Do you reach for a coffee first thing, get busy with the day, and realise by mid-afternoon that you've barely had a proper drink of water? You're far from alone. Hydration is one of those things everybody knows matters, yet it's often the first habit to slip when life gets busy, and it's a topic that comes up constantly in my consultations.
As a registered nutritionist, I find hydration is frequently overlooked compared to food, yet it has a genuine impact on energy, digestion, concentration and even appetite regulation. Let's look at what "enough water" actually means in practice, and how to build it into a normal day without it feeling like a chore.
How much water do you actually need?
NHS guidance suggests aiming for around six to eight glasses of fluid a day, which works out to roughly 1.5 to 2 litres for most adults. This figure includes water, but also other fluids like herbal tea, milk and sugar-free drinks, and a portion of your fluid intake comes from food too, particularly fruit, vegetables and soups.
This is a general benchmark rather than a strict target that applies identically to everyone. Your actual needs shift depending on your body size, activity levels, the weather, and your individual health circumstances, so think of six to eight glasses as a sensible starting point rather than a rule to hit precisely every single day.
What increases your fluid needs
Several everyday factors push your hydration needs above the general baseline, and it's worth being aware of them so you can adjust accordingly.
- Exercise, particularly anything that makes you sweat noticeably, whether that's a gym session or a brisk walk on a warm day
- Hot weather or spending time in heated indoor environments
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding, both of which increase fluid requirements meaningfully
- Illness involving fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, where fluid losses rise quickly
- Higher fibre intake, since fibre needs adequate fluid to move comfortably through the gut
- Alcohol and caffeine, which both have a mild diuretic effect and increase fluid loss
If several of these apply to you at once, for example exercising in hot weather, your needs for that day could genuinely be a good deal higher than the standard benchmark.
It's worth briefly mentioning the other end of the spectrum too, because it does come up occasionally. Drinking genuinely excessive amounts of water in a short space of time, well beyond thirst and normal daily needs, can dilute the body's sodium levels and cause its own problems. This is rare in everyday life and mainly relevant to endurance athletes drinking very large volumes during events, but it's a reminder that more isn't always better; the goal is steady, adequate hydration through the day rather than forcing down water you don't need.
Recognising good and poor hydration
You don't need to track every glass obsessively to stay well hydrated. Your body gives fairly reliable signals if you know what to look for. Urine colour is one of the simplest and most practical indicators: pale straw yellow generally suggests you're well hydrated, while darker, more concentrated urine is a sign to drink more. Thirst itself is a reasonably good guide for most healthy adults, though it's worth noting that by the time you feel distinctly thirsty, you're often already a little behind.
Other signs of poor hydration include headaches, low energy, dry mouth, dizziness, and reduced concentration, all of which are easy to mistake for tiredness or stress when dehydration might actually be a contributing factor.
In my consultations, I often find that when a client mentions an afternoon energy slump or a persistent low-grade headache, hydration is one of the first, simplest things worth checking before we look at anything more complicated. It's rarely the whole story, but it's frequently part of it, and it's the easiest variable to adjust.
Practical ways to drink more water
For clients who struggle to hit a decent fluid intake, the barrier is rarely a lack of understanding and almost always a lack of habit. Small, practical changes tend to work far better than trying to force down large volumes all at once.
- Keep a water bottle somewhere visible on your desk or in your bag, rather than out of sight
- Have a full glass of water alongside your morning coffee or tea, not instead of it
- Set a couple of natural checkpoints in the day, such as after each meal, to have a drink
- Add fresh mint, lemon or cucumber if you find plain water unappealing
- Try herbal or fruit teas, which count towards your fluid total and add variety
- Eat plenty of water-rich foods such as cucumber, melon, tomatoes and soups
If you're currently drinking very little, don't feel you need to jump straight to eight glasses a day. Building up gradually, adding one extra glass every few days, tends to be a habit that actually sticks, rather than a sudden change that fades within a week.
Hydration, appetite and gut health
Hydration has a closer relationship with appetite than most people realise. Thirst and hunger signals can be surprisingly easy to confuse, and I regularly see clients who reach for a snack when what their body actually needed was a glass of water. If you're working on weight loss, checking in with your hydration before deciding you're genuinely hungry can be a genuinely useful habit.
Water also plays a supporting role in digestion, helping fibre move comfortably through the gut and reducing the likelihood of constipation and bloating. If you're making changes to support your gut health, increasing fibre without increasing fluid alongside it tends to backfire, so the two really do need to be addressed together.
Getting hydration right isn't about rigid rules or counting every millilitre. It's about building consistent, realistic habits that fit your actual day, and adjusting for the factors, like exercise or warm weather, that genuinely raise your needs.
If you would like personalised support with hydration and healthy eating habits, I offer one-to-one online consultations. View my consultation packages or book a free discovery call to discuss how I can help.