- Sat Sep 03, 2011 4:01 am
#16871
It seems like that "fact" is everywhere: everyone needs to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Well, do you really need to drink 8 glasses of water a day?
Scientists and doctors say "no." The human body is actually capable of surviving just fine on the small amounts of water found in food. Of course, that doesn't mean that your body is performing optimally--just that it's surviving. At living in a hot, dry climate means that you need more water. Even living in a cold dry climate means you need more water, because water evaporates through your skin when there air is dry.
Of course if you exercise heavily or sweat a lot for whatever reason, you will probably need more than 8 glasses of water a day to keep everything functioning well. Remember, dehydration can cause confusion, feeling faint, dizziness, feeling sick to your stomach, vomiting, fainting, and even death if it gets too severe, so it would be better to drink a little extra rather than not enough.
Having extra water in your body helps flush out the toxins and acids that are the waste products of cell metabolism. You are likely to feel more limber and energetic, with less muscle soreness, when you drink a lot of water. Your skin will look plumper and more youthful, as well as clearer, if you drink plenty of water.
But the amount is different for everyone, and isn't always automatically 8 glasses of water a day!
Scientists and doctors say "no." The human body is actually capable of surviving just fine on the small amounts of water found in food. Of course, that doesn't mean that your body is performing optimally--just that it's surviving. At living in a hot, dry climate means that you need more water. Even living in a cold dry climate means you need more water, because water evaporates through your skin when there air is dry.
Of course if you exercise heavily or sweat a lot for whatever reason, you will probably need more than 8 glasses of water a day to keep everything functioning well. Remember, dehydration can cause confusion, feeling faint, dizziness, feeling sick to your stomach, vomiting, fainting, and even death if it gets too severe, so it would be better to drink a little extra rather than not enough.
Having extra water in your body helps flush out the toxins and acids that are the waste products of cell metabolism. You are likely to feel more limber and energetic, with less muscle soreness, when you drink a lot of water. Your skin will look plumper and more youthful, as well as clearer, if you drink plenty of water.
But the amount is different for everyone, and isn't always automatically 8 glasses of water a day!
