You may have heard that you should aim to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. How much you should actually drink is more individualized than you might think.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends that men drink at least 101 ounces of water per day, which is a little under 13 cups. They say women should drink at least 74 ounces, which is a little over 9 cups.
Still, the answer to exactly how much water you should drink isn’t so simple.
Water recommendations
While the eight glasses rule is a good start, it isn’t based on solid, well-researched information.
Your body weight is made up of 60 percent water. Every system in your body needs water to function. Your recommended intake is based on factors including your sex, age, activity level, and others, such as if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
Adults
The current IOM recommendation for people ages 19 and older is around 131 ounces for men and 95 ounces for women. This refers to your overall fluid intake per day, including anything you eat or drink that contains water, like fruits or vegetables.
Of this total, men should get around 13 cups from beverages. For women, it’s 9 cups.
Children
Recommendations for kids have a lot to do with age.
Girls and boys between 4 and 8 years old should drink 40 ounces per day, or 5 cups.
This amount increases to 56–64 ounces, or 7–8 cups, by ages 9 to 13 years.
For ages 14 to 18, the recommended water intake is 64–88 ounces, or 8–11 cups.
Women of reproductive age
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