We've all been affected by rising, consistently high temperatures in Singapore. Unless you live in an air-conditioned bubble that you never leave, the torrid heat is inescapable. It – along with the humidity – envelops you and refuses to let go.

Thus, the pertinent question: How much water do we need to drink daily?

According to Health Hub, we should consume two litres of water a day. However, in my experience, this is only the minimum amount. Water loss occurs even if you're indoors, even in a comfortable air-conditioned environment.

Here's another link to an article from the Mayo Clinic in the US with advice on how much water we need to drink daily.

Needless to say, hydration needs rise when we spend time outdoors. To stay cool, we perspire, leading to more fluid loss. Without adequate water, dehydration can occur quickly without us realising it.

The 'real feel' is a better indicator of how warm you'll feel. Even if it's only 30 degrees C, a 'real feel' of 40 degrees means you should drink more water. (Image: Immo Wegmann, Unsplash)

This happened to me on 10 August this year while waiting to catch the Mobile Column in my neighbourhood. I assumed I had drunk enough water prior to leaving my house and thought nothing of the 15-minute walk to where I would be watching the Column pass. So, I didn't bother bringing my water bottle. That was a mistake.

It was very warm and humid, yet I still thought that the overcast skies provided enough respite. Besides, since I was standing under a sheltered walkway, how bad could it be?

Very bad, as it turned out. The Mobile Column was almost an hour late. On the way back, I knew I needed to rehydrate quickly. Luckily, I spotted a vending machine, bought a bottle of water and downed it. But the volume wasn't enough to prevent dark-coloured pee. I had to drink even more water when I got home.

Signs of dehydration

The best indicator of dehydration is your urine colour, according to this post from the Ministry of Health. The darker the colour, the more dehydrated you are. Also, if you only drink water when you feel thirsty, it's too late. To prevent dehydration, you need to continually consume water.

Dehydration in a hot environment can lead to heat exhaustion, where you feel dizziness and nausea, and may suffer from muscle cramps. Heat exhaustion can also cause you to faint (I can attest to this). With prolonged exposure and/or physical activity, there's a potential risk of heat stroke, which can be fatal.

Forming a hydration habit

Drinking water should be your priority upon waking up, since you haven't had any liquids the entire time you were asleep. How much to drink is subjective - I typically consume around 600ml within the first 15-20 minutes of getting up.

Conversely, drinking too much water in one go could cause water intoxication. Just because you didn't drink water for seven hours doesn't mean you should immediately guzzle three litres of it when you get out of bed.

If you haven't been drinking much water, upping your intake won't be easy at first. You'll feel full – and not in a comfortable way – and probably annoyed at having to keep visiting the loo. But it gets easier over time.

Besides, having consumed a bit more water than needed is always better than not drinking enough, especially considering the higher temperatures we live with.