How to stay hydrated
Quick facts: Staying well hydrated is essential for supporting energy levels, digestion, temperature regulation and overall wellbeing. Many people don’t realise they’re not drinking enough fluids throughout the day. To support healthy hydration, it helps to:
- Drink plenty of fluids daily
- Spread intake evenly across the day
- Increase fluids during heat or exercise
- Maintain a healthy electrolyte balance.
Despite being such an essential part of our health, hydration is something many people don’t actively think about in their day-to-day lives. Busy routines, work schedules and simply not being in the habit of drinking water regularly can all contribute to dehydration.
However, maintaining good hydration habits can play an important role in supporting normal bodily functions, including energy levels, concentration and physical performance. The good news is that small, consistent changes can make a meaningful difference over time.
How to hydrate effectively
If you’re unsure whether you’re drinking enough, it can be helpful to compare your daily habits against a few simple hydration strategies. These tips can support more consistent fluid intake and help to maintain healthy hydration levels throughout the day.
Drink plenty of fluids
One of the most important foundations of hydration is simply drinking enough fluids each day. General guidelines suggest that adult women may need around 2.0 litres of fluids daily, while adult men may require around 2.5 litres, depending on activity level, environment and individual needs.1
Sometimes people talk about fluids and water interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same. If you’re looking to up your fluid intake, you can also drink:
- Herbal teas
- Milk
- Other low-sugar drinks.
Even foods with high water content, such as cucumber, watermelon, oranges and soups, can support fluid intake. With that said, it’s usually easier to estimate your fluid intake in terms of drinks than to rely on food water content.
Spread hydration across the day
Rather than drinking lots of fluids in one sitting, it’s generally easier to manage and more effective to spread intake evenly throughout the day. This helps the body to absorb and use fluids more efficiently – in other words, it means you’ll absorb more water rather than most of it ending up in your bladder.
As a general guide, it can be helpful to avoid consuming excessive amounts at once (for example, more than 500–700 ml in a short period), as this may not be as effectively retained. As with many things, little and often is best to avoid feeling dehydrated.
If you often forget to stay hydrated throughout the day, there are things you can do to help build the habit. These can include:
- Keeping a water bottle with you at all times
- Drinking a glass of water with meals and snacks
- Adding sugar-free flavourings or chopped fruit to water to make it tastier
- Setting reminders to stop for a drinks break – this is especially useful if carrying a drink with you isn’t practical.
Building small habits into your daily routine can make hydration feel more natural and consistent.
Increase hydration during times of excessive water loss
There are certain situations where your body may lose more fluids than usual, meaning your hydration needs increase. These include exercise, hot weather, sweating, fever or physically demanding activities.
During these times, it’s important to increase fluid intake to match losses. This may mean drinking additional water before, during and after exercise, or increasing daily intake by 500–1,000 ml depending on conditions and activity levels.
Supporting hydration in these situations helps to maintain normal body temperature regulation and physical performance.
For most people, situations like this are temporary and short-lived – for example, a person might need to drink more water if they’ve been out for a run or had a minor illness. But some people with underlying health conditions may need more water than others all the time. If you think this might be you, speak to a healthcare professional about your needs.
Keep your electrolytes up
Hydration is not only about water intake, but also about maintaining a healthy balance of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and magnesium. These minerals help to regulate fluid balance in the body, as well as supporting other functions.
For most people, maintaining a healthy electrolyte balance can be done through a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and dairy or fortified alternatives.
For individuals with temporary higher needs, such as those who exercise regularly or are recovering from an illness, electrolyte-containing products may help to support hydration balance.
If you need longer term support that you can’t get from your diet – for example, due to dietary restrictions – then food supplements may help you to get enough minerals on a regular basis.
Conclusion
Hydration is a simple but essential part of maintaining everyday wellbeing. By drinking enough fluids, spreading intake throughout the day, adjusting for activity levels and supporting electrolyte balance, you can help maintain healthy hydration habits.
As with most things, small, consistent changes are often more effective than dramatic adjustments, making hydration easier to manage long term.
FAQs
Why am I always dehydrated?
Feeling frequently dehydrated may be linked to lifestyle habits such as low fluid intake, high caffeine consumption or increased fluid loss through exercise or heat. It can also be influenced by diet, stress levels or certain health conditions.
If symptoms persist, it may be useful to review daily hydration habits or seek professional medical advice to rule out underlying causes.2
Does coffee hydrate you?
Your daily coffee does contribute to daily fluid intake, as it’s mostly water. However, it also contains caffeine, which has a mild diuretic effect in some people – in other words, it makes you urinate more.
For regular coffee drinkers, this effect is generally minimal, but it’s worth keeping an eye on if you’re frequently using the bathroom and feel dehydrated. Moderate coffee consumption can still be part of overall hydration, but it shouldn’t replace water as your main source of fluids.3
Do fizzy drinks hydrate you?
Fizzy drinks do provide fluid and can contribute to hydration. However, many contain added sugar or caffeine, which may not be ideal in large amounts.
While sugary drinks can count towards daily fluid intake, they can impact your overall health and nutrition negatively. Water and other low-sugar drinks are generally better choices for maintaining healthy hydration habits in the long term.4
References
(1) European Food Safety Authority. (2010). Scientific opinion on dietary reference values for water. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1459
(2) National Health Service (NHS). (2023). Dehydration. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dehydration/
(3) Mayo Clinic. (2022). Caffeine: Is it dehydrating? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/caffeine/faq-20057941
(4) World Health Organization. (2023). Healthy diet fact sheet.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
