You Should Drink Plenty of Water Every Day During a Heat Wave

You may have heard various rules of thumb about how much water you should drink on a typical day, such as eight 8-ounce glasses. But in the midst of a heat wave, do such rules of thumb still hold or are they becoming all thumbs?

Of course, your water needs may vary when you’re roasting under a hot sun like a rotisserie chicken, sweating like a sprinkler, or spending your days in dry, arid environments. . Plus, people are—surprise, surprise—very different. A simple one-size-fits-all number will not work for everyone and in every situation. Instead of following a certain amount of water that you can drink each day, it is important to monitor and follow a certain activity of the body. And, spoiler alert, this physiological process can help determine whether your “urine” is in good or bad shape when it comes to hydration.

First, let’s look at four common hydration rules of thumb:

• Six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water rule the day. This one is easy to remember, especially if you think eight by eight. So that point helps. But as mentioned earlier, a simple one-size-fits-all rule does not differentiate between people and situations.
• About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids per day for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) per day is recommended for women. Well, this law divides people into men and women because, you know, men are from Mars and women are from Venus, right? No, it’s not like that. Not all women and men are the same. Although on average, men may have a larger body size than women, there are many variations within each gender. For example, will a 5-foot-3 male jockey always need more fluid than a 6-foot-3 WNBA player?
• Multiply your body weight in pounds by 0.5 to find the number of ounces of water you should drink. So, for example, a person who weighs 150 pounds should drink at least 75 ounces of water a day. This causes weight gain. But shouldn’t one’s physical activity be important? Otherwise, why bother placing water cups on the marathon course?
• Drink 12 ounces of water per day for every 30 minutes of exercise. This one comes from the American College of Sports Medicine and accounts for physical activity to a certain extent. But all physical activity is not the same. Chasing a squirrel in the backyard during a snowstorm isn’t like playing golf in the spring or rolling cheese in the middle of a summer heat wave.

All of these can give you a rough ballpark number, especially if you’re debating between drinking one thimble versus 20 gallons of water a day. But instead of strictly adhering to any number of the above, the key is to pay close attention to your body and what it tells you.

Now, it may seem like thirst is holding the biggest megaphone in your body at this point. Of course, when you’re thirsty, it’s a good idea to drink water, as long as you make sure you get enough electrolytes, too, so you don’t suffer from something like hyponatremia. However, thirst can often be unreliable. The absence of thirst does not mean that your body does not need more water. Relying on thirst to tell you to drink more water can be like relying on partygoers to stop you from drinking too much alcohol.

Also, don’t wait until you have symptoms of dehydration such as headache, lightheadedness, dizziness and changes in your skin turgor. Dehydration can cause serious problems, such as heatstroke, fatigue and palpitations, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, kidney failure, dizziness, low blood pressure and surprise. So, waiting too long can be a highway to dangerous territory, to quote that Kenny Loggins song.

Well, the one thing you should pay attention to is, well, number one – your urine and how often you urinate. If your kidneys are working properly, they will hold on to water when you are dehydrated and allow more water to enter the urine when you are well hydrated. This is reflected in the color of your urine. The lighter your urine, the more water your urine contains compared to the waste your kidneys are excreting.

On the other hand, the darker your urine is, the more your kidneys are preventing water from flowing through your urine. Ideally, your urine should always be pale yellow or more clear. Dark colors mean it’s time to drink – drinking water, that is.

You should also pee once every two to four hours or so. If you have to check the calendar to find out when you were last, you are drinking too little fluids. Of course, the amount of urine is important, and urinating alone is not helpful. In other words, mind your pee and Qs, and Q stands for quantity.

If you continue to pay attention to your urine every day, you should quickly understand how much water you should drink every day. This may increase when you exert yourself more, when the air is dry or when it is very hot outside. Once you understand what you are eating on a regular basis, you can add more as needed.

And be proactive and be aware of these situations. For example, every time you are about to go outside in hot weather, drink a tall glass of water. It’s the same when you’re about to exercise. If you find yourself going to the bathroom every half hour, you can always cut your water intake down.

This is another situation where you have to listen to your body, which can be difficult when you have all kinds of distractions around you. So going forward, paying attention to your urine should be your first priority.