Dehydration can be a very dangerous affliction, and that is why it is important to know how much water to drink every day.
Dehydration is the loss of water from our body but it is also much more than that. By not retaining enough water we also ensure that our bodies do not have the required intake of natural blood salts, such as potassium.
Dehydration is vital to the proper functioning of our heart, brain kidneys and liver as well as other organs. Sweating is the body's way of trying to keep us to a healthy temperature of 37 degrees, but when we sweat we lose fluids and blood salts. In order to reintroduce these substances back into our body we need to know how much water to drink every day but is it really that simple a question to answer?
The quick answer is no. Nothing is ever black and white, especially when it comes to our bodies. For a perfectly healthy adult, the 8 glasses of water rule is a good one to stick to. However, strenuous exercise, certain illnesses, pregnancy and other factors greatly effect the amount of water our bodies should be receiving. So, knowing how much water to drink every day isn't necessarily the only question we have to answer. What is most important is that we drink water regularly. It's also important to remember that if we do exercise we should drink water before we exercise as well as after.
Programs and even TV adverts tell us that 8 glasses of water is the recommended amount, and to some extent this is certainly true., but there are other factors we must take into account. In a perfectly healthy and active (bot not too active) adult, our perception of thirst tells us when we need more fluids but when we start to dehydrate our perception of thirst is greatly altered and so a recommended intake of at least 8 glasses of water a day is a good general guide of how much water to drink.
Have a look at our advice on how much water to drink, or have a look at our How Much Water To Drink Resources section, which gives links to sites with further information.