Humans need water — we know that much. Conventional wisdom has shifted in recent years from telling us we need to drink eight glasses a day, to a more individualized recommendation based on gender, age, and environment. But have you ever considered what would happen if you stopped drinking water entirely?
The body uses water for everything from lubricating joints to regulating body temperature and nourishing the brain and spinal cord. We naturally lose about 2 to 3 liters of water through our sweat and urine every day, so it’s important to replace this fluid loss by drinking water and eating water-heavy foods. But, like everything else, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Sometimes people, particularly athletes, go overboard and drink too much water and cause a separate set of hydration issues. Getting too much or too little water can leave you with anything from low energy levels and moodiness, to seizures or death.
TEDed shared this video on how human bodies handle too much or too little H2O. So how much water do we actually need to stay healthy? Check this out:
Also see, Here’s how much water you actually should be drinking.
