As these meteorological summer days heat up and heatwaves continue to swing across the U.S., it's important to stay hydrated.

See the full heat forecast on the TemperatureRadar.

The key to coping with increased temperatures is drinking plenty of liquid. The extra glasses of water do not only cool us down but also keep us hydrated and keep our body functioning the way it should. But how much should we be drinking in the heat?

On a normal day, adults should be drinking around 6 to 8 cups of water each day, however, if you are in the heat, you will become dehydrated quickly. Therefore you should drink more than 8 cups per day. Read more here about Heat Safety: The #1 silent killer.

Moreover, it is not just the heat that makes us dehydrated, but also our sweat. If you notice you are sweating a lot, you should replace the fluid you are losing. This could be done by having drinks with electrolytes in them or are low-sugar.

For those of you that do not like drinking so much, though, there are also alternatives. Certain foods like cucumber, tomatoes, and lettuce are also good to eat on a hot day as they contain more than 95% water.

In addition to drinking more, it is men that will need to consume more liquid than women as they have a higher level of body fat. Athletes or those who exercise regularly will also need to up their liquid intake to minimize the risk of dehydration and other heat-related health issues.