Vocal Health

How Much Water Should You Drink Each Day?

Tara Parachuk | March 20, 2009

Water is bar none the most important beverage on the face of the earth. In fact, our bodies are made of a significant amount of water which means it is of extreme importance to be hydrated.

When you’re working in your recording studio, how much water do you consume on average throughout the day?
Chime in with your daily H2O consumption!

In this article

  1. Drinking Water is Good For You
  2. How much water do you drink in a given day?

Drinking Water is Good For You

The Mayo Clinic suggests as a basic rule that people should drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water each and every day to keep their bodies hydrated, because water comprises about 60% of our total body weight.

Your body uses water to perform a number of voluntary and involuntary tasks. Mayo Clinic states: “The average urine output for adults is about 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.”

That’s a lot of water to replace!
If you exercise, you may drink even more than the suggested guideline of eight 8-ounce glasses per day, and if you’re busy talking or performing, the same may be true for you.
Is it fair to say that professional voice actors consume more water on a daily basis than the average person?

How much water do you drink in a given day?

Leave a comment!
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Stephanie

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Comments

  • Avatar for Diane Havens
    Diane Havens
    March 21, 2009, 8:15 am

    Water is indeed essential, and I drink it throughout the day. I keep a water bottle on my desk while I edit, a case of bottled water in the booth, and drink water with every meal. Additionally, I try to get to the gym for a good workout every day, with plenty of water consumed there too. So it’s difficult to gauge just how much I take in on average. It helps greatly to reduce mouth noise, and generally makes me feel more energetic. (Of course, lots more bathroom breaks. 🙂

    Reply
  • Avatar for Stefania Lintonbon
    Stefania Lintonbon
    March 21, 2009, 8:24 am

    Hi Stephanie and all! I’ve been aware of the importanct of adequate water consumption for some time. I drink anywhere from a liter to 2 liters a day. If it’s hot weather, I can definitely drink 2 liters or more. Ordinarily, I would estimate about a liter of pure water — and then on top of that cups of herbal, green or black tea. I’ve just started keeping a full bottle of water in the studio at all times — so it’s there in case a spontaneous recording opportunity occurs. I’ve now started taking a bottle of water, or lemon/flavoured water with me in my bag or knapsack whenever I’m out and about as well.
    Water drinking is very important to our bodies for general health and to us as VO professionals as well.
    Cheers!
    😀
    stefania

    Reply
  • Avatar for Fred Keeler
    Fred Keeler
    March 21, 2009, 8:31 am

    I try for 60-70 oz a day. It’s easier in the summer…helps to drink warm water in winter. You always wonder if coffee, tea, fruit juices count.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Herb Merriweather
    Herb Merriweather
    March 21, 2009, 12:04 pm

    OK OK Guilty as charged! My water intake is abysmal…I’m the Sahara compared to you guys. But I WILL do better!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Mary McKitrick
    Mary McKitrick
    March 21, 2009, 1:19 pm

    Elaine, thank-you for that. I’ve always felt the 8-glass rule to be excessive for me!
    Another thing I heard recently is that although caffeine has a diuretic effect, you get to “count” 50% of the coffee you drink as part of whatever amount of water you ARE slavishly trying to consume.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Elaine Singer
    Elaine Singer
    March 21, 2009, 10:42 am

    It’s a fallacy. From that very same Mayo Clinic Report:
    “Even apart from the above approaches [which include the 8×8 rule, es], if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate.”
    And:
    “…you don’t need to rely only on what you drink to satisfy your fluid needs. What you eat also provides a significant portion of your fluid needs. On average, food provides about 20 percent of total water intake, while the remaining 80 percent comes from water and beverages of all kinds.
    For example, many fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon and tomatoes, are 90 percent to 100 percent water by weight. Beverages such as milk and juice also are composed mostly of water. Even beer, wine and caffeinated beverages — such as coffee, tea or soda — can contribute, but these should not be a major portion of your daily total fluid intake….”
    And:
    “…it is possible to drink too much water. When your kidneys are unable to excrete the excess water, the electrolyte (mineral) content of the blood is diluted, resulting in low sodium levels in the blood, a condition called hyponatremia. Endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, who drink large amounts of water are at higher risk of hyponatremia.”
    So, as with everything else in life, use common sense.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Brian Cook
    Brian Cook
    March 21, 2009, 4:11 pm

    A good rule of thumb is to drink at least 1 ounce of water per every 2 pounds of body weight. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds, you should have an intake of at least 90 ounces of water.
    Most people would freak over this, but realize that you probably intake about a third of that through the food that you eat (i.e. lettuce is mainly water anyway), so all you really need is to drink about two-thirds of that ratio.
    BUT!!
    Don’t just drink any water! The stuff out of the tap has a HUGE amount of Chlorine in it. Although it kills the bad bugs, Chlorine can cause a large amount of free radicals to build up in your system, which can lead to many forms of cancer and other diseases. Get a filter for your water or buy filtered water. A great source for finding the what’s and why’s of water drinking is Dr. Don Colbert, who is a very strong advocate of drinking clean filtered water. Google him for his website.
    Believe it or not, you can condition yourself to drink only water throughout the day. You will be glad you did.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Kelly Klemolin
    Kelly Klemolin
    March 22, 2009, 8:19 pm

    Thanks for the link Elaine. Hmmm…now I’m wondering – how much is too much?

    Reply
  • Avatar for Pearl Hewitt
    Pearl Hewitt
    March 24, 2009, 8:33 am

    Hi all,
    Another bonus from taking in lots of water on a daily basis is that it also helps us to lose weight, effortlessly!! I’m sure lots of us are guilty of retaining a few too many pounds. I became a Weightwatchers life member many years ago after succeeding to lose 21 pounds and as they advocate drinking water in small amounts, all day long, I learned to keep a bottle by my side at all times. You’ll be surprised how much you drink without noticing it. It stops being a chore and you don’t have to think about it. I am very guilty of getting out of the habit but here in Houston, it’s starting to warm up and that means from now on until November I will not go anywhere without a drink by my side. So, hopefully, I’ll start shedding a few unwanted pounds as a bonus along with keeping my my body and mouth hydrated well enough to prevent a lot of that ‘sticky, claggy’ sound of ‘mouth noise’ on my recordings. Ha ha ‘claggy’ ….It’s a regional slang word from my native north east of England and it is one of my all time favourite words!! It’s so descriptive!!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Tom Conklin
    Tom Conklin
    March 24, 2009, 2:42 pm

    I found out the hard way that I don’t drink enough water – and I didn’t learn the first time. I had kidney stones twice! I keep that bottle close to me now. 🙂

    Reply
  • Avatar for Jason McCoy Male Voice Over Talent
    Jason McCoy Male Voice Over Talent
    March 25, 2009, 5:13 pm

    Nothing beats a glass of water. I drink about 80 fluid ounces per day. That’s usually all I have with meals and I always have a glass in the studio. Surprisingly I’ve never had any spills near the equipment. I wouldn’t be able to do day long voice sessions without having a constant supply of water. Room temperature water and apple slices keep my voice going!
    -Jason

    Reply
  • Avatar for ******
    ******
    April 4, 2009, 9:35 pm

    Ive heard you are supposed to drink 1oz per pound of body weight.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Jessica
    Jessica
    April 4, 2009, 11:37 pm

    OK, call me crazy, but I can’t get enough water. Sometimes I drink 30-40 oz at a time. Instead of 8 glasses a day, I drink 8 20oz bottles a day. Now I must admit this started while I was pregnant and water was the only drink for me. I am now a breastfeed mom to my 7 weeks old son and I also just started working out. So bottoms up!!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Marie
    Marie
    April 5, 2009, 1:05 am

    I usually drink the recommended amount, but then I start peeing like crazy! Like, 10 times a day!

    Reply
  • Avatar for John
    John
    April 8, 2009, 5:53 pm

    It really isn’t that hard to drink water. I keep a nalgene 32oz bottle at my desk and fill it with ice water throughout the day. I estimate I drink around 220 ounces a day. In addition, I only urinate 2-3 times a day.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Voiceover Nina Nu
    Voiceover Nina Nu
    March 16, 2012, 4:46 am

    Thank you for this! I love water…

    Reply
  • Avatar for Rebecca Gardner
    Rebecca Gardner
    June 17, 2020, 2:06 pm

    It was interesting when you talked about how we need to consume at least two liters of water a day to replace the fluids our body loses. I want to start taking better care of myself because I think feeling healthier would help me be more productive in my new position at work. I was thinking about buying some bottled mineral water to keep at home for easy access, so thanks for giving me a better idea of how much I’ll need!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Deanna Lynne
    Deanna Lynne
    May 26, 2021, 1:32 pm

    I’m glad you talked about why water is good for us. I haven’t been drinking enough water. Maybe it would help to have spring water delivered to my home.

    Reply
    • Avatar for andrew
      andrew
      June 1, 2021, 3:08 pm

      Water is vital to everything!

      Reply