Water: Conventional Wisdom, Misinformation, and Best Practices

Water, water everywhere, how many drops to drink?

This paraphrase of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” may seem silly, but it illustrates a worthwhile question: How much water should we drink every day?

We are surrounded by misinformation about water: everything from being told to drink at least eight glasses every day to combating dehydration during a workout by keeping an ample supply on hand. Simply put, we’re being told all the time by health experts that we’re not drinking near enough water to stay healthy.

There are several myths about water that have been dispelled and that may …read more