The amount of water you should drink daily varies based on factors such as age, sex, activity level, climate, and overall health. Here are general guidelines from reputable sources:
- For healthy adult men, the average daily water intake recommended is about 13 cups (approximately 3 liters or 104 ounces) of fluids per day.
- For healthy adult women, the recommendation is about 9 cups (approximately 2.2 liters or 72 ounces) of fluids per day.
- These amounts include all fluids consumed, including water, other beverages (tea, coffee, milk), and water contained in food like fruits and vegetables.
- Children and teenagers need less, with amounts increasing by age: for example, children 4-8 years old need about 5 cups, and teenagers 14-18 years old need 8-11 cups daily.
- Pregnant women should aim for about 10 cups (80 ounces) daily, and breastfeeding women about 13 cups (104 ounces).
- People who exercise heavily, live in hot climates, or have certain health conditions may need to increase their intake accordingly.
A simple rule of thumb sometimes used is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily (e.g., a 200 lb person would aim for about 100 ounces), but this can vary with activity and environment. The traditional "eight 8-ounce glasses" (about 2 liters) is a reasonable baseline but may not suit everyone’s needs. In summary, aim for roughly 2 to 3 liters (8 to 13 cups) of fluids daily for adults, adjusting for your personal factors like activity level, climate, and health status