including other drinks and water from food seems to be a sensible baseline for normal activity in typical U.K. conditions but obviously it depends what you're doing - if you're exercising and/or it's hot then you will need more water.

People have died through drinking too much water .... marathon runners and the like who are rehydrating too quickly - hyponatremia

@Lifesforloving1 I agree with ErrolTheDragon. I think 2l including tea, coffee, juice is enough.

I find that I get dehydrated with dry skin and an awful headache if I drink too much and/or when drink water when I'm not even thirsty.

For average person, 2l is upper end of enough. All fluids except alcohol or known diuretics count. Urine should be very pale yellow. Obviously temp and activity levels will affect this. Vitamins can make your urine bright yellow/ green for a few hours (I think B vits particularly). Some people will be absolutely fine 1500 mls but might not perform at their best in significant physical challenges.

2-3litres a day of water is my norm plus tea and coffee. I feel groggy if I don't have at least 2 litres.

I'm not sure that everyone does self-regulate. I am never really thirsty and drink maybe half a litre a day including everything BUT my skin is so dry. I find that when I manage to drink a bit more it gets better.

Size affects how much you should drink too, I read. So if you're larger you need to drink more than 2l.

I also read that by the time you feel thirsty the damage or dehydration is already done.

The people who have died from drinking water are alhletes who've downed litres and litres in an hour. It's too much for your body to process.

Drinking 2-4 litres over the course of a day is absolutely fine if you're a healthy weight adult with no kidney or other major health issues. Not too much at all.

@AnotherNameForJune
Thanks very much ! I’ll just stick to drinking 4-5 bottles a day.
It helps a lot with my headaches !

Now it's summer things like ice pops and juicy fruit such as apples, oranges etc are great to help you feel more hydrated by the way!

How many 500ml bottles should I drink a day then ?

Please say you're not buying all this water

It helps a lot with my headaches

I drink a lot of water as it also stops me getting headaches but then I had an operation for another issue and was told I was salt deficient so try and drink less water now and add more salt to my food!

And in U.K. tap water is excellent so I wouldn’t be buying bottled water- Think of all that plastic!

@Oenanthe
God no ! I’d end up spending a fortune ! Tap water is just as good ...

We used to live in an area that had such frothy water it was absolutely undrinkable, not every area has great water (where we are our water is average but fine to drink just not tasty, my mum's tastes like bottled water, when I'm down there I savour it!!)

It depends on the individual really , how active you are and any background medical issues - for me I have kidney disease so usually 4 litres a day

I'd like to know everyones qualifications who have replied!
Op I wouldn't be asking Mumsnet. IMO google would even be a better shout!