What Is the Minimum Water Consumption Per Day?

Water makes up a big majority of your body weight, because every single cell, tissue and organ needs it to function. Because it’s so important, you need to get a certain amount each day. Plain water should be your primary source of fluid, even though juice, soda, coffee and other beverages can count towards your water intake. However, these other drinks increase your consumption of sugar, calories and, in the case of soda, coffee and tea, caffeine. This ingredient can make you urinate more and wind up dehydrating you as a result.

Minimum Amount

Water recommendations are different for men and women. Men should aim for 3.7 liters, or about 125 ounces, which is a little more than 15½ cups of water each day, according to the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine. Women need 2.7 liters daily, which is roughly 91 ounces of water and a little less than 11½ cups. If you are pregnant, this minimum requirement goes up to 3 liters, which is approximately 101 ounces or a bit more than 12½ cups. It goes up again if you're breast-feeding. In this case, bump up your daily fluid intake to 3.8 liters, which is equal to approximately 132 ounces or a bit more than 16 cups.

However, this doesn't mean you need to drink 2.7 to 3.7 liters of water a day. Some of your fluid intake will come from food, and the rest will come from fluids.

When You Don’t Get Enough

When you don’t get enough fluid into your system or if you sweat and lose a lot of water, your body becomes dehydrated. By the time you feel thirsty, you’ve already lost as much as 2 percent of your body weight, the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons reports. Not only do you feel sluggish and tired as dehydration sets in, you could start losing your ability to concentrate or perform. As your fluid levels continue to plunge, you may develop headaches, feel dizzy and have a dry mouth. In severe cases, your body isn’t able to sweat, causing your core body temperature to skyrocket. If left untreated, your heart function suffers and you could faint.

Getting Too Much

It is possible -- although rare -- to drink too much water. Going way overboard dilutes your blood and makes your electrolyte levels drop. Your heart beat becomes weak and erratic, which could land you in the hospital. Usually, marathon runners and endurance athletes, who consume a lot of water, have the greatest risk, according to MayoClinic.com.

How to Tell If You're Hydrated

Rather than micromanaging every drop of water that passes through your lips, let your urine be your guide into whether you're hydrating properly. If you're hydrated, you should pass light yellow urine every few hours. If it's dark yellow, that's a sign you need more fluid -- if it's clear, you're doing fine, and could slightly ease up on the water if you want to.