A few answers to this seemingly evasive question.
Like most things in medicine, the amount of liquid you should drink seems to be constantly changing. So just how much do you need to drink on a daily basis for optimal health? You’re about to find out what the scientific world has determined about your drinking needs. So turn on the tap and get ready to find out how full you should fill your glass.
The Old Answer
Only a few years ago, the medical community had a nice, one-size-fits-all answer to the liquid question. According to the experts, adults needed about eight glasses of water each day. This equaled out to approximately 64 ounces of water. While this acted as a good goal for most adults, it was a goal that was rarely met due to people simply being too busy to remember to down their daily regimen of water.
Today, the old answer is no longer the only answer. Granted, it is still an accepted answer that helps many people remember to keep their lips to a glass of water, but researchers spent plenty of time studying just how much water a person needs and realized there may be other ways to go about liquid intake.
I never drink water. I’m afraid it will become habit-forming - W.C. Fields
The New Answer
Many folks have given up on drinking eight glasses a day. Instead, they’ve decided to go with another popular method for determining fluid intake: replacing the fluids lost during the course of a day. How much liquid to you shed on a daily basis? Between bathroom breaks, sweating, and sweating, you lose about 10 cups of water a day. Sweat more than the average person or been suffering with a bout of diarrhea? Then you’ll need to add some cups to the total.
To make sure your body has enough liquid, the replacement method requires you to drink the amount that you lose minus the 20 percent of your needed fluids you get through the foods you eat. And while water is typically the preferred liquid, you’ll want to count tea, sodas, and juice, which all contain water.
The Adjusted Answer
While science has deemed that you should drink a certain amount of water based on the amount of water that leaves your body on a daily basis, this equation may not provide a final answer to how much water you should drink. Because while this is a great way for otherwise health individuals to tally up their water needs, people with pre-existing conditions may have different liquid needs.
If you have diabetes, kidney diseases, or any other chronic condition that you must deal with on a daily basis, your water requirement may be more or less than you think. To find out exactly how much water you should sip on each day, you’ll have to head to your doctor. Of course he will tell you 8-8 ounce glasses unless there is a medical issue.
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