I have always heard that you need a minimum of 6-8 8oz glasses of water per day to keep yourself hydrated. I’m a big water person as it is so I normally don’t have problems meeting that minimum unless I go out to a bar and then I need double that the next day. Mike on the other hand just doesn’t drink water. Its a Coke for every meal and nothing in between (he claims he drinks water at work…sure). So I’m always on his case about drinking less Coke and more water.
But Sunday night as I was driving back to Houston from my parent’s house I heard on a radio call in show that you really don’t need to drink as much water as recommended. That the chances of you actually dehydrating over not having enough water is slim. I got curious about this because I have noticed on some weekends where I don’t guzzle water quite as much as when I’m working I can quickly go downhill health wise because I haven’t drank enough water.
So what is enough water for 1 average person each day?
I decided to visit my favorite medical website -> WebMD about hydration and what we need to consume each day. The article I found stated that the 8 8oz glasses of water per day is a good rule of thumb to go by even though there is no scientific proof that this is our body requirements. Another good rule of thumb is to drink enough so that you visit the restroom every 2-4 hours which doesn’t sound so bad if you are a nonwater drinker. I think I’ll keep up with my 6-8 8oz glasses and make sure Mike is within the 2nd set of guidelines as well.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/quest-for-hydration
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Interesting-I’ve recieved so much conflicting information over the years about this.
I’ve always believed the 6-8 8oz glasses theory as well; however, like Mike, I am a big Coke drinker (diet in my case). I try to fit in a bottle of water between sodas, telling myself it is a rule. I can’t have another one until I drink some water. So, I reward myself with a Diet Coke if I drink my bottle of water! It works most of the time!