Transcription:
Is 8 Glasses of Water Really Necessary

Intro: This is BayCare HealthChat, another podcast from BayCare Health System.

Caitlin Whyte: Welcome to BayCare HealthChat. I'm Caitlyn Whyte. And today, we are talking about drinking water. We are often told eight glasses of water a day is necessary. You've probably seen people carrying around those giant water bottles that prompt them to drink more water. I even have a friend who has a smart water bottle. It pings her notifications if she's not drinking enough. So is all of this really necessary?

Well, Genevieve Sanders is here to clue us in. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist with theBayCare Fitness Centers. So Genevieve, to start us off, tell us just why hydration is so important.

Genevieve Sanders, MS, RDN, LDN: Sure. Yeah. Hydration has been found to play a really important role in things like cognition, your performance. Actually, it's been found that around 2% or greater reduction in body weight related to fluid loss can be associated with things like fatigue, decreased level of alertness, attention span, things like that. It plays a role in your energy, joint lubrication; GI function, you know, even in the sense of it helps keep you regular when you're well-hydrated; kidney health, urinary health, so for instance, the prevention of recurring kidney stones, urinary tract infections. And it also plays a role even in your blood pressure.

Caitlin Whyte: And you touched on it a bit just now, but what influences our hydration needs?

Genevieve Sanders, MS, RDN, LDN: Oh, sure. So that's the thing with hydration, is that there are so many factors that can really influence our hydration needs. So it really can vary so much person to person depending on your level of activity, but depending on the environment that you're in. So by environment, I mean, things like the humidity, whether you're outside, the heat, sitting in an air-conditioned office. You know, your needs are going to be different than if you are working outside, your body size, your age, any medications that you might be on, any conditions that you have. You know, some conditions can play a role in how much or how little fluid we need. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, that is also going to have a major impact on how much hydration that you need.

Caitlin Whyte: So let's get down to the big question of our episode here. How much water do I actually need in a day? Is it really eight glasses?

Genevieve Sanders, MS, RDN, LDN: Sure. So yes, this is a hotly debated question. Unfortunately, we really do not have any exact recommendation on this. And that is because just like what we were just discussing with how many things can influence our hydration needs, there is so much variation person to person, that it's really hard to have just kind of a blanket recommendation across the board. So that's why, you know, you hear eight eight-ounce glasses a day. You know, it's kind of hard to figure out exactly where this came from, but it's thought to come from an old recommendation from the Food and Nutrition Board, I believe, that kind of said around two and a half liters a day of fluids. That was one of the first recommendations that I can find on record. But that also included food, you know, that can account for that as well.

So, you know, that said, there really is no clear exact recommendation, but the whole eight eight-ounce glasses a day is kind of an easy thing to remember. It's kind of an easy target, so -- well, easier said than done -- but easy to remember for people. So it just kind of stuck with everyone.

Caitlin Whyte: So whether we're sitting at our desk or we're running on a hot summer day, how can we tell if we're getting enough water for what we're doing?

Genevieve Sanders, MS, RDN, LDN: So, you know, again, like, we were saying, it varies so much person to person. So one simple way that I like to tell people to gauge whether or not they're getting enough fluid is simply to pay attention to their urine color. So, you know, if it's a very light yellow, like lemonade or almost clear, that indicates that you are well-hydrated, you know, more often than not. If it is consistently like an apple juice type of color or darker, that can indicate that you could benefit from some more hydration.

That said, pretty much everyone in the morning is going to have more concentrated urine. And that is totally normal. You have just slept and it's been kind of filtered over and over again, so to speak. So that is normal, but we're talking about consistently throughout the day, you want it to look at that color to help you kind of gauge whether or not you are getting enough fluid or not.

There are also signs that you can look for for how hydrated you are. You know, aside from paying attention to that. First and foremost, if you're thirsty. It seems like an obvious one. But if you're thirsty, you know, that's your body telling you like, "Hey, I could use some fluids." Headaches could be an indicator of needing some extra hydration. If you're noticing any dips in your energy, brain fog, lack of concentration, those can be some kind of earlier signs that you can use some more fluid.

Caitlin Whyte: And I know plain simple water is probably our best bet, but is there anything else we could do if we're just getting tired of plain water or craving something a little sweeter?

Genevieve Sanders, MS, RDN, LDN: Yeah, absolutely. So, yes, I hear this very often where people just, you know, you get bored of water. It's not exciting to drink it. It doesn't encourage you to drink it. So yes, I totally get it. And you know, those people are in luck because there really are many ways to hydrate aside from just plain water.

You know, for one, we do get hydration from food as well. So just one more reason to really include some more produce in your diet. You know, vegetables, fruits, they have a really high water concentration, typically. Things like melon, citrus fruits, bell peppers, cucumbers, things like that, all of that can really actually help towards their overall hydration.

But then another thing is, you know, to help kind of jazz up your water, just trying some maybe infused water. So, you know, again, adding some things like fruits, different herbs can really help to kind of add some flavor and maybe help encourage you to drink water. One thing I like to do, that's really easy, doesn't involve any prep is to just throw a bag of frozen fruits, you know, whatever you like. Maybe it's berries, mango, pineapple, just throw that into a pitcher of water. Keep that in your fridge. No prep involved, no cutting. And it's done for you. And it adds a nice little flavor. You know, again, different herbs, so things like mint, basil even, lavender, these are different things that can provide some interesting flavors to kind of help encourage you.

Another thing is, you know, experimenting with different club sodas, particularly if you're looking for that carbonation. There's so many different flavors out there and, again, you can add some different fruits and so on to kind of help with that too. So lots of things that you can try to do.

Caitlin Whyte: Oh, that fruit water sounds really good. I'm getting thirsty over here.



Caitlin Whyte: Well, as we wrap up Genevieve, is there any other tips you want to add to help us stay hydrated?

Genevieve Sanders, MS, RDN, LDN: Oh, yeah, absolutely. You know, when I said before, you know, the eight eight-ounce glasses of water is kind of easy, so to speak, to remember, but not necessarily easy to do or to just kind of make sure that we are staying hydrated overall. So, you know, some simple hacks that I have found to work for many people, is, you know, for one, kind of starting out your day with a glass of water and one way that you can do that, particularly if you are a coffee drinker, you know, while your coffee is brewing in the morning, fill up your mug with some water and sip on that while it's brewing. You know, that's one way to kind of just set the intention for the day and get at least a glass of water in for you. Another thing is to invest in something like a refillable travel water bottle, particularly if you are going into the office or, you know, you're out and about a lot during the day, just apparent keys that you have water available to you.

Another side to that is also looking for one with a straw. It might sound like a simple thing, but having, you know, a reusable water bottle with a reusable straw, that sometimes just encourages people to drink throughout the day, it makes it easier. And then also to piggyback off of that, just having something with water in it is keeping it visible throughout the day. So, you know, if you're working at the office, have it by your computer or your phone, somewhere visible that it can kind of just trigger that in you, you know, to prompt you to have a sip of water.

Another thing is even setting reminders on your phone, you know, maybe every few hours if you're really struggling to remember to drink some fluids. Setting a little reminder can be really helpful too.

Overall, we can look at these recommendations for guidance, but  getting in tune with your body, listening to its cues, you know, honing in on those symptoms, paying attention to that urine color; all of that feedback is what's going to help you really determine the best amount of fluids for you.

Caitlin Whyte: Well, thank you so much for joining us, Genevieve, and for giving us all these different ways to stay hydrated. Head on over to our website at BayCare.org for more information and to get connected with one of our providers. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all of the other BayCare podcasts. For more health tips and updates, you could follow us on your social channels. This has been another episode of BayCare HealthChat. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.