I Drank Eight 8-ounce Glasses of Water a Day for 4 Weeks, and This Is What Happened

For years, we've all heard the advice about drinking eight, 8-ounce glasses of water every day. It's apparently life-changing. I'd never managed to get in that amount of water, except maybe on days when it's really hot and I've been really thirsty. In any case, I never kept track. I'm old-school and only drink when I'm thirsty. But I kind of wonder if I shouldn't get more water every day, so—though recent studies have found that so much water isn't always necessary—I decided to give it a try. For the last four weeks, I upped my water intake (most days) to meet the requirement.

Before starting, I set myself up with the right equipment: an insulated water bottle that holds 16 ounces of water (I just had to drink 4 of those!). I also got a pitcher with a filter, so I could keep water cold and tasty in the fridge.

I also downloaded an app so that I could keep track of every finished round. Otherwise, there was no way I'd remember how much I was getting.

The first day was miserable. Actually, the first several days were. If you're not used to drinking this much water—and it really is quite a lot—you may feel a bit bloated getting in every ounce. In fact, the last 16 ounces every day were the worst. I had to force myself to finish and often I'd go lay down afterward.

The app started being a pain, too. So, instead, I just kept track on Post-It notes, which worked well enough. I could keep it next to my computer, where I did most of my drinking, or slide it into my jeans pocket if I was going to be away (or on weekends).

It's not that surprising, but I was peeing constantly. What goes in must come out.

Also, at some point, my pee got pretty clear. That was kind of how I knew I wasn't really hydrating well in the first place. Fun fact: The less hydrated you are, the more yellow your pee is. Clearer (but not completely clear!) pee is a good thing.

Another thing that got clear was my skin. All the beauty magazines recommended the "8/8 water per day" thing to look better, which always sounded suspect. But my skin looked less red and I had fewer breakouts. It also seemed, overall, less oily.

Maybe it was all in my head, but I could swear my skin looked plumper, too. Not water-bloated or anything, just rested and like lines were filled in a bit more. My eyes seemed less puffy, too, when I woke up.

The darkness under my eyes cleared up, too. I feel as though I can't credit the water for that. Maybe I was getting more sleep. With all the lying down with my bloated belly and everything, it's possible I was just getting more sleep.

I never thought of myself as dehydrated, but after a couple of weeks drinking all the water, I felt as if my brain worked better. My memory improved, at least I think it did. And I felt more clear-headed. Again, it could have been the sleep, but surely the water had something to do with it.

But, listen, the bloat. Eight glasses of water a day actually is a lot. And you really feel it, especially at first. And somewhere in the middle. In fact, if I didn't pace myself throughout the day, I'd often feel bloated by the end. I hated that feeling.

An unexpected side effect of upping my water intake was that I lost a few pounds (this, despite the bloat!). Apparently, some studies found that increased water intake spiked my metabolism. But I suspect that I felt too full to snack mindlessly and benefited from the full belly bloat.

I also stopped getting headaches in the heat, which is common for me. There are a lot of causes of headaches, so I'm not claiming water is a miracle drug. But a couple of reasons for headaches are fatigue, which is often caused by dehydration. And also dehydration. Water took care of both of those potential headache triggers for me.

Around Week 3 (I know! That's around 20 days of this!), I stopped feeling so bloated. I don't know if my body just adjusted to the daily deluge or if I found a better schedule for drinking so much water. But I stopped feeling super totally bloated.

I also drove my family a little crazy. I talked about drinking water all the time. I also lost track of my water bottle with some frequency, and obsessed about it getting cleaned and filled. I pushed water on them all the time, too.

The water replaced a ton of coffee in my daily life, too. While I still had my cup every morning, I stopped having much more throughout the day. I'm not sure why the coffee drinking tapered. I had enough energy to get me through the day, didn't feel that afternoon slump and, on some level, probably dreaded the idea of adding even more liquids.

Also, I drank a lot less alcohol. Not that I was a big drinker in the first place, but again, who's got room for that much more liquid?

Now, I don't know if I was just looking for reasons to appreciate my new watery lifestyle, but I could swear that I started sleeping better. Not at first, since I often woke in the middle of the night with a full bladder. But the water, the increased energy and the general good feeling that I eventually had around Week 3 was also underscored by pretty decent sleep.

In the end, I never could totally kick the bloated, full-to-a-little-sick feeling that I often had in my stomach. So, after day 28 (the end of Week 4), I cut back to six 8-ounce glasses every day. I still felt energetic, my skin maintained its glow, but I didn't feel bloated any longer. So, that's where I'm keeping it. Sure, I'll never limit the amount of water I drink. But if I'm pushing myself, I know I can stop at glass six and still get whatever benefits I uncovered with eight glasses. Balance is the best strategy. Let's all drink to that!