It’s no secret that water is absolutely essential for your daily functioning, and drinking enough of it is critical to prevent dehydration. But if you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up, can a glass of water also give you an energy boost? 

Read on for the connection between water and your energy levels, plus how much H2O you should drink each day to help power your workouts.

Does Water Give You Energy?

“Water does not directly give you energy,” says Gabbi Berkow, RD, a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist. The reason for this comes down to calories, she explains: When you eat or drink foods and beverages that contain calories, your body digests and converts them into usable energy to power your movements. Water, however, is calorie-free—which means it’s not exactly giving you a boost of energy the way, say, a sports drink or bowl of pasta can.

But even though water isn’t a direct energy source, it still indirectly powers your body’s energy capabilities, experts say. “It’s necessary for all aspects of your metabolism, circulation, flushing out toxins, digestion, and replenishing the water droplets we lose in exhalation and sweat,” Berkow points out. And without water, “electrical signals cannot travel throughout the body, nutrients cannot travel through the body, and energy cannot be produced,” adds Lacy Puttuck, RDN, a registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Consulting. (More on that topic in a minute.)

Long story short: While water itself doesn’t give you energy, you need it to support the energy production process—and not drinking enough water will probably make you feel sluggish and slow.

How Dehydration Impacts Energy

Dehydration has a strong link to your energy, and preventing it is key for keeping energy levels up. If you’re not drinking enough water, your body won’t be able to move sufficient blood to your body’s cells, reducing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients those cells need for energy, Berkow explains. (Put simply, it stalls your metabolism.) 

Remember, water is the critical source your body uses to send nutrients to your brain and muscles, so not being hydrated enough causes this whole process to slow down, almost like your body’s “form of self-preservation,” Puttuck says.

“Water is needed for adequate blood volume and circulation to the brain too,” Berkow adds. “That’s why we get headaches, fatigue, and brain fog when we’re dehydrated.” You can experience symptoms like fatigue even in mild dehydration cases, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

How Water Impacts Your Energy Levels During a Workout

By now, it’s probably pretty clear that even though water isn’t going to give you a quick energy surge, it still plays a big role in your body’s energy production—and you’ll feel it during a workout if you’re not drinking enough H2O. 

Here’s what might happen if you’re not hydrated enough while exercising: 

How Much Water Should You Drink, Again?

OK, so you know water is important to keep energy levels up (as well as support basic functioning of, well, everything). But how much do you really need to be drinking daily? The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all, experts say. “The amount of water you should drink during the day will depend on several factors: activity level, body size, muscle mass, weather, and temperature and individual sweat rate,” Puttuck says.

As a general rule, though, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends that women should usually aim for around 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of water every day, while men should try to get around 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) daily. 

To make sure you’re reaching that goal, Berstow recommends starting each day with a big glass of water and continuing to drink a glass every time you eat. “If you wait to drink until you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated,” she says.

Many people find it easiest to just keep an eye on their urine: “An indicator that will show if hydration is adequate is urine color—it should be pale yellow,” Puttuck says. “If it is clear, you are overhydrating and need nutrients; if it is dark or cloudy, you are dehydrated or may have an infection.”

The Takeaway

Water does not directly provide energy, “but without it, energy levels and perception of energy will be lower,” Puttuck says. You need to drink plenty of water to maintain your body’s metabolism, circulation, and other critical functions, as well as to prevent dehydration from occurring, which “can absolutely cause fatigue and loss of energy,” Puttuck says. To make sure you’re drinking enough throughout the day, sip before you get thirsty and keep an eye on your urine color—you want it to consistently be pale yellow.