There's no life without water. Any carelessness in taking necessary water will lead to dehydration, which can have dire consequences. Quite interestingly, water alone can help treat several ailments, such as fatigue, headaches, joint pain and much more. The importance of water can be understood by the fact that you can survive for weeks without any food, but you cannot pass more than 3 days without water. Many people say that you should drink at least a gallon of water daily.
How Many Glasses of Water in a Gallon?
People will commonly say a gallon every day is enough, but a gallon is hard to calculate, so then you may want to know "How many glasses of water in a gallon?" To get the answer, you first need to understand the capacity of a gallon. A gallon equals to 3.8 liter, 4 quarts or 128 oz. It means there should be about 16 glasses of water in a gallon. It also implies that when someone says you should drink eight 8-ounces of glasses of water a day, it's not like drinking a gallon of water.
Do You Really Need to Drink a Gallon of Water a Day?
Actually, you really needn't drink that much. As per the Institute of Medicine, men should consume 125 ounces of water every day – it's about 3.7 liters and equals a gallon. Women, on the other hand, should consume at least 91 ounces or 2.7 liters of water daily. Since about 25% of water your body needs comes from the food you eat, men need to drink thirteen 8-ounce cups of water daily and women should aim to drink about nine 8-ounce cups of water a day.
What If You Haven't Drunk Enough Water?
Now you know how many glasses of water in a gallon, you may also be wondering exactly why it is important to drink that much of water. It is important because your body will not be able to perform properly in case of dehydration and you will feel tired. The lack of electrolytes in your body will go on to decrease your blood volume, which will make your heart to work harder and pump faster to supply all-important oxygen and nutrients to your brain, muscles, skin and other organs of your body. Dehydration will also limit oxygen supply to your brain that in turn will dilate your blood veins – that explains why you experience severe headaches when dehydrated. Not drinking enough water will also make you experience dizziness, lack of strength, confusion and lightheadedness. You may also develop dull and droopy skin, and have little ability to focus and concentrate. Similarly, irritability and mood swings are two common signs that you should provide your body with more fluids.
Another critical problem associated with dehydration is the formation of kidney stones. When there isn't enough water in your body, there may be increased buildup of minerals like oxalate, calcium, magnesium and even uric acid. This excessive buildup of minerals may turn into small stones and settle on the kidney. What's more, dehydration prevents your muscles to function properly, which is quite understandable, considering 70% of your muscles consist of water. Your body will also find it difficult to burn fat and generate energy if lack of water.
The simple way to prevent dehydration is to take enough water, if you think the taste of water is not so good, you can learn some simple ways to make it taste better by watching the video below:
What If You Have Drunk Too Much Water?
When you exercise or you live in a hot area, it is important to drink as much water as you can. It's the only way to prevent dehydration. However, you may want to avoid drinking too much of water in a very short time. In very rare cases, it may drop the level of sodium in your blood. The condition is called hyponatremia, or water intoxication, and it can be fatal. It will show symptoms like that of exhaustion or heatstroke – you may also experience a headache and notice your body temperature going up. Other early symptoms may include nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.