Drinking enough water is crucial to living a healthy life and preventing dehydration but it doesn't have to be 8 glasses of water. The NHS recommends 6-8 glasses a day (1.2 litres) whereas in America they recommend 8 x 8oz glasses a day (1.9 litres). I think it's safe to say that 6 glasses a day is sufficient as I don't see people keeling over in the streets from dehydration due to missing out on 2 extra glasses

Obviously if you live a very active lifestyle, such as regular workouts or an active job, you'll need more as you'll be losing more through sweat.
However, as lardylady said above, your water intake can come from food as well as drinking water. The majority of fruit and vegetables are between about 85% - 97% water and your body is extremely good at extracting this water and using it as required. I've certainly noticed that after eating a bowl full of melon I need the bathroom a lot sooner than I would if I had a sandwich or something as the melon has provided my body with the water it needs (and then some!). I don't think I would benefit from drinking 2 glasses of water after that 'just because'. Your body is designed to tell you when it needs water and certainly keeping it topped up is a good thing but I don't think forcing yourself to consume something when you don't really need it is necessary at all. I mean, that's how I ended up on Slimming World
If you drink too much water it can also have negative effects, such as headaches and it can lower metabolism. So...after all that, I don't believe that there is an amount that you 'should' be drinking. If you drink what you need, you'll be fine. I've never worried about how many glasses of water to drink a day and I've never had any health problems, my skin is in excellent condition and my mental concentration is fine. I do only drink tap water though, I studied mineral / spring water at Uni and it is nasty stuff in comparison. :sign0137:
These are just my opinions though, do what works for you
