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Answer 4 quick questions
How much should you actually drink today?
“Eight glasses” is a reasonable start, but your day isn’t everyone’s day. Tell it about yours and see the answer in the bottle you actually carry.
Most people don’t forget how much to drink. They forget to drink.
We make Dropkin, a water tracker and reminder for iPhone built around the bottle you already carry. Save it once, tap it whenever you finish it, and watch your bottle fill on screen.
- One-tap logging in ounces or litres, with ½ and ¼ buttons for the bottle you didn’t finish.
- Gentle reminders, an Apple Watch app and optional Apple Health sync.
- No account, no ads, works offline. Dropkin collects no data.
Where the starting figure comes from
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine set an adequate total water intake of about 3.7 litres a day for men and 2.7 litres for women, from all drinks and food. Mayo Clinic notes that about 20% of daily water usually comes from food, so this calculator shows the remaining 80% as the amount to drink. “Prefer not to say” uses the midpoint.
The adjustments are rough rules of thumb, not fixed amounts: about 0.35 litres for every 30 minutes of exercise that makes you sweat, half a litre for a hot or humid day and 0.3 litres at high altitude. Pregnancy and breastfeeding raise the National Academies’ figures to about 3.0 and 3.8 litres of total water.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Water: How much should you drink every day?; National Academies, Dietary Reference Intakes for Water (2004). The exercise and weather amounts are our rules of thumb. This is general information, not medical advice.
Simple signs you’re getting enough
- You rarely feel thirsty.
- Your pee is pale yellow or colourless most of the day.
- Tea, coffee, milk and juice all count toward the total. Water is just the simplest choice.
Making it actually happen
- Count bottles, not millilitres. “Four bottles” is easier to track than 2,560 ml.
- Tie each one to a time: by 10, by lunch, by 3, by dinner.
- Refill as soon as it’s empty, not when you’re next thirsty.
Plan the day with the water reminder schedule builder.
Questions people ask
How much water should I drink a day?
The U.S. National Academies set an adequate total water intake of about 3.7 litres a day for men and 2.7 litres for women from all drinks and food. About a fifth usually comes from food, which leaves roughly 3 litres and 2.2 litres from drinks. Needs rise with exercise, heat, illness, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Is eight glasses a day right?
Eight 250 ml glasses is 2 litres, which Mayo Clinic calls an easy, reasonable goal for many people. Some need more, some less.
Does coffee count toward water intake?
Yes. Coffee, tea, milk and other drinks all contribute to your total fluid intake.
Can you drink too much water?
Yes, though it is uncommon in healthy people. Drinking very large amounts quickly, especially during long endurance events, can be dangerous. People with heart, kidney or liver conditions may be told to limit fluids; follow your doctor’s advice.
Related
- Urine color hydration checkTap the shade closest to yours for an instant hydration check: what it means, how much to drink now and when a color is worth asking a doctor about. Private.
- Water Tracker Online: Tap to Log Your Glasses Today (Free)A free online water tracker. Set your own goal, tap each glass or bottle, and watch the bottle fill. Works in ml or fl oz, no sign-up, nothing stored.
- Convert your chosen amount into water bottlesConvert an amount you choose into common bottle sizes. A free bottle calculator, not a personalized hydration recommendation.
- How much water should you drink in winter? Six myths, checkedChoose your own waking hours and goal, compare logged water with even pacing, and switch between millilitres and US fluid ounces without losing your entries.