Drinking water: the amount is not necessarily 8 glasses but depends on your body

The myth paints a picture in which those who do not drink a fixed number of glasses of water a day damage their kidneys, skin, concentration and everything else that can be taken care of. In practice, in most healthy people, the feeling of thirst is an effective mechanism that signals when to drink. There is even a professional formulation that emphasizes this point: in routine, drinking that prevents thirst and the habit of drinking with meals is usually enough to maintain good hydration in the average person. This does not mean that everyone always drinks enough, but it does mean that there is no biological necessity for eight glasses.

Where did the number come from? It is difficult to put a finger on the moment when it started, but for years there have been general recommendations about daily water consumption that were sometimes mistakenly interpreted as water that is drunk on purpose, and not as a total consumption that also comes from food. Over time, the precise became popular, and the popular became general.

The updated medical truth usually talks about total water consumption per day, not a fixed number of glasses. In healthy adults under normal conditions, estimates by scientific and nutrition bodies include orders of magnitude of about 3.7 liters per day for men and about 2.7 liters per day for women from all sources combined – food and beverages. In practice, a significant part of the fluids comes from the food, so the amount of drinking required can be lower than the total number, depending on the menu.

So how do you know if you’re drinking enough without getting into trouble with counting glasses? The simple day-to-day indicators are a relatively light urine color, reasonable urinary frequency, the absence of significant signs of dryness and a good general feeling. If there is dizziness, headache, extreme dryness in the mouth, a significant decrease in urination or confusion, this is no longer a discussion of a myth but a reason to stop and get checked.

The bottom line: there is no medical obligation to eight glasses a day when there is no thirst, but there is an obligation to know the body and the circumstances. Those who find themselves forgetting to drink can benefit from a regular habit: a bottle on the table, drinking around meals, or a reminder.