You’ve likely seen someone lugging around a gallon of water at the gym, school or work before
Dehydration is a common cause of many of the ailments that bring patients to the ER on a daily basis
This includes headaches and dizziness, fatigue, nausea, abdominal cramping and constipation, muscle aches and kidney stones
Biologically, this makes sense, given that 60% of our body is water. The benefits of adequate hydration are undisputed
So it’s no surprise that TikTok and social media abound with fads surrounding adequate hydration and hacks on how to achieve it
One of the more well-known is the #gallonofwateraday, encouraging participants to drink one gallon, or 4.5 liters, of water per day
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is about 3.7 liters of fluids per day
Higher daily amounts are needed for athletes, for those who live in hot or humid climates or at high altitudes, and for those sick with fever