Most of us don’t drink enough water every day and there are plenty of benefits to making sure you are well-hydrated. Eight glasses of water a day is the right amount for some people, but depending on your weight and age, you may need more. The medical research center at the Mayo Clinic devised a formula to help you to come up with your own optimal daily water consumption amount: divide your weight by 2.2. Multiply that number by your age. Finally, divide that sum by 28.3. For example, if you weigh 170 pound and are 50 years old, you should consume 136 ounces of water each day which equals 17 eight ounce cups. This may seem like a lot of water, but remember that coffee, juice, and the water in fruits and vegetables also count towards this amount. Coffee does not cause dehydration, but drinking alcohol will dehydrate your body.