Is it True: We need 8 glass of water a day?

Eat your water
You don't always have to sip to stay hydrated. Experts say that 20 percent (or 2-1/2 cups) of the water we ingest comes from the foods we eat. Choosing the right water-rich fruits and vegetables will also add nutrients to your diet, fill you up, and may even give some oomph to your exercise.

Fruits like strawberries, cantaloupes, and peaches are packed full of water and potassium, which is the electrolyte shed when your body sweats. Adding more to your daily diet will help balance the fluids your body needs, regulate your heartbeat and circulation, and tastes better than chugging an energy drink.

Count other drinks besides water as fluids
It's OK to include other drinks when you're measuring how many fluids you take in per day. However, that isn't a license to subsist on soda, coffee, and sugary drinks. Although caffeine in soda and coffee won't dehydrate you, they shouldn't be used to quench thirst or as a substitute for water. Add them to your fluid tally, but do reach for water more often than you pop open a can of bubbly stuff.

People who imbibe, particularly wine and hard liquors, should also be aware that those drinks with a high alcohol content can be dehydrating. Beer, however, is less dehydrating because it is predominantly water. Drinking a glass of water before and after alcohol can't hurt fluid intake or the chances of avoiding a headache the next day.

Don't get sucked in to the sports drink hype
The risks of hyponatremia are steep, but take the hype about over-hydrating with a grain of salt. The multi-billion-dollar sports drink industry has pushed the idea that most people need more than water when they are active. However, some experts say that most people don't need a lot of sports beverages, and that they often just add calories to diets. The CDC recommends choosing sports drinks that do not have added sugar, which can total 38 grams in just one bottle.
 
Don't overdo it
The debate about how much water we really need to be drinking is centered around the risk of hyponatremia, or taking in more fluid that the body loses while sweating. It is a serious condition that occurs when there is not enough sodium (or salt) in the body fluids outside of the cells. This can cause swelling, including of the brain. Hyponatremia happens when a person sweats excessively in one stint, does not eat, does not urinate enough, and drinks a great deal of water. Symptoms include confusion, headaches, muscle spasms, vomiting, convulsions, and fatigue. In the worst cases, hyponatremia can lead to seizures, coma, and even death. 

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