Do You Drink Enough Water Each Day?

[Badger]

I learned the hard way 5-6 years ago when I became so dehydrated that I passed out in a restaurant. I was hauled away in an ambulance, spent a couple of days with IVs in both arms, and had a number of scans and lots of blood work. Embarrassed that it was dehydration. On the plus side everything checked out for brain, internal organs, and blood work. Most thorough physical I have ever had.
Now I keep hydrated with 2 32oz bottles of water every day. I also drink a 32 oz fruit smoothie. If I forget to drink enough water and start to get tired and lethargic I have a back up bottle of Biolyte for backup.

Cheers!

 

[Dtail]

Due to playing Pickleball for 4 to 5 hours daily, I do actually drink around 140 to 150 oz daily which includes 40 oz of Gatorade and does not include food.
On days that I don't play, I probably drink around 64 oz.

 

[DrRoy]

If I did, my water bill would dent my RE.

 

[eytonxav]

I've never really tracked how much I drink. I have two large cups of coffee in the morning and consume 28 oz of ice water in the morning on non-gym days, plus another cup of water for dinner. On gym days, again two cups of coffee in the morning and a protein shake (powder + water) after workout for lunch and 28 oz of water in the afternoon, followed by a cup for dinner. On days I play pickleball consume a 32 oz flask of water that is occasionally mixed with gatorade.

In general, I pee way too often if I consume more. Not sure how much I actually get, but imagine not more than 80 oz day. I have heard that drinking more can be beneficial toward controlling blood sugar.

 

[Rianne]

I drink ~ 90 - 100 oz of water a day. My Nephrologist said just sip all day, it doesn't really help to guzzle water. When we watch tennis matches, especially in 80-90 degree weather, the players sip between games. Never guzzle. I also drink during the night to stay hydrated. No matter if you're young and healthy, dehydration is serious.

 

[rk911]

Water is my drink of choice. No flavors or bubbles just plain ole tap water. No coffee or tea and only the occasional Sprite. For the last 8-weeks I've been drinking a *minimum* of 50-oz a day because I'm heading into prostate surgery next Monday and have been wearing a catheter since June 1st. Normally, I drink roughly half that amount of water daily.

 

[Dtail]

I drink ~ 90 - 100 oz of water a day. My Nephrologist said just sip all day, it doesn't really help to guzzle water. When we watch tennis matches, especially in 80-90 degree weather, the players sip between games. Never guzzle. I also drink during the night to stay hydrated. No matter if you're young and healthy, dehydration is serious.

Interesting, as I watch the Pro Pickleball players also sip between games, but don't really see what they drink when off the court and not in view of anyone.
Hard to imagine it is not a lot of fluids.

 

[Rocket Man]

I typically drink about four glasses of water per day. Probably twelve ounce size. More if I am doing things to work up a sweat, and less if I get busy with other things and forget to drink. Water is my main drink. I also drink one cup of coffee a day and occasional iced tea, but they are diuretics, so those drinks are probably counter productive if you have too much. I am sure my doctor would tell me to drink more water.

 

[Chuckanut]

I try to drink more water each day. Certain veggies when steamed seem to also be a good source of additional water. I do drink about 4 6oz cups of coffee a day, one half of which is decaf. While coffee is a diuretic, it’s not strong enough to negate most of the extra water consumed. So I’ve been told.

For a treat I open a bottle of bubbly mineral water. Sometimes, when I am feeling uppity, I put in a 1/2 shot of Campari.

 

[tmm99]

Certain veggies when steamed seem to also be a good source of additional water. .

Yeah, like the zucchini stewed in chicken bullion and Italian seasoning. Having harvested tons of zucchini, this is a good way to eat them up and add more liquid to my diet too.

 

[swakyaby]

I learned the hard way 5-6 years ago when I became so dehydrated that I passed out in a restaurant. I was hauled away in an ambulance, spent a couple of days with IVs in both arms, and had a number of scans and lots of blood work. Embarrassed that it was dehydration.

Several years ago, I was waiting for my entree to arrive at a restaurant, and a customer collapsed onto me. I was seated at a bench type seat, and the person at the next table listed over sideways and landed his head on my shoulder! I looked at his face and realized he was unconscious. I asked my shocked husband to help me lay him out on the floor, and after we did so, he slowly came to with a couple of other customers staring down at him. He explained he had had the flu earlier in the week and had not eaten anything for the past 2 days. He otherwise looked in no distress, so when the wide-eyed waitress asked if she should call an ambulance, I asked him how he felt and I then told the waitress he can forego the hospital visit. The waitress quietly faded away. He slowly returned to his table, had more water and his noodle soup, reassured me that he felt better, and exited the restaurant to go home.

I realize that was very different because the customer was ill, so it’s a bit unusual that an otherwise healthy person would be that dehydrated to pass out in a restaurant.

 

[Octothorpe]

water - not for me

I never drink water. Well, perhaps 4 - 8 ounces per month total. I drink one pot of coffee per day; hot, caffeinated, straight - no creamer or sweetener. That is 12 six ounce cups. I have been doing this for 50+ years (Currently 70 yo). I lived most of that time in TX where heat is inevitable. I guess I'm an outlier.

 

[meleana]

I drink 4 big CHEERS mugs of water every single day. 3 before each meal and one about an hour before bed.

 

[reneeh63]

I have 24 oz insulated water bottles. I use one every day, goal is to fill up three times daily, AM, at noon, at dinner. Those, plus my two cups of coffee and small glass of juice with breakfast generally put me at 90+ oz.

I find I drink water more readily if it is cold, handy and I use a straw. The insulated water bottles keep ice solid for several hours.
Weird, but it works f or me.
Attempt to keep my urine lighter yellow, but that may be TMI;-)

I get the straw thing but I've read in other forums women getting "smoker's lines" above their top lip because of using straws for most of their liquids. I've heard things like "to avoid staining my teeth" but they weren't pleased with the lines either and ended up getting a procedure to fill them in.

 

[Out_the_Door]

I'm currently clocking 45 miles a week running/hiking. I drink an average of 2 liters of water daily. I do not drink coffee, tea, juices or alcohol. I also drink water with every meal (which I just realized is not part of the 2 liter number above)

 

[cat4ever]

I go through 4-5 750 milliliter whiskey bottles of water every day, plus at least 2-3 12 ounce cans of flavored seltzer water. Adding in water I get from food I'm well over a gallon every day. I like to sing at jams and in a jazz band so I make it a point to stay well hydrated to keep my vocal cords young. I try to pretend it keeps the rest of me young and slim too, but who knows. And yes, I do get to know my bathroom very well, both day and night .

 

[badatmath]

Water is just so . . . unappealing. I am always proud of myself when I drink it. Kind of ridiculous I know.

 

[Koolau]

I drink lots of Diet Pepsi - used to be like 10 - 12 oz/day. I've cut that in half and have tired to get in about 40 to 50 oz of water (over ice.) I hate our water and only with ice is it palatable to me.



I've never been dehydrated that I know of. Strong urine is probably the first clue and mine is always weak. Electrolytes are right where they should be as well.

 

[OHjosh]

Two years ago, I had an episode where I was walking and felt totally awful. I thought it was a sugar low. I made it home and had something to eat-- then I felt nauseous. I was scared, until a little Voice inside said: "Have some water." I had probably 2- 32 oz. glasses. I felt better but TMI (?), no urine. I kept drinking. It took about two more hours before I went to the bathroom. Clearly, I was dehydrated!

It appears my body no longer tells me when I am thirsty. I have tried to be more careful since then, but there have been other, less severe episodes. Now I consciously drink water after my coffee, at lunch, and at dinner. I carry a water bottle and drink on the road. If it's hot, I drink more. I probably don't make a gallon a day, but I'm a lot closer.

The poster who thinks that he is OK if he goes to the bathroom and the color of the urine isn't too dark is in denial. Those are not foolproof signs of hydration.

 

[Flyfish1]

Good to stay hydrated - but some folks can overdo it with water intake. I had a patient who was trying to get in shape and went heavy on water intake. She collapsed due to hyponatremia and was admitted to our hospital overnight. It can and does happen.
My wife was on a water kick and my daughter and I jokingly sat her down for a " water intervention discussion" ..lol. Needless to say that didn't go over well, but it's still funny when we talk about it.

 

[NoEZmoney]

Water is Life!

Many years ago I was working with a medical documentary producer who had been commissioned to explore longevity and health. We filmed/interviewed several folks who were aged 95+, some even over 100. What struck me was how more alert and younger they appeared as they looked and acted more like 70 yr olds. Almost everyone said they would drink 2 glasses of water when they got out of bed in the morning thirsty or not. They said they had friends who would "forget" to stay hydrated and would wind up in ICU.

My DW's grandfather was like this as we had to run him to ER on 3 occasions to get IV fluids because he wouldn't remember to drink enough water. I bought him a Brita pitcher and made a Sharpie mark level to help him remember how much he'd need to drink by noon.

Keep in mind that older folks often have a number of meds that can affect thirst response and hydration. I drink plenty of water, two glasses when I wake up to help flush things out, plump up the veins, etc. Probably 8 to 10 glasses a day plus coffee.

 

[imjustawarrior]

I think my record for one day was about 5 gallons of water. When I was at the National Training Center (Mojave Desert, see profile picture from 1989), the last three days I was on cleanup detail. They would drop us off in the morning and pick us up in the evening. We would walk all day picking up garbage, cleaning up oil spills, and filling in fox holes. There was no shade and it was 108F in April. It was hot and dry. I grew up working in the heat, so I am good at drinking large quantities of water.

Now that I am much older, I always start my day with a quart of water. I can drink it in one drink. I live in a dry climate, so I lose a lot of water at night. I try to drink 1 gallon of water every day. When working outside, it is a lot more.

 

[pacergal]

I get the straw thing but I've read in other forums women getting "smoker's lines" above their top lip because of using straws for most of their liquids. I've heard things like "to avoid staining my teeth" but they weren't pleased with the lines either and ended up getting a procedure to fill them in.

I've heard that too, but not concerned.
If I get tired of plain water I will add a slice of lemon or lime, or any fruit to my water bottle. I have also discovered "hint" flavored water. I do have a bottle that has a small metal basket for steeping tea, I will frequently add fruit and steep during the night. It's cheaper than the hint.

 

[Chuckanut]

I have started drinking more milk every day.

It does three great things aging bodies need;

1. Hydration
2. More quality protein
3. A natural source of calcium. No need to eat ground up rocks.

It also makes me feel young again. Cookies and milk with the grands is fun. ( Note: I do limit the sugary cookies. )

 

[schellem]

Some years back we never heard about this hydration thing, we drank when we were thirsty, it's a normal bodily function. Then they started selling bottled water.