8 Glasses of Water Myth
chivalryder
Posts: 4,391 Member
I know this has been posted about a month ago, but that thread was dead empty.
The 8 glasses of water theory has been debunked. There are no studies and no evidence that shows that you need to drink 8 glasses of water a day to stay healthy.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/06/08/water-eight-glasses-myth.html
That being said, I am unaware of any studies that has any evidence stating that you shouldn't drink that much.
I personally drink a lot more than 8 glasses/day, but that's because I come from a heavy cycling background. What I do know is that, if you are exerting your body, you need to drink a minimum of 1 L (4 glasses) every hour, to replenish what you lose in sweat. If you lose even 2% of your body's weight in water (which could be done in 1-2 hours of working out, your body's efficiency drops by over 20%. It could take up to a day to recover from that too.
I believe the whole "you don't need 8 glasses of water/day" is for inactive people. As the article states, you should go by what your body is telling you. If you're thirsty, you will naturally grab a glass of liquid and down it. However, if you get to the point where your body is telling you, you need to drink something, and you're working out, you're too late.
Now, before anyone responds and completely smashes this post, please do some research and post a credible link to back up your point. We don't need any useless garbage in here. After all, opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance. We need knowledge, not ignorance.
edit: glasses = 1 cup. 1 cup = 250mL. 4 cups = 1L, 8 cups = 2L
The 8 glasses of water theory has been debunked. There are no studies and no evidence that shows that you need to drink 8 glasses of water a day to stay healthy.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/06/08/water-eight-glasses-myth.html
That being said, I am unaware of any studies that has any evidence stating that you shouldn't drink that much.
I personally drink a lot more than 8 glasses/day, but that's because I come from a heavy cycling background. What I do know is that, if you are exerting your body, you need to drink a minimum of 1 L (4 glasses) every hour, to replenish what you lose in sweat. If you lose even 2% of your body's weight in water (which could be done in 1-2 hours of working out, your body's efficiency drops by over 20%. It could take up to a day to recover from that too.
I believe the whole "you don't need 8 glasses of water/day" is for inactive people. As the article states, you should go by what your body is telling you. If you're thirsty, you will naturally grab a glass of liquid and down it. However, if you get to the point where your body is telling you, you need to drink something, and you're working out, you're too late.
Now, before anyone responds and completely smashes this post, please do some research and post a credible link to back up your point. We don't need any useless garbage in here. After all, opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance. We need knowledge, not ignorance.
edit: glasses = 1 cup. 1 cup = 250mL. 4 cups = 1L, 8 cups = 2L
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Replies
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Yeah. I said this about 3 months ago and got shouted at hysterically. Good luck.0
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MFP recommends 8 CUPs of water a day, not 8 glasses. 8 cups is easy to do. I always exceed that.0
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MFP recommends 8 CUPs of water a day, not 8 glasses. 8 cups is easy to do. I always exceed that.
A glass is about 1 cup, give or take. I have some at home that are about 2 cups, others that are less than a cup. Most are pretty much 1 cup.0 -
Just so you know you can drown yourself by drinking too much water.0
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i drink around 3ltr of water a day...im still alive and havnt nearly drowned either :-) !!!0
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Thanks for this post. I am not really sure what I should be doing on this. I exercise every day and I play in an A level inline hockey league, so I regularly sweat my *kitten* off. But I don't think I drink nearly as much as (all the studies) say I should, I probably realistically drink 3 -5, 8oz. glasses of water per day and most of that is when I am working out.
I never really feel thirsty and I am the type to listen to my body, so if my body is thirsty then I drink water - but it never comes near 8 glasses a day.
Should I be forcing myself to drink this much?0 -
What the hell's the difference between a cup and a glass? And what size is this cup? And how much are we filling this cup or glass? These are questions that need to be answered! NOW!0
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I've heard of people "drowning" from drinking too much water. Some girl in Aus. drank a couple of gallons in a few minutes for some high school contest. Her body became over saturated and stopped functioning. I couldn't even drink that much in a day if I tried.0
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MFP recommends 8 CUPs of water a day, not 8 glasses. 8 cups is easy to do. I always exceed that.
A glass is about 1 cup, give or take. I have some at home that are about 2 cups, others that are less than a cup. Most are pretty much 1 cup.
Most of my water glasses are actually 10-16 oz. (I measured.) The point being, it's not really that much water to drink.0 -
My water glasses and water bottles are 16oz., making it much easier to get enough. I find that I need to drink a lot more when I work outside and my work is not particularly strenuous (just mentally taxing because I work with kids). If I drink that much before I go on a long walk, I'm going to have to pee and there's no polite way to pee on or off a path in a public park. Stretches on for miles without any rest stops....0
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What the hell's the difference between a cup and a glass? And what size is this cup? And how much are we filling this cup or glass? These are questions that need to be answered! NOW!
A cup is a cup, as in 8 oz0 -
What the hell's the difference between a cup and a glass? And what size is this cup? And how much are we filling this cup or glass? These are questions that need to be answered! NOW!
edited to make note of this0 -
A lot of times people mistake thirst for hunger which can lead to bingeing.
FYI.0 -
I've read so much on this. I personally go by what my body tells me. If I'm truly thirsty water is the only thing that will quench my thirst. I rarely drink sodas anymore and drink ice tea 2-3 times a week. At my weight and current activity level I'm aiming for minimum of a gallon a day. I typically exceed that. This is based on what I've done in the past, some supplements I take, I'm doing treadmill/elliptical usually 90 minutes a day (5-6 days a week) and the fact that I sweat even I'm not exerting myself. I've also notice that if I don't drink enough water my body kind of just aches and until I drink water I don't get rid of the ache.
This may not work for everyone but for me, it's working.0 -
I drink well over 64 ounces of water a day (8 "glasses" cups whatever) If I don't I feel like crap and my pee is very dark yellow. I've been told that really you should monitor the color of your urine to see if you are hydrated enough not the number of ounces of water.
http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water_health/health3/dehydration-urine-color.htm0 -
Thanks for posting this.
This myth persists and won't go away. So annoying.
People prefer to be ignorant.
It has been debunked soo many times now - including on Dr OZ, he proved that extra water intake (drinking when not thirsty) has no bearing on your health/ weight loss etc.0 -
I'm going out on a limb here and I know the 4 cups a day people will say the Mayo Clinic is full of it but here goes, please note at the bottom, they DO NOT say that it is 8 cups of plain water, but 2.2 - 3 liters of fluid.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283/0 -
Maybe I'm wrong, but what I understand is that if you don't get enough water, you will get dehydrated and retain water and gain that "water weight". Maybe it's not true of someone who does no exercise and does not sweat. But recently I had a really sweaty day and only had about 5 cups of water (I don't know why. i think i was too lazy to refill my bottle lol) and then the next day suddenly I was up 2 lbs!
This has happened to be a few times now and then I will drink a lot of water the next morning my weight is back to normal again. That is why I personally like to get lots of water.
And sorry but I don't have any credible links, just experiences!0 -
Thanks for this post. I am not really sure what I should be doing on this. I exercise every day and I play in an A level inline hockey league, so I regularly sweat my *kitten* off. But I don't think I drink nearly as much as (all the studies) say I should, I probably realistically drink 3 -5, 8oz. glasses of water per day and most of that is when I am working out.
I never really feel thirsty and I am the type to listen to my body, so if my body is thirsty then I drink water - but it never comes near 8 glasses a day.
Should I be forcing myself to drink this much?
I would suggest, for regular daily activities, just keep doing what you're doing. However, when you're doing inline skating, try to drink a large bottle of water for every hour you're busting you butt, regardless of how thirsty you feel. If you go for more than an hour, make it a sports drink (like gatorade). Drink at least another half a bottle when you're finished playing, as your body is still sweating until you've cooled down.0 -
seeing that your muscles are 80% water, and you as a human are about 70% of water, 8 cups of water is probably just bare minimum. i drink about a gallon a day. its doing wonders for my skin and i feel radiant 8) not to mention it curbs the appetite too when i want to binge^.^
so thanks, but no thanks i`ll stay drinking my 8+ glasses of water a day0 -
What the hell's the difference between a cup and a glass? And what size is this cup? And how much are we filling this cup or glass? These are questions that need to be answered! NOW!
A cup is a cup, as in 8 oz
or 250ml for 99% of the world:laugh: :laugh:
As a runner I make a point of drinking throughout the day (but I include coffee, water, tea etc when considering my intake) as I'm going to sweat a good proportion of it out (I should weigh my sweaty shirt one of these days just for fun......) but I just gauge my hydration based on the colour of my urine.I'm going out on a limb here and I know the 4 cups a day people will say the Mayo Clinic is full of it but here goes, please note at the bottom, they DO NOT say that it is 8 cups of plain water, but 2.2 - 3 liters of fluid.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283/
Good point and people often forget that the food we eat (just like our own tissues) is comprised largely of water which can go a long way towards satisfying your daily fluid requirements0 -
I'm going out on a limb here and I know the 4 cups a day people will say the Mayo Clinic is full of it but here goes, please note at the bottom, they DO NOT say that it is 8 cups of plain water, but 2.2 - 3 liters of fluid.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283/
Dr. Oz is way more credible than the Mayo Clinic.
:noway:0 -
What the hell's the difference between a cup and a glass? And what size is this cup? And how much are we filling this cup or glass? These are questions that need to be answered! NOW!
When the boss says 8 cups, then I go for 8 CUPS. Like measure a cup. It's really not a lot!0 -
Thanks for this post. I am not really sure what I should be doing on this. I exercise every day and I play in an A level inline hockey league, so I regularly sweat my *kitten* off. But I don't think I drink nearly as much as (all the studies) say I should, I probably realistically drink 3 -5, 8oz. glasses of water per day and most of that is when I am working out.
I never really feel thirsty and I am the type to listen to my body, so if my body is thirsty then I drink water - but it never comes near 8 glasses a day.
Should I be forcing myself to drink this much?
I would suggest, for regular daily activities, just keep doing what you're doing. However, when you're doing inline skating, try to drink a large bottle of water for every hour you're busting you butt, regardless of how thirsty you feel. If you go for more than an hour, make it a sports drink (like gatorade). Drink at least another half a bottle when you're finished playing, as your body is still sweating until you've cooled down.
Just curious what *your* credentials are?0 -
well as my mother was just hospitalized for dehydration I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to drink plenty of water. and yes I am aware that you can have too much water but I doubt anyone could exceed a safe amount of water without trying deliberately to drink a huge amount.
It's a ridiculous debate.0 -
MFP recommends 8 CUPs of water a day, not 8 glasses. 8 cups is easy to do. I always exceed that.
A glass is about 1 cup, give or take. I have some at home that are about 2 cups, others that are less than a cup. Most are pretty much 1 cup.
So just because I was a bit curious I took one of my grandma's glasses that I usually drink out of (not sure how much it is oz-wise) Now my grandma's glasses are big, but I just did it to see what I drink a day, and the glasses my grandma has are about 1.5 cups (give or take), and the small ones she has are about .5 cups. we don't have any that are 1 cup. Just pointing that out, for anyone who WAS a bit curious.0 -
It's called hyponatraemia, or water intoxication. It has to do with upsetting the electrolyte balance in your body so it is liable to occur when you drink too much after sweating profusely without taking in sodium and potassium. The son of a friend of mine collapsed into a coma and nearly died with this after participating in an ultramarathon.I've heard of people "drowning" from drinking too much water. Some girl in Aus. drank a couple of gallons in a few minutes for some high school contest. Her body became over saturated and stopped functioning. I couldn't even drink that much in a day if I tried.0 -
1 cup = 8 fluid ounces (US) and my drinking glasses at home are 24 oz. That's 3 cups. I have no problem drinking 3 glasses of water a day. As a matter of fact, when I drink half as many ounces of clear water a day as I weigh in pounds, I feel better. My digestive processes seem to work better, my skin seems less dry, and my dry eye condition improves.
Do you absolutely have to drink 8 cups of water a day to remain healthy? I doubt it. Every body is different, so how can anybody say this one thing works for every body? But if you study your OWN body, you will find what works best for you.0 -
Thanks for this post. I am not really sure what I should be doing on this. I exercise every day and I play in an A level inline hockey league, so I regularly sweat my *kitten* off. But I don't think I drink nearly as much as (all the studies) say I should, I probably realistically drink 3 -5, 8oz. glasses of water per day and most of that is when I am working out.
I never really feel thirsty and I am the type to listen to my body, so if my body is thirsty then I drink water - but it never comes near 8 glasses a day.
Should I be forcing myself to drink this much?
I would suggest, for regular daily activities, just keep doing what you're doing. However, when you're doing inline skating, try to drink a large bottle of water for every hour you're busting you butt, regardless of how thirsty you feel. If you go for more than an hour, make it a sports drink (like gatorade). Drink at least another half a bottle when you're finished playing, as your body is still sweating until you've cooled down.
Thanks! It's funny but I sort of naturally do that anyway - during a hockey game I will kill a 20oz. bottle of water. I guess just listening to my body is the way to go...0 -
It's called hyponatraemia, or water intoxication. It has to do with upsetting the electrolyte balance in your body so it is liable to occur when you drink too much after sweating profusely without taking in sodium and potassium. The son of a friend of mine collapsed into a coma and nearly died with this after participating in an ultramarathon.I've heard of people "drowning" from drinking too much water. Some girl in Aus. drank a couple of gallons in a few minutes for some high school contest. Her body became over saturated and stopped functioning. I couldn't even drink that much in a day if I tried.
I'm pretty sure the ultramarathon would have contributed SIGNIFICANTLY to this imbalance -- not just the excess water. The amount of strain an ultra puts on the body is insane.
Most folks on here are not ultramarathoners and drinking 64oz of water a day is not going to sendthem into hypoatraemia.
And yes I know it can happen... a radio station here did a stupid water drinking challenge and a gal died from consuming too much water in a short time period. I'm sorry about your friend's son, I hope he recovered.0
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