How do I drink enough water without thinking about it?

The eight-glasses rule is not evidence-based and it makes hydration feel like a task. Attaching drinking to existing routines gets people to roughly the right amount without any counting.

Safety

Step by step

1. Stop counting glasses.Needs vary with size, activity, climate and diet, and a lot of fluid comes from food and other drinks. The counting is what makes it feel like a chore.
2. Use urine colour as the practical guide.Pale straw is about right. Consistently dark suggests drinking more; completely clear suggests you can ease off. Simpler and more accurate than any target.
3. Attach it to existing routines.A glass with every meal, one when you make tea, one when you sit down at your desk. Habits anchored to existing ones stick; standalone intentions do not.
4. Keep water visible and within reach.A bottle or jug on the desk. Proximity does most of the work — people drink what is in front of them.
5. Have a glass first thing.After a night's sleep. It is an easy anchor and it starts the day at a reasonable point.
6. Count other drinks.Tea, coffee, squash, milk and food all contribute. The idea that tea and coffee dehydrate you is not supported at normal intakes.
7. Drink more when it is warranted.Exercise, hot weather, illness with fever, and dry air on aeroplanes. These are the situations where deliberate attention is worthwhile.
8. Do not overdo it.Drinking very large amounts is not better and in extreme cases is harmful. Pale straw, not colourless, is the aim.

Tips

• If plain water is unappealing, add lemon, mint or cucumber, or drink squash. Something you will drink beats something you should.
• A bottle you like using genuinely increases how much you drink. It is a small and effective thing.
• Tiredness, headache and poor concentration in the afternoon are sometimes mild dehydration. Worth trying a glass of water before more coffee.

Questions people ask