8 Glasses of Water a day is a myth - Here's How Much You Should Drink To Stay Hydrated
We have been taught for decades that the best way to be healthy is to drink eight glasses of water every day. The Liver Doc, a qualified hepatologist named Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, claims that this advice is more myth than medicine. He discusses why the "eight glasses a day" rule isn't applicable and what you need to know about being adequately hydrated in his instagram post from May 8.
The fact that I'm writing a post for adults about when and how to drink water in 2025 is unbelievable. However, I suppose this is significant because people continue to ask me about this issue in messages, and have lost the ability to think critically. "All right," Dr. Abby captioned the photo. Let's examine his recommendations in more detail:
What does our body actually lose? Understanding fluid loss
Water is continuously lost from our bodies, even when we are at rest. The daily fluid loss for a healthy adult in a comfortable setting (20–25°C) is broken down by Dr. Abby as follows:
500 mL of urine every day, which, if the kidneys are functioning properly, aids in the removal of metabolic waste.
Stool water: around 100 milliliters daily.
The "insensible" losses from breathing and passive evaporation from the skin are about 700 mL per day.
Together, even in mild temperatures and with a sedentary lifestyle, that amounts to about 1.3 to 1.5 liters of water lost each day.
How much water should you consume?
You must replenish at least what you lose each day in order to prevent dehydration. For a resting, healthy adult:
Including beverages and water from food, the recommended daily consumption of fluids is around 1.5 liters.
Your food's moisture content accounts for around 20% of this water. Meats have a moderate water content, processed or baked items have a low water content, while fruits and vegetables have a high water content.
Factors that change your fluid needs
Heat and activity: Sweating can result in fluid loss of 0.3 to more than 2 liters per hour. To avoid severe body mass loss, the American college of sports Medicine advises consuming 0.4 to 0.8 liters of liquids for each hour of intense exercise.
Children: Depending on their age and amount of activity, children need roughly 1.3 liters of fluid per day for years 2-3 and 1.6 liters for ages 4-8.
Lactation and pregnancy: In the later trimesters of pregnancy, women need an additional 300 milliliters per day, while nursing mothers need an additional 700 milliliters per day.
Older adults: They still require two to three liters per day, but they need to be mindful of drinking enough because their renal function and perception of thirst are declining.
How much is too much?
About 0.8 to 1 liter of diluted urine can be removed per hour by healthy kidneys, which adds up to about 24 liters per day. Drinking more than one liter per hour for several hours can exceed this limit, diluting blood sodium and increasing the risk of hyponatremia, a serious disease that can induce seizures and swelling in the brain.
The fact that I'm writing a post for adults about when and how to drink water in 2025 is unbelievable. However, I suppose this is significant because people continue to ask me about this issue in messages, and have lost the ability to think critically. "All right," Dr. Abby captioned the photo. Let's examine his recommendations in more detail:
What does our body actually lose? Understanding fluid loss
Water is continuously lost from our bodies, even when we are at rest. The daily fluid loss for a healthy adult in a comfortable setting (20–25°C) is broken down by Dr. Abby as follows:
500 mL of urine every day, which, if the kidneys are functioning properly, aids in the removal of metabolic waste.
Stool water: around 100 milliliters daily.
The "insensible" losses from breathing and passive evaporation from the skin are about 700 mL per day.
Together, even in mild temperatures and with a sedentary lifestyle, that amounts to about 1.3 to 1.5 liters of water lost each day.
How much water should you consume?
You must replenish at least what you lose each day in order to prevent dehydration. For a resting, healthy adult:
Including beverages and water from food, the recommended daily consumption of fluids is around 1.5 liters.
Your food's moisture content accounts for around 20% of this water. Meats have a moderate water content, processed or baked items have a low water content, while fruits and vegetables have a high water content.
Factors that change your fluid needs
Heat and activity: Sweating can result in fluid loss of 0.3 to more than 2 liters per hour. To avoid severe body mass loss, the American college of sports Medicine advises consuming 0.4 to 0.8 liters of liquids for each hour of intense exercise.
Children: Depending on their age and amount of activity, children need roughly 1.3 liters of fluid per day for years 2-3 and 1.6 liters for ages 4-8.
Lactation and pregnancy: In the later trimesters of pregnancy, women need an additional 300 milliliters per day, while nursing mothers need an additional 700 milliliters per day.
Older adults: They still require two to three liters per day, but they need to be mindful of drinking enough because their renal function and perception of thirst are declining.
How much is too much?
About 0.8 to 1 liter of diluted urine can be removed per hour by healthy kidneys, which adds up to about 24 liters per day. Drinking more than one liter per hour for several hours can exceed this limit, diluting blood sodium and increasing the risk of hyponatremia, a serious disease that can induce seizures and swelling in the brain.