Water/hydration

[karen2205]

I'm sure I've rambled about this before, but I've never managed to come up with a good answer to the question of "how much water do I need to drink to stay hydrated?" that's founded on decent science.

Points made include:

'8 glasses of water a day' = 2 pints or so. [More is needed in hot weather, I know]
'coffee + tea + other caffeine containing drinks don't count 'cos they're dehydrating' - how does one make up for this? Do they simply 'not count' or does one drink additional water, on top of the 2 pints, to make for them?
'there's lots of water in some fruit and veg' - can this be deducted from the '8 glasses'?
'thirst isn't a reliable indicator of dehydration, by the time you're thirsty you're already 2% dehydrated'
'urine should be pale & copious'

What points am I missing? How do I coordinate them all into a nice, easy to apply strategy for drinking enough water?

Comments

[diffrentcolours]

I have a 75cl bottle on my desk which I always keep full of water, and drink whenever it occurs to me to do so (which may or may not be related to thirst). Simple, and works for me.

[karen2205]

I carry a 750ml bottle of water with me wherever I go. At work I get fed coffee 4-5 times per day and don't feel thirsty/otherwise enclined to drink except during the summer.