Water bottles everywhere — so why are we still not drinking enough water?

Buying things is not the same as doing things. Weights don’t work unless you pick them up. Books don’t read themselves. And those supersized water bottles people are stampeding to get their hands on are just doorstops unless you’re actually drinking water. Water bottle sales are an $8 billion business in the U.S., with Stanley alone clocking in with $750 million in annual sales for 2023. The Reddit r/HydroHomies sub has over a million subscribers, and TikTok and Instagram are drenched in enthusiastic water bottle content. So why, then, does it seem are so many of us are still not adequately hydrated?

There’s conflicting data on just how under watered we are, and the often cited figure that 75% of Americans are “chronically dehydrated” doesn’t hold much, uh, water. Here’s what we do know. The NIH suggests we aim for between 72 and 96 ounces of water a day. The CDC offers no specific recommended amount of daily fluid consumption, noting instead that needs “vary by age, sex, pregnancy status, and breastfeeding status.” It estimates we average about 44 ounces of water a day, which isn’t very much, especially given that about half of us drink at least one soda daily, and roughly 2/3 of us have at least one coffee a day. A 2023 poll from the consumer analytics company Civic Science revealed that nearly half of all respondents (47%) said they only drank between zero and three glasses of water per day.

Getting enough water every day is essential not just for good health but survival. You can last about a month without food. You’ll last about three days without water. A longitudinal 2023 National Institutes of Health study published in eBioMedicine found that “Adults who stay well-hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions, such as heart and lung disease, and live longer compared to those who may not get sufficient fluids.” It further noted that “Adults with higher levels of normal serum sodium ranges – which increase as fluid levels go down – were more likely to show signs of advanced biological aging. They also had a greater chance of dying prematurely.” 

So how much water should you be putting away? “As with most things when it comes to nutrition and diets, there’s not a one size fits all to hydration,” says Dr. Sotiria Everett, a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stony Brook Medicine.

“I work with elite athletes here in the college setting, and hydration is something that I do emphasize,” she says. “There are certain measures in this population that help me determine if they are hydrated. The athletes get weighed before and after a workout session to determine hydration losses, and those losses have to be made up after the workouts.” But, she says, “For the average individual, there are other markers of hydration. One of the most simple ones and anyone could do this is just to check the color of the urine in the morning when you wake up. For the first urine, if it’s pretty dark — the comparison is like a dark cider or apple juice — then you’re probably not doing a good job about hydrating. If it’s looking a little bit clearer, like lemonade, then you’re doing a better job.” Another indicator, she says, is if you’re experiencing weight loss fluctuations from day to day. “That could be a sign of not getting enough water,” she says. And then there’s the old standby — listening to your thirst.

“If there’s a higher concentration in electrolytes in our body because the actual water level is low, our thirst mechanisms should switch on,” Dr. Everett notes, though “There are some individuals where that might not be working appropriately, usually due to medication. But an average person who’s pretty healthy and works out or exercises in a normal amount, that thirst mechanism, the water the color of the urine and just their weight,” she says, are all good guideposts.

But what if — like those people who skip lunch or cut corners on their sleep — you’re not always paying attention to your thirst? How do you know when you need water? “If you do start exercising and you feel like your body’s working harder than it needs to be, your your heart rate is higher, you’re probably dehydrated. Day to day, if you’re feeling lightheaded or low blood pressure, low pulse, maybe drink some water,” she says. That’s not a signal to ignore other symptoms that may be going on your body, but Dr. Everett notes, “If you’re feeling hotter or more exhausted than usual, and you reflect, ‘My water bottle is on my desk, and it’s pretty full,’ I would say take a take a drink, see if that’s something that would help.”

If, like me, you sometimes struggle with the water blahs, you can always zhuzh it up. “Make your water exciting by freezing fruit juice or tea into ice cubes. They’ll subtly flavor your water as they melt,” says registered dietitian Yaa Boayke. “Dedicate different days of the week to unique water themes. For example, Minty Mondays could involve adding fresh mint to your water, and Fruity Fridays could see you infusing water with slices of your favorite fruit.” I float cucumber slices in my water and I swear like I feel like I’m getting a little wisp of a spa experience in my otherwise non luxurious life. And water isn’t the only game in town; you can get some of your hydration from fruits and vegetables, non caffeinated tea and low sodium broths.

Reusable water bottles really are a good idea — they’ve certainly got the disposable kind beat in terms of landfill waste and microplastics. And there’s nothing wrong with a cute accessory that can be a motivator to stay hydrated, especially if you’re not a member of the well watered Gen Z. “One benefit of these bottles is that the volume is provided,” says Dr. Sotiria Everett. “If the range for people to drink water is one and a half to 3 liters a day, then they have some quantity to establish their own baseline, see how they do and how they feel if they meet that minimum, and then gauge intake from there.” You can also drink your water out of a glass, a paper cup, a Mason jar; then you can get the stuff to fill it with out of your tap for free. In all of our consumerist obsession about vessels, what matters most for our health isn’t the bottles, it’s that they’re meaningless if we forget to consume their contents.