Experts Reveal That People Don’t Actually Need To Drink 8 Glasses of Water Daily

By
Shawn Ambrose
-

Last Updated on 2021-11-15 , 12:10 pm

You know that friend who drinks copious amounts of water every day like a camel and visits the bathroom way too often because they want to “stay hydrated”?

Well, you can now burst their big ass water bubble.

We’ve always been told by our parents and doctors to drink lots of water every day to avoid dehydration, specifically 8 glasses.

But, according to experts, 8 glasses may be excessive.

Different fluid requirements

Jessica Fishman Levinson, the founder of the nutrition counselling company Nutritioulicious, told SELF, that “Fluid requirements vary among individuals based on age, sex, activity level, and even where you live”.

So, for instance, if you happen to stay in a hot, humid country like Singapore where you lose more fluids, you would need to drink more water than someone who lives in a cooler country.

Your fluid requirements also depend on what you do, eat, and drink every day.

Diet, drinks, and daily intake

People also forget that the food and drinks you consume contain water and count toward your daily water intake.

Drinks like your morning coffee, milk, and sodas are all sources of water.

You also have to take into account the water content of the food you eat.

According to Levinson, “your body absorbs water in foods just like it would liquids”. Many fruits and vegetables with high water content like cucumbers, lettuce, oranges, and watermelon.

Diuretic effect

On the other hand, some food and drinks may increase how much water you need because they have a diuretic effect, which causes you to expel more liquids.

Wonder why you always pee an ocean when you drink beer? Well, alcoholic drinks have a diuretic effect. So drinking beer only makes you more thirsty, which makes you drink more beer, and, well, you get it.

High-sodium foods will also increase your thirst because they make your body retain more water. That doesn’t sound like it makes sense but when have our bodies ever made sense?

So how much water do you need daily?

Unless you’re a crazy person with lots of free time, you probably won’t be able to keep track of all these little liquid sources from your food and drinks.

So, things like the colour of your urine and natural thirst are good indicators of hydration or lack thereof. If it’s light and clear, you’re good. If it’s dark and strong-smelling, drink more water.

You should also look out for less obvious signs of dehydration such as headaches, weak muscles, and extra hunger. All these signs are basically your body saying “Yo, drink some water, man, I’m dyin here”.

So, listen to your body and don’t obsess about consuming a certain amount of fluids every day, because 8 glasses of water won’t necessarily keep the doctor away.

Featured Image: iceink / Shutterstock.com

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]