How to Drink More Water Daily: 9 Tricks That Really Work
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We all know we should drink more water. The problem isn't the information; it's daily life. Between meetings, errands, and screens, night falls and you realize you've barely refilled your glass twice. And it's not just your impression: in Spain, we generally drink less than recommended.
Here, you won't find miraculous promises or the umpteenth list of impossible tips. You'll find nine realistic tricks to drink more water daily, ordered from easiest to most ambitious, and an honest explanation of why many people find sparkling water more effective than plain water.
How much water to drink daily (and how much we actually drink)
The European reference is set by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority): an adequate intake of 2 liters per day for women and 2.5 liters for men, including water from all beverages and also from food. This amount increases with heat, humidity, and physical activity.
And what do we actually drink? The scientific ANIBES study, with a representative sample of the Spanish population, measured 1.7 liters per day for men (about 33% less than recommended) and 1.6 liters for women (about 21% less). That is to say: most people don't reach the recommended amount, and not for lack of good intentions.
Another data point from the same study explains a lot: the pattern of liquid consumption in Spain is uneven throughout the day and concentrated at mealtime. This is the key to almost all the following tricks: it's not about drinking more all at once, but about distributing it better.
1. Keep water in sight, not in the fridge
The first obstacle is almost never thirst: it's distance. If you have to get up, open the fridge, and find a glass to drink, you'll drink less. A bottle or pitcher in your field of vision—on the living room table, your desk, the countertop—multiplies the times you drink without thinking.
2. Anchor your glass to something you already do
Instead of planning to "drink more," associate it with existing routines: a glass upon waking, another before each meal, another when you finish work. These are habits that chain themselves together because the trigger already exists. Three 250ml glasses this way, effortlessly, already make 750ml.
3. Break up your concentration at mealtime
If, as ANIBES indicates, almost everything you drink is concentrated at mealtimes, you have a huge margin between meals. Set two "orphan" times—mid-morning and mid-afternoon—and treat them as a break, not an obligation.
4. Change the glass, not your willpower
It sounds superficial, but it works: a pretty glass, a glass bottle, ice, a reusable straw. When drinking water stops feeling like a chore, you'll do it more often. It's the same reason a coffee tastes better in a mug you like.
5. Add flavor without sugar
Lemon slices, cucumber, a few mint or basil leaves, fresh ginger, some raspberries. They add aroma and practically no sugar, turning water into something you crave instead of something you have to drink. It's also the easiest way to cut back on sodas without feeling like you're giving anything up.
6. Try bubbles: they hydrate just the same
It's important to be precise here, as there are many myths circulating. A randomized trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Maughan et al., 2016) compared 13 common beverages, measuring how much liquid the body retained after drinking them. The result for sparkling water was clear: urine production after 4 hours did not differ from that of still water. In other words: in a healthy, well-hydrated person, sparkling water hydrates just as well as natural water.
The interesting thing is this: if bubbles make you want to drink more often throughout the day, they are solving the real problem, which is not the quality of the water but the quantity. For many people, a glass of sparkling water is eagerly consumed where a glass of tap water is left half-finished.
An honest caveat: carbonation causes gastric distension and a feeling of fullness, so some people feel satiated sooner. If this happens to you, alternate between sparkling and still water throughout the day.
7. Always have bubbles available
Bottled sparkling water has an obvious logistical problem: it runs out, it's heavy, you have to carry it, and it generates waste. And when it runs out, you go back to unappealing tap water. With a sparkling water machine at home, you can carbonate your water on demand, with the level of bubbles you prefer and without accumulating plastic packs in storage.
It's the difference between "I have sparkling water if I remembered to buy it" and "I always have sparkling water." If you want the technical details, we explain it in how a sparkling water machine works.
8. Take advantage of food
EFSA recommendations include water contained in food, not just what you drink. Soups, gazpachos, cold creams, watermelon, melon, cucumber, tomato, oranges, or yogurt add up silently. If you eat little fruit and vegetables, your water deficit probably starts there.
9. Measure for a week, not a lifetime
There's no need to keep an eternal record. Count for seven days—a mark on your phone, a rubber band on your bottle, whatever—and observe. Almost everyone discovers two things: that they drink less than they thought, and that they have two or three very specific gaps where they drink nothing. With that, you know exactly where to intervene.
Common mistakes to avoid
• Waiting until you're thirsty. Thirst is a late warning; if you distribute your intake, you won't reach that point.
• Drinking a liter all at once at night. It neither makes up for the day nor helps you sleep well.
• Replacing water with sugary drinks. They do hydrate, yes, but with a caloric cost you don't need.
• Obsessing over an exact number. Needs vary with climate, activity, and each person. If you have any medical kidney or heart condition, or specific concerns, consult your doctor or a registered dietitian-nutritionist.
What to take away from all this
Drinking more water isn't achieved with willpower, but by reducing friction: having it nearby, making it taste good, and making it appealing. For many people, bubbles are the push that turns an obligatory glass into a gladly consumed one, and evidence shows they hydrate exactly the same.
Want fresh sparkling water at home always, without carrying packs or accumulating plastic? Discover CONGAS machines and choose your bubble level.
Sources consulted
• EFSA / Spanish Nutrition Foundation — ANIBES scientific study, press release on water intake in the Spanish population (2016): https://www.fen.org.es/anibes/archivos/prensa/NP_ANIBES_8_hidratacion.pdf
• Nissensohn M, et al. Beverage Consumption Habits and Association with Total Water and Energy Intakes in the Spanish Population: Findings of the ANIBES Study. Nutrients, 2016;8(4):232. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8040232
• Maughan RJ, et al. A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: development of a beverage hydration index. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016;103(3):717-723. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.115.114769
• EFSA — Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for water (2010): https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1459