illustration of How to hydrate your body correctly

How to hydrate your body correctly

Optimum amounts of fluids, effects on dieting and heuristics for your everyday life.


The vast majority of people in our society are chronically dehydrated nowadays. Chances are high that you are impacted by this, too. In this post, I'll summarize why this actually matters a lot and what you can expect from solving the problem.

Immediate Effects of Dehydration

The list of possible symptoms includes:

  • Headaches and concentration issues, which might increase your stress levels when work is piling up, introducing even more issues.
  • Tiredness and fatigue, a powerful way to kill your general discipline in all life areas.
  • Muscle weakness and cramping, preventing strength gains.

If you want a sharp mind and a fully functioning body, getting enough fluids should be a top priority.

Aside from these impactful direct issues (you will notice headaches or cramps immediately!), there are even more problems caused by dehydration:

How Much You Should Drink

Let's make this easy with some easy-to-remember numbers:

  • 2 liters per day as the baseline.
  • +1 liter if you are male.
  • +1 liter if you are fasting (no fluid intake from foods).
  • +1 liter per hour of moderate sweating (non-athletic exercise, heat).

If you are feeling thirsty, you are already dehydrated! It doesn't help to gulp multiple bottles of water at once, since the body can usually only absorb up to 0.5 liters per hour. Also, it takes at least 10 minutes for meaningful amounts of the water to reach your bloodstream and ease dehydration symptoms.

Therefore, make sure that you are drinking appropriate amounts scattered throughout your day, not in big chunks after many hours (this doesn't work).

How to Check Hydration State

These quick checks are good indicators for proper hydration levels:

  1. Not being thirsty, not even a little.
  2. You are peeing multiple times per day.
  3. Your pee has no (or next to no) color.

What to Drink

Not strictly linked to hydration, but the most important advice I can give is:

Don't drink calories!

Between Latte Macchiatos, sodas, smoothies, and juices, it is very easy to accumulate hundreds of calories every day, which won't make you satiated. Even if you are not on a diet, this easily can translate into being able to eat an additional full meal every day when drinking water instead.

So, ideally drink these instead:

  • Water. Best-in-slot option available.
  • Black coffee or unsweetened tea for additional energy.
  • "Zero" sodas to satisfy the occasional cravings, at least they don't have calories.
  • Broth (powder/cubes + hot water) for when you need salt.

If you also want to scratch your environmental itch, try to use things based on tap water instead of buying bottles. Personally, I can recommend products like dropz to keep water tasty and varied.

  • Number of words: 500
  • Reading time: 2 minutes
  • Posted: 5 months ago

Linked Categories

Click around and find out ↓

illustration of Biohacking
Biohacking

Unlock your potential with Biohacking! Dive into the world of self-optimization through science and tech to enhance your body and mind.


Related Posts →

illustration of Meditation for Hackers

TLDR & Cheatsheet without the spiritual baggage. Research indicates: trying meditation could be your next game changer!


Latest Posts →

illustration of AI Alignment Problem: a fresh perspective

Exploring a fresh approach to solving the AI alignment problem by focusing on intrinsic motivation and long-term thinking to ensure harmonious development between AI systems and humanity.

illustration of AI Alignment Proposal: v0.1

My personal shot at approaching the AI alignment problem. Allows for iterative refinement as well as immediate experimentation with current LLMs today.

illustration of The AI Wrapper Revolution: What It Is and Why It Matters

In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, a new paradigm is emerging that promises to democratize AI application development: AI wrappers. But what exactly are AI wrappers, and why should developers and entrepreneurs pay attention? Let's dive in.

illustration of Custom GPTs vs OpenAPI path parameters

Seems that the AI can't do idiomatic API calls for a RESTful interface after all - or their HTTP client has some bug.

illustration of GPT4o Just Landed And Will Be Free For All!

The latest OpenAI ChatGPT model just got reveiled and it will be free for everyone - but more importantly: the GPT Store will be, too!

illustration of Rewrite it in Rust: Fun Weekend & Happy Wife

How I rewrote a pet project in Rust, shipped it within 2 days start-to-finish, and gained social credit along the way.