The amount of water you should drink each day varies depending on factors like your health, activity level, and environment. However, general guidelines from health authorities provide useful estimates:
- For men, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids daily.
- For women, the recommendation is about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids daily.
These totals include all fluids consumed, not just plain water, as about 20% of daily fluid intake typically comes from food and the rest from beverages like water, milk, juice, and even caffeinated drinks
The common advice to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 8 cups) is a reasonable and easy-to-remember goal but may not be sufficient for everyone, especially men or those who are very active or live in hot climates
. To estimate your individual needs, one method is to divide your weight in pounds by two to get the number of ounces of water you should drink daily. For example, a 150-pound person would aim for about 75 ounces (roughly 9 cups) of water daily
. In summary:
- Average healthy men: about 15.5 cups of fluids/day
- Average healthy women: about 11.5 cups of fluids/day
- General easy goal: about 8 cups of water/day
- Adjust intake based on activity, climate, and personal health factors
Drinking water consistently throughout the day and listening to your thirst are practical ways to stay hydrated
. This guidance covers total fluid intake from all sources, not just plain water
