Do we really need to drink 8 glasses of water?
By micha5088
@micha5088 (554)
Malaysia
September 11, 2012 10:40pm CST
We have been advised to drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday. And this is plain water, not juices and hot drinks. I don't really follow this advise because this will only make me visit the toilet more often. It's troublesome to always have to look for a toilet when you're traveling outside your house or office. So, I just drink when I am really thirsty. Is drinking a lot of water really good for our health?
1 person likes this
20 responses
@McCreeper (777)
• United States
12 Sep 12
It does say that it's good to drink 8 glasses, but in reality it really depends on yourself. A good way to measure whether you need to drink more water depends on how transparent the urine is. If it's translucent, then you need to drink more. Otherwise, don't.
1 person likes this
@owlwings (43914)
• Cambridge, England
12 Sep 12
How much liquid an individual needs to drink each day to remain healthy depends on many things including body weight, temperature of the environment, amount of exercise and one's individual metabolism.
It is important to realise that most foods contain more water than we realise and that, even though we may be recommended to drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day, as much as half of that liquid can be consumed as food. All drinks - tea, coffee, juice, soda and so on - are 99% water, so, to a certain extent, it doesn't make any difference whether you drink these or plain water: you are still drinking water.
Drinking too much water can be nearly as dangerous as drinking too little. If you drink too much water, you dilute the electrolytes in your body and bloodstream so that normal cell function is impaired. It is much more difficult to drink too much water than to drink too little.
The best way of knowing whether you are drinking enough water is to monitor your bladder functions. If the urine is pale yellow and clear and you are passing urine at least three to four times a day, then you are likely to be consuming enough water for your needs. If the urine is dark and appears concentrated, then you should be drinking more.
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@dogsnme (1264)
• United States
13 Sep 12
While you can get water from any number of sources, soda is NOT a good source for our daily water requirements. Soda dehydrates the body which is exactly opposite of what we are trying to accomplish by drinking plenty of water. Soda contains carbonated water. Not the same thing as regular water so it has a different effect on the body. I'm not saying not to drink soda. It may be better for you if you don't. But if you do you need to drink even more water to offset the dehydrating effect of the soda.
@micha5088 (554)
• Malaysia
12 Sep 12
Well said owlwings. I think you have given the best comment on whether we should drink 8 glasses of water a day. Yes, we get water from fruits and other drinks as well. Too much water, I read somewhere, can harm you. That's right it has something to do with the electrolytes in our body.
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@micha5088 (554)
• Malaysia
12 Sep 12
I think you are like me except I drink hot chocolate, tea and lime juice.
1 person likes this
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@chum24 (569)
• Philippines
12 Sep 12
hi...
yeah i also read some articles that we should drink 6-8 glasses everyday which is very difficult to me..hahaha in one day i only drink 1200ml and 240ml of milk thats it.. yup drinking lots of water is good to our health it can prevent dryskin, contipation and a lot more
@micha5088 (554)
• Malaysia
12 Sep 12
Water is definitely very important for people experiencing constipation. without water, our stool will probably be like rocks huhu.
@micha5088 (554)
• Malaysia
12 Sep 12
Yes, water is indeed important for our body. Even our blood plasma is made up of more than 90% water.
@hayate13 (37)
• Indonesia
12 Sep 12
i once read in a magazine if there is no scienticif theory that says we sholud drik at least 8 glasses of water every day, but i gree that drinkings lot of water can nourish our bodies because water can cleans toxin in our bodies, good for cleansing the kidney and make us stay young
@micha5088 (554)
• Malaysia
12 Sep 12
That is true hayate. When we are healthy, when we drink enough water to flush the toxins out of our body, we look young. So, we need water to look young. *wink* I like that because water is cheap, so one doesn't need expensive skincare to look young.
@dogsnme (1264)
• United States
13 Sep 12
As a rule of thumb, yes. But it can vary for any number of reasons. The color of your urine is a good indicator of whether or not you need water. If your urine is very pale or even clear like water than you should be ok. The deeper in color it gets means you need to drink more. Virtually any source of water such as juice, tea, or coffee can give you part of your daily water allowance if that's all you can get access to but drinking plain water is still the best wat to get our daily water allowance. One very important thing to remember: DO NOT RELY ON SODA AS A SOURCE OF WATER. Soda, or soft drinks, dehydrate the body, the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish by drinking plenty of water. Soft drinks do have water in them but it's carbonated water, totally different. Drinking more water does make you go to the bathroom more often but that's not a bad thing. And after you've gotten used to drinking plenty of water on a regular basis your bathroom breaks will become less frequent.
@GemmaR (8517)
•
13 Sep 12
We do need to drink a lot of water because it is what helps to keep us healthy and energised, but I think that a lot of people overestimate the amount of water that we actually need. Although you do need the equivalent of eight glasses, a lot of moisture is in the food that we eat, and that might contribute to a couple of the glasses that we're drinking each day. If you eat lots of fruit and vegetables then you probably find that you only need to drink about five glasses, which is much better, and means that you don't have to be waiting around all day just trying to drink more water.
@jazel_juan (15747)
• Philippines
13 Sep 12
actually it is really a must, even more than that as we perspire and we need to drink more than what we loose. Plus there is nothing wrong with that going to the toilet often too,it flushes out toxins out of our body.
@angelkarah050182 (4980)
• Philippines
12 Sep 12
I have read that we should drink more than 8 glasses nowadays. With the foods we are eating, vegies and fruits are included, we are not guaranteed that they are still healthy to eat. Drinking water will let us flush down unwanted things in our bodies. I'm sorry, I'm not good in scientific terms or vocabulary words related to science. LOL. We have to drink a lot to help our kidneys function well. I usually drink more water after eating junk foods and drinking soda. It also helps us to avoid having UTI. :)
@micha5088 (554)
• Malaysia
12 Sep 12
So, the more toxin and more pollution in our environment, the more water we have to drink. This sounds logic. Just remember water is for cleaning and hydrating. Okay I get it. So we indeed need to drink a lot of water.
@surekharathi (14146)
• India
17 Oct 12
Yes I also heard this but still not count how many glass of water I drink daily. But yes while eating drink two glass. Heheh...more water while traveling is not good but if in house then no problem.
@jange52 (71)
• Philippines
13 Sep 12
8 glasses of water should be the least amount you should consume. Depending on several factors, like a hot weather, you should consume more to hydrate your cells. And also like when you are pregnant, you get very thirsty, you can consume 3 to 4 liters daily. If you also have a tall body structure, let's say six feet above, 8 glasses I think would not be enough.
@jadoixa (1166)
• Philippines
13 Sep 12
i used to drink 10 glasses of water everyday because i read it is important for our body to drink 8-10 glasses a day so i did it for how many weeks..then i stopped doing it..nowadays, i got a bit lazy and tired to drink 8-10 glasses a day..nowadays, i can only drink 3 or 4 when i am really thirsty. i don't really feel to drinking water that much when i am not thirsty..
@aejey322 (1004)
• Philippines
13 Sep 12
Drinking plenty of water cleanses our body that is why we frequently visit to the toilet more. But it's good for your body.
I do believe in it but honestly I am also not doing it. I am not a water person. I only can drink water every after meal. I seldom drink in between, except when I feel I am thirsty.
But indeed, it is a healthy way to get rid of toxins.
@asdomencil (4265)
• Philippines
12 Sep 12
There's nothing better compared to water in cleansing our body. According to natural medecine, shaking water for at least 40 times before drinking it will make lessen your visit in the toilet because water molecules will be easily absorbed and will stay in your system longer.
Furthermore, better to drink warm or tap water rather than cold one.
Sometimes, it is better to drink water even you are not thirsty according to natural medicine too.
@missjahn (4574)
• Philippines
12 Sep 12
hi there....
it is been advisable to drink water 8 to 10 glasses everyday. it will help you detoxify your body and cleanse it. that is why you always go to the bathroom from time to time because it eliminated bad toxins in your body. one reason too, maybe because you are not sweating that is why u are urinating it. drinking water when you are just thirsty is not good. do not wait your body to get dehydrated before supplementing it with water. have you heard of heat stroke? that is being caused by the excessive heat of the sun. you can feel dizziness and headache about that. so it is being required to drink plenty of water to avoid this kind of sickness.
another benefit you can get with water is that, it can help your skin glowing appearance. try it and you will see the great difference.
thanks for the opportunity as to start this discussion
@nidakhan001 (305)
•
12 Sep 12
hey micha,
yeah drinking water atleast 8 glases is really important because it helps to fillter your blood in kidneys, as many times you are go to toilet you are dumping out all the waste material generating in your body . besides drinking alot of water keeps you look fresh and avoid problems like dry scaly skin and pain in kidneys, it also reducde the chances to develop kidney stones, the more you drink the better you look.
@gangnam_stylist (68)
• Philippines
12 Sep 12
Definitely water is good for our health, but I've also read that drinking lots of water does not get the job done. It's eating a lot of water, such as watermelon. The liquid we get from these fruits is what really gives us the benefits. I am not a serious health-buff, maybe we all need to research on this matter more. lol!
@Loisekatee (40)
• Philippines
12 Sep 12
You should follow that advice. Eight glasses of water would improve your metabolism, meaning there are chances that you increase your metabolic rate plus it moisturizes your skin. Don't worry in visiting the toilet several times but you have to be cautious for your kidneys. You need to replenish the water that you lose especially when you exercise or simple sweat because of the hot weather.
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