I Drank the Recommended Amount of Water for A Month

Like a lot of you reading this, I have always struggled to stay hydrated. According to the Mayo Clinic, the recommended amount of water I should drink is 11.5 cups (about 2.7 liters) of water per day. I realized I was consuming barely one-fourth of that amount, so I decided to follow the Mayo Clinic’s recommendation and document any changes to my physical and emotional wellbeing. Here’s what happened when I drank the recommended amount of water for a woman my age, weight and activity level for 30 days:

Skin Improvements

I had always heard from dermatologists that drinking enough water is crucial to preventing early aging, but I never realized how quickly it would clear up my blemishes. While I’ve never had cystic acne, I used to get a lot of smaller bumps in my T-zone accompanied by an occasional large pimple on other parts of my face. After about 14 days in my water drinking challenge, I noticed I had not seen a new pimple appear in four days, and that the amount of existing blemishes had decreased by 40 percent. Yeah, you read that correctly: almost half of my acne was cleared up in just two weeks with one simple lifestyle change. I was stunned. My skin also become a lot more moisturized than before, without changing of my regular moisturizing routine. In fact, I became able to start using less and less moisturizer, both on my face and body, saving me money and time (since I no longer had to make frequent trips to Ulta).

Hair Improvements

Another cosmetic benefit to my increased water intake was shinier hair! I’ve never dyed or highlighted my hair before, but I’ve always struggled with it being somewhat dull and frizzier than I’d like. I’ve changed my washing and shampooing routine plenty of times because of this, but I never saw a lot of improvement. I didn’t notice any differences in my hair until one of my friends complimented me on how it looked on day 26 of my challenge! After really examining it, I saw that my hair was much shinier and my scalp was a lot less dry than it usually gets during cold seasons.

Hunger Control

Something I didn’t really consider before starting this challenge was how increased water intake would affect my appetite. I didn’t purposefully change my eating habits whatsoever during the 30 days: I made sure to continue eating relatively healthy foods and three good-sized meals per day. However, whereas I used to get a lot of cravings and was a frequent snacker, I felt much less of a desire to do so – even during the first days of my 30-day challenge. It also felt like my overall digestive health improved about halfway through the challenge. Take that, Activia.

Faster Illness Recovery

Most people who know me know that I get sick really frequently. I don’t have any immune system issues (that I know of) but I’m always catching whatever cold-like virus is going around. Being on a college campus certainly doesn’t help…sickness spreads like wildfire around here. I started feeling under the weather around day 17. My throat was scratchy and I woke up feeling pretty congested. Now, it could have just been a fluke or a short-term virus, but all of my symptoms were gone within four days. Typically, I get colds that last from two to three weeks! After doing a bit of light research, I read that increased daily water intake boosts your immune system, so this may not have been the placebo effect after all! Side note: I also didn’t get as bad of a hangover as usual after nights out (if you needed any more convincing).

Energy Improvements

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t sleep enough, so it’s no surprise that I have a high coffee dependence and experience more fatigue than I would like throughout the day. About nine days in to drinking enough water. By day 21, I reduced my coffee intake from three to four cups per day to one to 1.5. Honestly, I didn’t miss it at all – I really didn’t crave the caffeine anymore, which was a liberating feeling! I wasn’t just more alert; I was a lot more focused at my internship and in the classroom. I don’t think I could go back to being as distracted as I think I was before embarking on this experiment. I don’t remember the last time I felt this productive and concentrated, and it’s a really good feeling.

The biggest adjustment I had to make was getting used to making a lot more trips to the restroom than usual. That took a while, but eventually it became routine and felt like less of an inconvenience. I also realized that, if increased urination was the worst thing to come from me drinking enough water, I could live with it. With all of these health benefits, there’s no doubt that I will do my best to continue drinking as much water as my body needs in the future. I genuinely think my 40-year-old self will thank 21-year-old me for it.