{"id":4867,"date":"2022-08-25T11:33:29","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T18:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/?p=4867"},"modified":"2025-06-24T12:21:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T19:21:04","slug":"forget-8-glasses-try-15-5-cups-of-water-per-day-debunking-the-rule-youve-been-drinking-up-your-whole-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/forget-8-glasses-try-15-5-cups-of-water-per-day-debunking-the-rule-youve-been-drinking-up-your-whole-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget 8 glasses. Try 15.5 cups of water per day. Debunking the rule you’ve been drinking up your whole life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We all know proper hydration<\/a> is essential for our health, but since every body is different, figuring out how to hydrate can be confusing. For example, who says 8 glasses a day is actually what you need? And could chugging too much water be bad for you? If so, how much is too much? Read on as board-certified dermatologist Dendy Engelman<\/a>, MD answers all: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does hydration work? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you remember that the human body is comprised of 60 percent water, the importance of internal hydration becomes a no-brainer. But most of us without a medical degree don\u2019t know much beyond the mere fact that drinking water is good for us. \u201cWe need water for our cells to function properly, receive nutrients and flush away toxins,\u201d Dr. Engelman explains. \u201cInternal hydration aids digestion, circulates blood flow, carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells and regulates kidneys.\u201d So, if you\u2019ve ever been told to drink water to cure what ails you, there may actually be some truth to that. Proper water intake helps us regulate our temperatures and has even been researched<\/a> for its role in staving off migraines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do I really need 8 glasses a day? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe right amount of water for you depends on external factors including, weight, height, sex, daily activity levels and dietary choices,\u201d Dr. Engelman says. “However, the general consensus among expert is that a healthy amount of water per day is about 15.5 cups for men and 11.5 cups for women.\u201d And not just water from your faucet. Water-dense foods<\/a> and beverages that contain water all add up to your daily hydration goal\u2014in addition to giving your body vitamins and minerals necessary for function. \u201cWater-rich foods in your diet, such as berries, apples, watermelon, cucumber, broccoli and zucchini, are not only hydrating, but they also have ample nutrients to promote natural cell growth, skin defense and overall barrier health.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internal hydration doesn\u2019t necessarily equal luminous skin.  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Is it good for you? Absolutely. Will it keep plump your skin? Maybe not. Celebs and skincare influencers touting water intake as their best kept complexion secret isn\u2019t a new phenomena, but it\u2019s time to finally put this misconception to rest. \u201cUnless you were severely dehydrated, drinking water doesn\u2019t typically affect the level of hydration in the skin,\u201d Dr. Engelman says. \u201cI have patients with oily skin<\/a> who barely drink any water and I have patients with severely dehydrated<\/a>, dry skin who drink gallons a day.\u201d If you\u2019re looking to increase hydration<\/a> in your skin, you\u2019re going to want to take a different approach. Dr. Engleman recommends focusing on preventing trans-epidermal water loss and \u201cadding hydration<\/a> into the skin when we are trending towards dryness.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to spot dehydrated skin (and nip it in the bud).  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSymptoms of skin dehydration include itchiness, flaking or cracked skin, more prominent fine lines<\/a> and dark circles, dullness and increased sensitivity,\u201d Dr. Engelman says, explaining that hydrated skin will appear plump, youthful<\/a> and slightly glowy. \u201cYou can utilize the pinch test as well: Give your cheek a slight pinch and if it bounces back immediately, your skin is properly hydrated.\u201d You can help keep your skin hydrated<\/a> by using topical products that act as humectants (attracts moisture), occlusives (traps moisture) and emollients (softens) in your daily morning and evening skin routines. Yep, it\u2019s that simple.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

References for this information: <\/strong>
National Library of Medicine, January 2019<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Murad, and are for informational purposes only, even if the advice of physicians and medical practitioners are included. This article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and should not be considered specific medical advice.\u202f<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We all know proper hydration is essential for our health, but since every body is different, figuring out how to hydrate can be confusing. For example, who says 8 glasses a day is actually what you need? And could chugging too much water be bad for you? If so, how much is too much? Read on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-body","category-food"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1750792865:21"],"_edit_last":["21"],"adobe_analytics_repeatable":["a:1:{i:0;a:2:{s:4:\"name\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"value\";s:0:\"\";}}"],"show_featured_image":["1"],"_show_featured_image":["field_609ee1cf1ce13"],"primary_category":["4"],"_primary_category":["field_608c33bdd26d5"],"mobile_image":[""],"_mobile_image":["field_60bf7692abe28"],"_post_views_count":["field_6107dfafd6a27"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["3"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["4"],"_thumbnail_id":["4859"],"_wp_old_date":["2022-08-24"],"post_views_count":["5751"],"sidebar_products_use_global_default":["0"],"_sidebar_products_use_global_default":["field_63a349a11086a"],"sidebar_products_title":["Related Products"],"_sidebar_products_title":["field_6408d62123449"],"sidebar_products_items":[""],"_sidebar_products_items":["field_63a349a110878"],"sidebar_products":[""],"_sidebar_products":["field_63a349a0dadad"],"_yoast_wpseo_title":["How much water do you need to drink everyday? | Murad Skincare"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["Forget 8 glasses! Learn the real daily water intake. Debunking hydration myths for better health and skin. Stay properly hydrated!"]},"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":{"show_featured_image":true,"primary_category":{"term_id":4,"name":"Body","slug":"body","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":63,"filter":"raw"},"mobile_image":false,"post_views_count":"5751","sidebar_products":{"use_global_default":false,"title":"Related Products","items":""}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4867"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13496,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4867\/revisions\/13496"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/4859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}