# How much water do I really need to drink? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2007, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170 "2007-01-23T23:12:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/1 "2007-01-23T23:12:43Z")
One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to drink at least 5 big glasses of water per day (my “big” = pint glass size), which puts me in the bathroom at least once per hour if not more. I usually try to hold it for at least a little while, because running to the bathroom that much becomes a bit irritating, but at the same time, _having to go_ all the time is irritating, too. I drink no more than 2 cups coffee per day, no soda, no tea, not a lot of alcohol. Do I _really_ need so much water running through my body all day long? ---
**Author:** ![MrDantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@MrDantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDantastic)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/2 "2007-01-23T23:22:09Z")
> **[How Much Water Should I Drink Daily?](https://www.aquasana.com/info/how-much-water-to-drink-daily-pd.html)** > > Did you know that some of your every day aches and pains are attributed to your water intake? This is an interesting link that might help you figure out about how much water you need to drink. It seems there is no set rule, just recommendations according to how active you are and what your diet is. According to the link, I should be drinking 14 eight ounce glasses of water each day. BTW, I have heard it can be bad for you to hold it when you have to go. I haven’t read a lot about it, but apparently it can stretch out your bladder (which is bad) and lead to other more serious problems. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/3 "2007-01-23T23:25:39Z")
You have a nearly ideal mechanism to tell you when you need water built right in. It’s called thirst. Under normal everyday conditions, you simply can’t go wrong with drinking when you’re thirsty and not drinking when you aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/4 "2007-01-23T23:54:11Z")
No, you don’t. Here’s a [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp) article debunking it. According to them, many of the claims may have originated from some guy who A) did no research and B) claims that drinking water can cure, amongst other things, migraines (which I personally can solidly refute). Drink when you’re thirsty. By and large it doesn’t matter what you drink - all that about caffeine making you lose more water than it gives you is utter bunk. ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/5 "2007-01-24T00:18:43Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] You have a nearly ideal mechanism to tell you when you need water built right in. It’s called thirst. Under normal everyday conditions, you simply can’t go wrong with drinking when you’re thirsty and not drinking when you aren’t. [/QUOTE] I thought the adage was that if you’re thirsty, that means you’re already dehydrated… p.s. I don’t hold it for that long, I just don’t rush to the bathroom at the first pang (or I’d never make it back to my desk!) ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/6 "2007-01-24T01:13:26Z")
[QUOTE=xanthous] I thought the adage was that if you’re thirsty, that means you’re already dehydrated… [/QUOTE] That may be true for very high temperatures or strenuous activity, but not normal circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/7 "2007-01-24T01:14:07Z")
[A previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=235758) on this question. And, let’s not forget [this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300815) and [this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=118397), either. Despite their titles, here are two more threads about this issue.[One](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=312465). [Two](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=255515). ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/8 "2007-01-24T01:15:19Z")
[QUOTE=xanthous] I thought the adage was that if you’re thirsty, that means you’re already dehydrated… [/QUOTE] Well, yes. That’s what being thirsty _is_: your body is saying “water me!”. Dehydration in that sense is in no way serious\*. Now, if you’re thirsty and decide that, instead of drinking water, you’re going to go try to run a marathon, you might develop some more serious problems. Even so, I’d imagine that it’s still fairly easy to treat by simply adding more fluids to your body. \*I’m not a doctor nor an actor playing a doctor, YMMV, contact your local branch for details, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/9 "2007-01-24T01:30:37Z")
I found [this article](http://www.runnersworld.com/article/printer/1,7124,s6-242-302--8785-0,00.html) interesting: > [@](#): > > Surprised and even a little frightened last April by The New England Journal of Medicine. Five days before the Boston Marathon, the NEJM published a major article showing that 13 percent of runners in the 2002 Boston Marathon might have suffered from hyponatremia, a dangerous condition caused by drinking too much fluid. The figure was surprising because Boston draws the best, fittest, and most experienced runners in the world. If Boston has a 13-percent rate of hyponatremia, what is it at other marathons? Frightening because four runners, all women, have died of exercise-associated hyponatremia in the last 12 years after participating in marathons. > > This form of hyponatremia, or low sodium, is caused when overhydration while exercising dilutes the sodium level in your body. Possible result, in the most serious cases: Brain swelling that could lead to seizures and other life-threatening complications. This makes hyponatremia arguably the most important marathon-related health risk facing you and your buddies. > [@](#): > > …[T]he Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine published the position paper drafted by the first International Consensus Meeting on Hyponatremia, held last March. The Consensus gives you two hydration options: Drink according to thirst; or follow the USA Track & Field guidelines that recommend weighing yourself before and after a workout to determine your unique sweat rate per hour. From this, you can plan how much to drink every 15 to 20 minutes while running a marathon. (Sixteen ounces of fluid for every pound you lose.) > > In the future, the most clued-in experts will no longer tell you to drink XYZ ounces per hour. Instead, they’ll say: Drink when you’re thirsty; or drink only to the point where you are maintaining your body weight, but not gaining weight. ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/10 "2007-01-24T01:37:13Z")
[QUOTE=KarlGauss] [A previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=235758) on this question. And, let’s not forget [this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300815) and [this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=118397), either. Despite their titles, here are two more threads about this issue.[One](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=312465). [Two](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=255515). [/QUOTE] Did a search for “drinking water” and came up with nothing in 4 pages of results- thought it was appropriate to post the query- thanks. ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/11 "2007-01-24T01:42:56Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] This form of hyponatremia, or low sodium, is caused when overhydration while exercising dilutes the sodium level in your body. Possible result, in the most serious cases: Brain swelling that could lead to seizures and other life-threatening complications. This makes hyponatremia arguably the most important marathon-related health risk facing you and your buddies. [/QUOTE] Perhaps drawing too simplistic a parallel, but I have been craving salty foods like a _mother_ since I started drinking more water… ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/12 "2007-01-24T01:46:54Z")
I rather doubt that’s entirely by coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/13 "2007-01-24T02:30:50Z")
According to many sources, once you’re thirsty you’re already somewhat [dehydrated](http://www.vew-do.com/hydration_strategies_symptoms_signs_dehydration.html). At least this is what they tell you in dry climates. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/14 "2007-01-24T02:50:04Z")
Sure. And by the same token, by the time you feel hungry, you’re already slightly malnourished. So what? ---
**Author:** ![cooky173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@cooky173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cooky173)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/15 "2007-01-24T02:56:56Z")
My general rule is if it comes out clear, I’ve been drinking too much, if it comes dark or I haven’t had to go all day then I’ve been drinking too little. Generally I would say if your going to the toilet every hour, that’s a bit too often. All of the above comes from firsthand experience from an 18 year old with no scientific reasonings. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/16 "2007-01-24T04:06:10Z")
[QUOTE=xanthous] Did a search for “drinking water” and came up with nothing in 4 pages of results- thought it was appropriate to post the query- thanks. [/QUOTE] I hope it didn’t sound as if I was being critical or sarcastic - I surely didn’t mean to. Rather, each of the cited threads does contain some good info, although it does take a bit of “sifting”. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/17 "2007-01-24T13:39:09Z")
Argh! I wish this bullcrap about drinking _x_ gallons of water a day would go away. You do NOT need to drink loads of water. A significant proportion of the fluid you need, you get from your food. The rest you get from other beverages. It doesn’t have to be water. I suspect that the whole thing started when someone misread the statistic about how much water the body needs _in total_, and decided that we needed to drink that much _as plain water_. If you’re thirsty, have a cup of water. But there is NO benefit whatsoever in constantly drinking water, other than the extra exercise you get from trekking to the bathroom a dozen times a day! I drink maybe two or three small cups of water a day, no sodas, and three or four cups of tea. I am not dehydrated, whatever the quacks say. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/18 "2007-01-24T14:08:57Z")
Ditto on the getting your water from food thing, and I might add that this is yet another reason to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, for they are a good source of water. Plus drinking water in gulps is less effective than sips, but when excercising or visiting the water fountain, we tend to gulp a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/19 "2007-01-24T16:49:46Z")
Other then becoming overly familiar with the restroom, are there any negatives to drinking more water then your body actually requires? Assuming no preexisting conditions, like reduced kidney function. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170/20 "2007-01-24T16:51:27Z")
[QUOTE=Tastes of Chocolate] Other then becoming overly familiar with the restroom, are there any negatives to drinking more water then your body actually requires? Assuming no preexisting conditions, like reduced kidney function. [/QUOTE] I don’t know anything specific, but I’d be willing to guess that low electrolyte levels can have negative effects even if they’re not low enough to kill you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-do-i-really-need-to-drink/389170.md?page=2)