Is 8 Glass Of Water A Day Enough? Shattering The Myth Today!
How many glasses of water a day do you drink? Is it 8 glasses of water a day? Or do you have a magical number of your own?
What was considered a fact in the late 1900s is now turning out to be a myth according to many scientific studies. While for some people drinking 8 glasses of water daily may work, for many of us it does not.
It’s time to clarify and be able to drink the right amount of water without sweating over it.
How Much Water Should You Drink? Is Drinking 8 Glass Of Water A Day Good?
Some people like to have an app on their phone that decides how much water to drink in a day according to the weight kg they have or conditions like diabetes.
Many rely on the 8X8 rule (8 glass of water a day rule) that’s usually recommended by doctors, thanks to its popularity in the past 2-3 decades.
According to doctors of the modern era, there’s no need to decide how much water you should drink. You don’t need to depend on apps or old techniques when you have a reliable mechanism built in your own body. This mechanism is what we call ‘Thirst’.
While that’s not as groundbreaking a method as you would like it to be, but looking out for your thirst is an easy way to determine when and how much water you need to drink.
A 2010 research paper seems to have the answer to how many liters of water a day is enough. For men, the recommendation is 3 liters of daily fluid intake. For women, it is 2.2 liters.
Although, you need to be conscious at times. That’s because our fluid requirement depends on a lot of factors. It depends on the season, the climate we live in, diet, and activity levels. Health issues like diarrhea, diabetes, and whether the person is breastfeeding or pregnant at the time matter, too.
Bonus Tip: Go against your thirst meter if need be before heading out of the house and before you go to bed. Who knows? You may not find a vacant and hygienic toilet on the roads or in your dreams!
What Is The 8×8 Rule?
In the previous section, we mentioned the 8×8 rule that has been the hydration norm for quite some time now. It defines our daily water requirement as 8 glasses of 8-ounce water.
You might have noticed many fitness YouTubers/bloggers talk about their habit of keeping half a gallon water bottle with them all day. Yup, half a gallon equals those 8 glasses of 8-ounce water.
For many, the rule holds little credibility. One reason is that it has no real record of origin.
Some say the rule originated in 1945 with research stating that one needs to consume 1 ml of water for every calorie they consume. Since the recommended amount of calories is around 2000, the water amount here becomes 2 liters or eight 8-ounce glasses of water.
However, as years passed away, experts seemed to ignore that water is not just consumed directly. It comes from water-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, fish, tea, coffee, and is in fact, also created by our bodies during the process of metabolism.
And therefore, the 8 glass of water a day rule is not a hard and fast one.
Why Is Staying Hydrated Important?
This may not be the first time you are reading this. Water makes 60 to 70% of our body. And rightly so, because it has tons of functions to play to ensure we live a healthy life.
Not consuming enough water every day can be a significant hydration mistake. After all, the right amount of water daily helps our body prevent diseases that may be treatable yet painful at times.
By staying hydrated, you –
- keep your mood swings in check.
- avoid dehydration headaches.
- increase your metabolism.
- reduce your appetite, thus losing extra weight.
- prevent constipation.
- keep your skin healthy and glowing.
- avoid urinary tract and bladder infections.
- decrease the risk of having kidney stones.
- are better able to manage your sugar levels.
- keep your energy amped up for a long time.
The Bottom Line
Still looking for the answer to how many liters of water a day should you drink? Here’s a suggestion – track your intake for a day or two, and you will find the answer.
All you need to do is follow your thirst while keeping your health and other conditions in check.
And don’t forget, it is necessary to stay hydrated because water plays as important a role in your body as any other organ.
Agree?
If you do agree, why not share this article with your friends and family? Be a part of our campaign to bust the ‘8 glass of water a day’ myth for good.
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