How important is drinking 8 cups of water per day to sustaining a healthy adult life? I've heard this rule, but I want to know how strict it is. Is it a myth, rule of thumb, guideline, or bare minimum? I doubt it is a bare minimum based on direct personal evidence; I have probably averaged less than half of this intake during my adulthood. To help guage the importance, I'll pose another question: should one take in water just to satisfy the 8 cup requirement, even if one is absolutely not thirsty and the drinking of the water makes one feel sick?
8 cups of water per day
- Thread starter errandir
- Start date
It's definitely important to keep purselves hydrated, much of our bodies being water and all. It helps in digestion, joint lubrication, skin moisturization, many many many other things. However, the need for the physical act of drinking 8 glasses of water a day is an overstatment. Much of the water we get in a given day is from the food we eat. So, maybe 4 or 5 glasses of water, coffee, juice, what have you (not necessarily carbonated drinks, they tend to dehydrate you) and 3 balanced meals a day should get you plenty hydrated.
Some say coffee is not good for hydration because caffeine is a diuretic. Considering coffee is 99+% water, whatever diuretic effect the caffeine may have would likely not put you in a deficient state. Meaning, if you drink 8oz of coffee, you won't pee out 10 oz of pee.
Some say coffee is not good for hydration because caffeine is a diuretic. Considering coffee is 99+% water, whatever diuretic effect the caffeine may have would likely not put you in a deficient state. Meaning, if you drink 8oz of coffee, you won't pee out 10 oz of pee.
eight cups is a general guideline but no body is the same. you may get by on four cups whereas i need a couple gallons a day to feel hydrated.
also consider how vitamins are standardized for everyone. they manufacture them to provide the right amount to the most people. you should know your body and figure out for yourself how much water and nutrition it needs.
homer, when i drink coffee i do pee out more than i took in. same with alcohol.
also consider how vitamins are standardized for everyone. they manufacture them to provide the right amount to the most people. you should know your body and figure out for yourself how much water and nutrition it needs.
homer, when i drink coffee i do pee out more than i took in. same with alcohol.
SwedishFish said:
Yeah, but I don't think you'd be peeing out too much more than you normally would had you just been drinking a lot of water. Thing with alcohol, and often coffee, it's often drunk in excess of what hydration we normally have/need. You don't typically sit down to have a beer to hydrate yourself. It's more of a social thing or something you do just to get a buzz. If you sit down and have 3 beers, that's 36oz, or more than 4 cups. If you've already had a couple of cups of coffee that morning and drank water or juice and ate and so forth during the day, that beer is in excess of what your body thinks it needs, and it will get rid of it. But, alcohol is a different beast altogether, anyway, since it DOES have a dehydrating effect. Much of the cause of a hangover is the dehydration. So, I guess I wouldn't really put it in this discussion.
Rule of thumb....one glass of water between each alcoholic beverage....no hangover.
Drink good quality Brandy and you won't get a hangover either.
You don't need 8 glasses of water a day, that is stupid to think about. Drink when your thirsty.
You don't need 8 glasses of water a day, that is stupid to think about. Drink when your thirsty.
Drink untill you feel satisfied. 8 glasses a day is somewhat of misunderstood guideline. It is meant more for those that are in constant motion (atheletics etc). I drink about 1/3 of that day and never feel dehydrated.
It is kind of silly to stuff yourself with 8 glasses a day and constantly feel bloated. There is such thing as drinking too much water.
It is kind of silly to stuff yourself with 8 glasses a day and constantly feel bloated. There is such thing as drinking too much water.
Some people who consume to much water .....drown! 
Depends. If one overhydrates during exercise it can cause nausea or worse. Drinking too much water after taking ecstasy is fatal. Drinking too much water in general is just uncomfortable and cumbersome.errandir said:
Neurocomp2003
Registered Senior Member
there was a recent study done on salt and water intakes. THere result
was that the 8 cups of day really is up to you but its your salt intake that you must be concerned with. (it was a news article). WIth that said i'm guessing that these scientists are implying that you must be aware of your salt:water ratio...if you take in more salt drink more water. They said you should attempt to keep your sal intake to some minimum. But of course drinking more water is no harm.
was that the 8 cups of day really is up to you but its your salt intake that you must be concerned with. (it was a news article). WIth that said i'm guessing that these scientists are implying that you must be aware of your salt:water ratio...if you take in more salt drink more water. They said you should attempt to keep your sal intake to some minimum. But of course drinking more water is no harm.
i drink such enormous amounts of water but take in too little salt as i don't eat processed food so i need to add salt in various ways. i think the need to drink so much comes from having a salt deficiency; it's my body's way of keeping my blood pressure up (which is too low). angiotensin and whatnot.
A friend of mine has the same problem, except it is probably a bit more serious.
What are other ways of keeping your blood pressure up?
beats me, i almost faint everytime i stand up. add more salt?
SwedishFish said:
Have you ever measured it?
I drink one and a half litres of Perrier and about half a litre of tea and coffe a day in the winter and double the water in the summer.
SwedishFish said:
Sounds like you might just have a mineral deficiency, but it's best to see a doctor and even get some blood tests to eliminate anything more serious. Heavy smoking, not eating well, stress and a lack of iron can all cause the symptoms you describe.
i'm perfectly healthy. the low blood pressure thing is fairly normal. some people, like me, are born that way. thanks for the concern.
Me too, but I don't fainting feelings.
John Connellan
Valued Senior Member
errandir said:
Dangerous is the word, not poisonous! Water is almost the opposite of a poison.
Remember the opposite is even more important. If you are drinking lots of water (say during sports) then your salt intake should be higher. Hence isotonic sports drinks.