We all know that drinking water is good for us. If you are feeling tired, have some water. Have a dry skin? Have some water. Have a dry throat? Have some water. It is almost like water is the fix to all our issues. May be it is, but not always. So, are we sometimes drinking more water than necessary? What happens then?

Many say that there is an 8x8 rule one must follow when it comes to drinking water.

What is the 8x8 drinking water rule?

Many believe that in the 8x8 rule, eight 240ml glasses of water per day adds up to almost 2 liters. However, it is not in the guidelines in both the UK and the EU health advisory. None of them recommends this specific amount.

So, where did it origin from?

The origins of this rule seem to come from misinterpreted advice given decades ago. In 1945, a US advisory board suggested adults should consume one milliliter of fluid per calorie of food, totaling about two liters for women and 2.5 liters for men. Importantly, this included all drinks and even water-rich foods like fruits and vegetables.

A later book in 1974 recommended six to eight glasses of water daily but also noted that coffee, tea, and even beer could count towards hydration. Yet, the idea of drinking two liters of plain water daily took hold and has persisted ever since.

How Much Water Do We Really Need?

As per experts, drinking 8 glasses of water a day may be unnecessary and the research estimates that the actual requirement is around 1.5 to 1.8 liters per day. This not only includes water, but all kinds of fluids from all sources that we may consume in a day.

Also, studies show that instead of following a rigid routine, what is best is to focus on factors like temperature, physical activity and health conditions for your water intake. Those in hot and humid climate, high altitudes or pregnant or breastfeeding, and athletes may require more water. Whereas those in cooler areas, with a more sedentary lifestyle won't. However, for the average person, thirst is a more reliable guide than any fixed rule.

ALSO READ: What Happens When You Drink Too Much Water?

Science of Hydration and Dangers Of Over hydration:

Water is necessary to transport nutrients, control temperature, and keep organs functioning. We lose water through sweat, urine, and respiration, so staying hydrated is critical. However, dehydration develops only when the body loses 1-2% of its total water content.

A widespread myth is that feeling thirsty indicates that you are already severely dehydrated. Experts argue that thirst is an excellent evolutionary mechanism that ensures us drink when we need to. The body also produces hormones that aid in water conservation when necessary.

Drinking More Water Than Needed:

While drinking too much water is generally harmless, it can cause hyponatremia, a condition in which salt levels in the blood become dangerously low. This can result in brain enlargement, disorientation, convulsions, and, in extreme cases, death.

There have been reports of athletes overhydrating during endurance races, resulting in significant difficulties. Experts caution that simply following hydration myths might be dangerous, stating that thirst remains the greatest signal of when to drink.

As the United States gears up for festive summer gatherings and red-white-and-blue desserts ahead of the Fourth of July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a high-alert warning for one holiday staple—organic blueberries.

12,000 Pounds of Berries Recalled

On Tuesday, the FDA announced a recall involving 12,000 pounds of organic bulk blueberries distributed by Alma Pak International LLC, a company based in Alma, Georgia. The berries, according to the agency, tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially dangerous bacteria known to cause foodborne illness.

“During routine testing, the firm received positive test results of Listeria monocytogenes on their finished product,” the FDA said in its official notice. The blueberries were reportedly shipped to a single customer in North Carolina, although the agency did not clarify whether that customer was a retailer, distributor, or foodservice business.

The recalled products include:

Product: Organic Bulk Blueberries

Lot Numbers: 13325 G1060 and 13325 G1096

Quantity: 400 boxes weighing 30 pounds each

Recalling Firm: Alma Pak International LLC, Alma, GA

While the recall was first initiated on June 9, it wasn’t until this week that the FDA categorized it as a Class I recall—the most severe classification. Class I recalls are reserved for situations in which there is a reasonable probability that the product will cause serious health consequences or even death.

Listeria Concerns Continue to Rise

This incident is part of a broader trend in recent months, with Listeria monocytogenes making frequent appearances in food safety recalls. Just this year, products like shrimp, pasta, and cheese have been pulled from shelves over similar contamination concerns.

Listeria infection, or Listeriosis, is particularly risky for vulnerable populations such as pregnant people, older adults, and individuals with weakened immune systems. According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, and diarrhea. In more severe cases, Listeriosis can lead to complications such as meningitis or miscarriage.

Food Safety in Summer

Food poisoning incidents tend to spike in the summer, largely because perishable items are often left unrefrigerated for long periods during picnics and barbecues. With blueberries often used in patriotic-themed desserts and salads, this recall serves as a timely reminder to double-check product labels and lot numbers.

If you’re uncertain about the origins of berries at your upcoming holiday gathering, experts advise erring on the side of caution. “When in doubt, leave it out,” remains sound food safety advice—especially when vulnerable guests are involved.

As of now, no illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalled blueberries. Consumers are encouraged to monitor FDA announcements for further updates and to discard or return any product that may be part of the affected lot.

The connection between your plate and your pillow might be stronger than you think. While most sleep advice focuses on screen time, stress levels, and bedtime routines, a growing body of research suggests that what you eat—particularly before bed—can significantly affect not only how well you sleep but even the kinds of dreams you have. And in a surprising twist, one of the biggest culprits might be sitting in your refrigerator: dairy.

From cheesy nightmarish tales of yore to contemporary arguments over late-night munching, the question lingers: Do dinner plates actually control dreams? A recent study released in Frontiers in Psychology brings new evidence to this classic question, with a look at how dairy and other food influences sleep quality and dream patterns, particularly in young adults.

In one recent study with more than 1,000 college-age subjects from Canada's MacEwan University, researchers discovered that 40.2% of those surveyed said their diet had a noticeable effect on the way they slept. Even more specifically, roughly 25% indicated certain foods made their sleep worse, and almost 20% said other foods improved their sleep. As far as nightmares went, desserts and dairy had the highest guilty ratings—sweets were responsible for 31% of nightmare complaints, and dairy wasn't far behind with 22%.

Significantly, these were not solitary findings. Individuals with documented food sensitivities, especially lactose intolerance, experienced greater quantities of gastrointestinal symptoms that appeared to correlate with poor sleep and more frequent nightmares. The worse the gastrointestinal symptoms, the worse the nightmares in terms of how distressing and vivid.

Why Dairy Might Be Wreaking Havoc at Night?

So, what’s the science behind this? According to Dr. Tore Nielsen, lead researcher and professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal, there’s a likely explanation rooted in how our bodies respond to dairy. For individuals with lactose intolerance, consuming milk, cheese, or yogurt can trigger bloating, cramping, gas, and indigestion—symptoms that don’t magically disappear once you’re asleep.

When the body is working through gastrointestinal upset during the night, it can contribute to restlessness during sleep, lighter sleep stages, and more frequent awakenings—all of which have been proven to increase dream recall and vividness. This, in turn, can make bad dreams or nightmares more real and memorable. Anxiety, another frequent reaction to discomfort caused by food, is perhaps also responsible for the rise in bad dreams among participants.

When participants were asked about foods most frequently associated with bad sleep, desserts and sweets, spicy food, and milk, yogurt, and cheese ranked atop the list. In contrast, fruits, herbal teas, and vegetables were most frequently attributed to improved sleep.

The most interesting part of the study, however, was its examination of dreams. 5.5% of the participants reported that food impacted their dre

The notion that food influences dreams is not novel. A 2015 study, for instance, discovered anecdotal evidence that cheese and other dairy foods were associated with unusual or vivid dreams. That said, this newer research is the first to explicitly investigate the mechanisms behind such effects, hypothesizing lactose intolerance as a potential trigger, as opposed to dairy per se.

Even so, professionals are hesitant to make decisive conclusions. The subjects for the study were all psychology students—potentially introducing bias by way of their educational experience with sleep and dream research. In addition, the information was self-reported, which is always likely to bias findings. Even so, however, despite these shortcomings, the relationship between food-based symptoms and disrupted sleeping patterns is an intriguing argument for further research.

Foods That Help or Harm Sleep

Though most frequently accused of causing nightmares and bad sleep were sweets and dairy, other foods had beneficial influences. Participants attributed fruits, herbal teas such as chamomile and lemon balm, and vegetables to improved quality of sleep. These are less demanding on digestion and may induce relaxation, which can facilitate healthy sleep patterns and better dreams.

Conversely, spicy foods, saturated and salty foods (such as pizza, burgers, and fried chicken), and caffeinated or sweet beverages were also found to be linked to disturbed sleep and worse dream experiences.

Although dairy has been the main event in this research, it wasn't the sole food group linked to bad sleep or nightmares. Spicy meals and sweet desserts were also frequently culprits. Such foods have the potential to raise core body temperature, interfere with digestion, or cause a spike in blood sugar—each of which can affect how restful you sleep and how often you wake at night.

Conversely, participants reported improved sleep quality with the consumption of herbal teas, fruits, and vegetables. These findings align with existing nutritional science, which supports a plant-forward, low-inflammatory diet for optimal sleep.

How to Eat for Better Sleep and Dreams?

If you're having unusual or disturbing dreams and suspect that your diet is involved, the answer isn't necessarily to eliminate dairy foods altogether. Rather, you can try it as an experiment in personal health and sleep cleanliness. Although the science is continuing to develop, there are evidence-based measures that you can take in order to reduce the likelihood of food-related sleep disturbances and nightmares:

• Have dinner 2 to 3 hours before going to bed so that your body has time to digest.
• Don't eat spicy foods, drink alcohol, or consume caffeine near bedtime, as they will interfere with sleep.
• Don't overdo fast foods and foods with saturated fat and salt at night.
• Make meals balanced with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates—satisfying, but not too full.
• Select simple-to-digest bedtime snacks like nut butter and fruit, trail mix, or hummus with crackers or vegetables.
• Maintain a food and sleep diary to monitor patterns between what you consume, your nighttime dreams, and your quality of sleep.
• Drink water or non-caffeinated herbal teas to stay hydrated, but avoid sugary or carbonated beverages in the evening hours.

While there is still much we don't know about the connection between food, sleep, and dreaming, preliminary research indicates that what you're eating before bedtime is influencing your dream life more than you may want to think. So next time you grab that late-night cheese plate or cone of ice cream, think about more than just your stomach but your subconscious.

If you have seen people fulfilling their supplement needs through injections and you are wondering how does it all work out, then you landed at the right page.

This process is called IV therapy or Intravenous Vitamin therapy. It is also known as intravenous micronutrient therapy and hydration therapy. It is a way to give high concentrations of vitamins and minerals directly into the bloodstream, allowing rapid absorption of higher doses of the vitamins and minerals than if the person got them through food or supplements.

How Does It Work?

These liquids are delivered through a small tube which is inserted into a vein.

The infusion usually takes from 20 to 60 minutes, and it depends on the volume of the cocktail and the size of person's veins.

IV vitamin therapy is usually a very popular therapy among celebrities.

The Myers' Cocktail

A 2022 study, published in the Alternative Medicine Review: A Journal of Clinical Therapeutic notes about the work of late John Myer, MD and the author who has used an intravenous vitamin and mineral formula for the treatment of wide range of clinical conditions.

The Myers' formula was created in the 1970s and this formula is known as the Myers' Cocktail, which contains:

• Magnesium
• Calcium
• B Vitamins
• Vitamin C

The Myers' Cocktail has found to be effective against acute asthma attacks, migraines, fatigue,fibromyalgia, acute muscle spasm, upper respiratory tract infections, chronic sinusitis, seasonal allergic rhinitis, cardiovascular disease, and other disorders.

However, not all studies second this claim. A more recent study done in 2023, published in journal Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin notes that while there are claims that the Myers' Cocktail can reduce stress, increase energy, or boost immunity, there is lack of high quality evidence that suggests that high dose vitamin infusions are necessary or offer any health benefit.

In fact, the study suggests that there may be harms from taking high quantities of some vitamins and minerals. This means if your body already has enough of those vitamins and you consume it through IV therapy, it may actually put your health at risk.

What Are The Risks?

The risks include blood clots, infections, and nutrient overdose. To understand the risks better and to find the answer to the question of whether IV therapy is actually needed and is better than consuming nutrients through food or medicines, the Health and Me team spoke to doctors specialising in Internal Medicines. Here's what they said.

Dr Shrey Kumar Srivastav, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine at Sharda Hospital says that while there is no standard frequency for IV therapy in healthy individuals, "frequent or routine use can cause vitamin toxicity or electrolyte imbalances."

The doctor also debunks the claim that IV supplements are better than the vitamins one consumes through food. "Supplements taken orally or through food are typically safer, more sustainable, and sufficient for most people," he explains.

He further adds that IV supplements are not superior to food or oral supplements for general wellness or weight loss. "The growing trend of using IV injections for cosmetic or slimming purposes is risky, unregulated, and can be fatal."