How to Drink More Water? 15 Simple Tips for You to Try in 2024

Trying to figure out how to drink more water per day should not be a difficult thing to do, but many people struggle with it. In some cases, drinking water can be so difficult that you end up putting your health at risk. 

If you have already made the effort to buy a sit-stand desk and an office chair for your workplace, it means you care enough about your health to do something about it. However, there are times when you might need a helping hand, which is why these tips for drinking more water might be useful. 

You can make positive changes in your life by deciding that 2023 is the year that you finally start drinking a lot more water. Once you develop a habit of doing this every day, you will be surprised at how easy it is to meet your daily water intake targets. 

Health Benefits of Drinking Enough Water Daily

Before tackling the issue of how to drink water more regularly, it is important to understand why this is such an important habit to develop. Did you know that your body is made up of about 66% water? The brain alone has an even higher percentage because it is made up of 95% water, with the rest of the white and dark matter accounting for just 5%. 

When you consider such facts, the importance of water becomes apparent. You need to start making a conscious effort to keep your body well-hydrated. The following are some of the benefits of drinking plenty of water every day: 

• It lubricates the joints.
• The airways need it.
• It forms saliva and mucus.
• Water helps maintain blood pressure.
• It boosts skin health and beauty.
• Water flushes body waste.
• It regulates body temperature.
• Water cushions the brain, spinal cord, and other sensitive tissues. 

Looking at these benefits, it is safe to assume that not drinking enough water will have very negative impacts on how your body functions. Without enough water in your body, your immune system can become highly compromised, and you may struggle to regulate your temperature. 

Considering the severity of such consequences, wouldn't you rather simply drink a few glasses of water every day? The more you do it, the easier it will become, so take action and get started right now.

15 Easy Ways to Drink More Water

Once you know how much water your body needs every day, the question becomes how to increase water intake so that you can meet your daily targets. If you have spent years developing bad work habits, you might need a lot of effort to make a positive change in your lifestyle, and start drinking more water. 

However, with the following tips for drinking more water, anyone can turn things around and start providing their bodies with the right amount of water every day:

1. Drink When You Wake up and When You Go to Sleep

If you are wondering how to start drinking more water even though you have never really thought about it before, the best thing you can do for yourself is to come up with an easy water-drinking routine that you can follow. 

One way to do this is to simply resolve that the first thing you will do each morning when you wake up is to drink a glass of water. It should also be the last thing you do before you sleep. As you repeat this over and over, your bed might end up becoming the visual trigger you need to drink water.

2. Eat High Water Content Foods

There are some foods that contain a lot of water, and can greatly boost your water intake just by including them in your daily diet. Consider the following food items: 

• Lettuce: 96% water
• Honeydew melon: 90% water
• Celery: 95% water
• Cantaloupe: 90% water
• Zucchini: 95% water
• Watermelon: 91% water
• Cabbage: 92% water 

With such high water content values, you must have at least some of these food items on your table for each meal.

The great thing about eating food high in water content is that it tastes delicious, and you can meet your daily water intake target without even realizing it. Food such as lettuce can easily be included as part of a sandwich, giving you plenty more options for getting some more water into your body.

3. Drink Regularly All Day

There are so many good work habits and home routines that you can try out, but at the end of the day, nothing beats simply making the effort to drink more water every day. The first few days when you make the conscious decision to drink more water are the toughest ones because your body may not be used to taking such large amounts of water. However, you will find it easier to manage as the days go by. 

4. Aim for a Glass Per Hour

This might sound like an impossible target for someone who sometimes goes an entire day without drinking a glass of water. However, there are no shortcuts when trying to figure out how much water to drink a day. 

The best thing you can do is try to drink one glass of water every hour. If you are struggling, ask some of your colleagues to join in so that you can encourage each other to become healthier while developing some positive energy at work.

5. Add Some Flavor

Many of the healthy exercise habits you will come across are not necessarily easy to do, but you still have to find a way to do them, right? Well, the same applies to drinking more water every day. 

You need to come up with clever ways to go around the problem of how to drink water when you do not feel like doing it, and one solution is to add some flavor to the water. There are many affordable fruit infuser bottles that you can buy that will add just the right amount of flavor to make your water more palatable. 

6. Buy a Water Filter

One of the reasons why some people dislike drinking water regularly is because of the fear that their tap water is unsafe. Even though tap water in most of America's cities is safe, if you feel that you are unable to drink it directly, you can invest in a water filter. Once your mind is at ease concerning safety, you will be able to tackle the issue of how to start drinking more water head-on.

7. Download an App

These days, there seems to be an app for almost anything. You can even find one to assist with how to drink more water. If you search online, you will find a wide range of apps to help you get started on your journey.

8. Drink Before Meals

Another easy solution to try out is to simply make sure you drink a glass of water before each meal, even the small ones. If you have three large meals a day and two snacks in between, this can quickly translate to five glasses of water. If you also add the glass you drink when you wake up, and the one you will have before bedtime, you will be well on your way to meeting your water intake target. 

9. Turn It Into a Friendly Game

If you and your colleagues work together to develop some healthy office habits, such as coming up with a few games to help you drink more water, the task will become more enjoyable. There are many friendly drinking games that you can try to help you drink more water. 

10. Replace Drinks With Water

How many cups of coffee or glasses of orange juice do you have every day? Imagine if you replace most of them with a refreshing glass of water. Suddenly, the problem of how to drink water that seemed so big will become easier to handle.

11. Set Regular Reminders

If you find yourself continuously forgetting to drink some water, you can set up a reminder to help you. Of all the tips for drinking more water you can find, what can be easier than simply setting your alarm to ring when it is time to drink? 

12. Get a Refill Water Bottle

There are times when you might feel the urge to drink a glass of water but you are too lazy to get up and go to the kitchen or breakroom. This is when having a self-cleaning water bottle will come in very handy. You can carry it with you everywhere you go, and you never have to worry about struggling to keep it clean.

13. Have a Daily Target

If you are wondering how to increase water intake, you can start by setting yourself a daily target. At first, this can be just a couple of glasses a day, which you will gradually increase. The more success you have, the more encouraged you will feel.

14. Consider Your Body's Needs

Your body needs different amounts of water every day, depending on the level of activity. If you are planning on spending all morning at the gym, you will need more water than on the days you go straight to the office. 

15. Freeze It

If you are dreading the thought of having to take another glass of water, you can try freezing it and sucking the ice cubes. This is a great way to meet your daily water intake requirements during those hot summer months.  

FAQs

Should You Be Adding Sea Salt to Your Water for Better Hydration?

If you find that your biggest issue with drinking more water every day is that it simply doesn’t taste good, you should consider adding some sea salt to it. Besides improving the taste, sea salt also makes the water a lot more hydrating, and it is a great way to deliver some essential dissolved minerals to your body. 

However, if you are already having enough sodium as part of your regular diet, adding sea salt to the drinking water is not something you should be doing for every glass. 

How Much Water Should You Drink Every Day?

If you are a man, about 15.5 cups of water per day should be adequate, while for women it is 11.5 cups. However, these are just average figures, meaning you could require slightly more or less water than this. Also, if you are having a very physically demanding day, or it’s the height of summer, you may likely require a lot more water in your system. 

What Are Signals That Your Body Needs More Water?

Thirst is the body's natural indicator that you require more water. You should try to always be mindful of how thirsty you feel so that you can be quick to react by drinking a glass of water. By the time you start to notice other signs, such as a lack of energy or dryness in the eyes, you are likely already severely dehydrated. 

Is There Such a Thing As Drinking Too Much Water?

Yes, it is possible to drink too much water to the point that your kidneys are no longer able to get rid of it from your body. This can be a very dangerous situation, and one that you should avoid by drinking water in moderation. 

What Happens If I Only Drink Water and No Other Drinks?

While it is important to drink plenty of water every day, you also need to replenish your body’s electrolytes, which is something you cannot get from a glass of water. You need to try and maintain a good balance by sometimes drinking other types of fluids too.

Final Word

Are you stuck trying to solve the issue of how to drink more water? Autonomous has a few health challenge ideas that might make the process easier for you. The tips in this article will help you start making some positive and healthy changes in your lifestyle.