Only 8 glasses of water a day?

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Ashsmith07
Ashsmith07 Posts: 30 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I know it's recommended to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but is there anything wrong with drinking more than that? I find that drinking water frequently curbs my craving to snack throughout the day and have read that sometimes your brain confuses dehydration with hunger so drinking a lot of water before meals can help you to eat less during your meals. That being said, I usually consume 15-20 8oz glasses of water daily. Is this too much? How much is too much?

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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    I drink more than you do, and I have for several years.

    You need to drink a lot in a really shourt period of time for it to be harmful. Google how much is too much....but it's more than you would possibly want.
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
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    I don't know if Snopes is a good authority but if you google "water myth" you will find many more. http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

    Most of the water calculations don't factor in food. Watermelon is 92% water, carrots 87%, yogurt 85%. Nearly all liquids with the exception of high alcohol content contain water. Even soda's, coffee, and juice. You won't get dehydrated from drinking just coke. You can survive just fine without ever drinking plain water.

    To much water can cause your kydneys to have to work harder to get rid of it. So yes having to much can be bad. How much is to much, that I don't know and from the reading I've done the experts don't know either.
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    Too much would be more than 10 liters a day, maybe even more than that, 15 maybe. Drinking less than that will not make harm to you. 8 glasses is only a recommended average amount. You should drink more than that even. Some 16 - 25 glasses a day is completely safe and even good. ^^
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    Really? Wow, I have no clue how you can drink that much....lol. You must be peeing ALL the time. The couple things that come to my mind are first I would probably check with my doctor. I do know that there is such a thing call water intoxication where consuming large amounts of water is very dangerous but that typically occurs in contests to drink as much as you can in a short period of time or in people that are doing a lot of exercise, losing electrolytes, not replenishing those electrolytes but drinking water. My next thought is that if you are drinking water to avoid eating that is not a good solution. Yes, they say drinking some water before eating curbs your appetite but it shouldn't be used instead of eating. And finally, if you are truly craving that much water it brings me back to my first comment about talking to your doctor to make sure there isn't something medically off that is making you crave that much water.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    Really? Wow, I have no clue how you can drink that much....lol. You must be peeing ALL the time. The couple things that come to my mind are first I would probably check with my doctor. I do know that there is such a thing call water intoxication where consuming large amounts of water is very dangerous but that typically occurs in contests to drink as much as you can in a short period of time or in people that are doing a lot of exercise, losing electrolytes, not replenishing those electrolytes but drinking water. My next thought is that if you are drinking water to avoid eating that is not a good solution. Yes, they say drinking some water before eating curbs your appetite but it shouldn't be used instead of eating. And finally, if you are truly craving that much water it brings me back to my first comment about talking to your doctor to make sure there isn't something medically off that is making you crave that much water.

    She isn't drinking that much water. I drink more than she does, and I am in perfect health according to my doctor.
  • Ashsmith07
    Ashsmith07 Posts: 30 Member
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    I think maybe I worded that wrong. I have a tendency to graze and snack throughout the day out of boredom rather than hunger, so when I feel like snacking, I try drinking water instead. Usually I am thirsty, and yes I do end up peeing all the time lol. I just wanted to make sure I'm being safe and not doing any damage by drinking significantly over the recommended 8 ozs a day.
  • MorganStar123
    MorganStar123 Posts: 18
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    To much water can cause your kydneys to have to work harder to get rid of it. So yes having to much can be bad. How much is to much, that I don't know and from the reading I've done the experts don't know either.

    Actually this hasn't proven to be true. I am nurse working in the hospital and we tell our patients to drink lots of water as it helps flush toxins out of the kidneys. Even for patients with renal disease we usually recommend half their body weight in ounces, so if you weighed 180 pounds, you should drink 90 ounces of water per day, that is quite a bit. There are also numerous other health benefits to drinking lots of water, 8 glasses is the minimum, you should have at least 8 glasses of water per day. In order to be in danger of water intoxication you would have to force yourself to drink several litres of water in a short period of time. So don't worry, drink up, more than 8 glasses is fine!
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,473 Member
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    i drink more then that.
  • ladioffaith
    ladioffaith Posts: 49
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    I drink as many as a dozen on exercise days and high sodium days. I disagree that this site seems to discourage a lot of water with the overflowing cup icon.
  • jigglewiggles
    jigglewiggles Posts: 173 Member
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    I drink between 8-12 glasses daily. I read that you are supposed to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water per day, so for me I weigh 167lbs, so I would need about 84 oz of water a day. Not sure if this is accurate, but I've been trying to stick to it.
  • MrMeowGi
    MrMeowGi Posts: 171
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    I drink around 2 - 3 Litres a day, not sure on glass count , I just have 500ml bottles stored in my fridge , enough for 2 days without refilling (although it is easier to refill one when I am done). 8 cups is fine, but it depends, I spend time in the sun which dehydrates you, I take multivits and other vitamins along with Creatine , which require more water so your liver can handle the stuffs being poured in...

    I dont think you will be drinking too much water to harm yourself, the only thing you should worry about is drinking too little, which I did last week , resulted in head aches and lack of energy ! It was horrid
  • gillbush123
    gillbush123 Posts: 21 Member
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    I have the opposite problem, I am never thirsty so don't drink any thing some times for days, then will think oh god I best have a drink of water. My husband is always shouting at me for it as he drinks pints of water a day can not understand how I can go all day with out a drink. Xxx
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
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    Actually this hasn't proven to be true. I am nurse working in the hospital and we tell our patients to drink lots of water as it helps flush toxins out of the kidneys. Even for patients with renal disease we usually recommend half their body weight in ounces, so if you weighed 180 pounds, you should drink 90 ounces of water per day, that is quite a bit. There are also numerous other health benefits to drinking lots of water, 8 glasses is the minimum, you should have at least 8 glasses of water per day. In order to be in danger of water intoxication you would have to force yourself to drink several litres of water in a short period of time. So don't worry, drink up, more than 8 glasses is fine!
    Google it look at the studies and decide for yourself. The 8 glasses a day has no scientific basis. Its some number some one came up with. Why is it the same for people in humid climates as well as dry climates? Its not necessary and there are no health benefits to consuming to much water. Your body is very good at regulating water. There are many medical reasons for short term promoting water. I doubt your encouraging your patients to drink 90 ounces a day especially not for extended periods of time. If they needed that much water you'd push it in an IV to make sure they were getting it and to accurately measure how much they had.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    I know it's recommended to drink 8 glasses of water a day

    Recommended by who? As far as I know, the current guidelines are to drink enough so that you feel hydrated throughout the day and so that your pee is very light in color.
  • ShiraDarling
    ShiraDarling Posts: 232 Member
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    I drink so much water.. at least 20 glasses a day. I pee probably 20x a day also haha

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