Drinking water - how much?

[Ronstar]

I've had a few doctors tell me to drink more water. But I don't remember if they told me how much to drink.

I usually don't drink more than 20 oz of water a day.

How many ounces of water do the folks here average per day? I saw online that men should drink 125 ounces and women should drink 91.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

Plain water, a few pints to a half gallon most days. Add in coffee, teas, and other non-alcoholic beverages and I'm probably pushing 1.5-2 gallons. Florida climate and pretty active. I've been upping the ratio of plain water to the other stuff recently as it's probably healthier.

 

[latexman]

DWs Cardiologist PA just told her yesterday to aim for 6 to 8 cups (48 to 64 oz.) of liquids/water each day.

They don’t want her to have too little (kidney problems) or too much (fluid retention) fluids.

 

[Eucerin]

I've had a few doctors tell me to drink more water. But I don't remember if they told me how much to drink.

I usually don't drink more than 20 oz of water a day.

How many ounces of water do the folks here average per day? I saw online that men should drink 125 ounces and women should drink 91.

It depends on the age and size of individual that the body requires. I did remember my doctor mentioned that 8cups of water (64oz) is recommended each day.
I take 8 to 10 cups a day

 

[foxcreek9]

 

[grasshopper]

I am most of the way to 125 oz. 40 oz of water in winter 80 oz of water the other 11 months. 60 oz of coffee.

 

[Chuckanut]

As we age our body’s thirst response dulls. So, it’s easy for older folks to not realize they are somewhat dehydrated. I have noticed this myself. Being thirsty does not demand the immediate response it did years ago. The doctor who advised me on back pain told me one of the easiest treatments for it, it to make sure your properly hydrated. Otherwise all those disks and other tissue get stiffer than they need to be.

So, I make a point of drinking 6 to 8 cups of water a day, in the form of water or milk. I like milk because it also gives me the protein and calcium that older folks often fall short on. I have also reduced my consumption of caffein and alcohol. Interestingly, drastically cutting back on alcohol has not been hard. Caffein is more of a problem. Half-Caf coffee anybody?

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/...s-an-often-overlooked-health-risk-for-seniors

The reduction in thirst that comes with age can keep that already low supply from being replenished. “By the time an older adult feels thirsty, that’s already an indication of early dehydration,” says Vanderbilt.

 

[Ronstar]

^^ I've noticed this. I'm very seldom if ever thirsty.

 

[W2R]

I have a 68 ounce container that I refill with water about once a day. I used to be more strict with myself about finishing at least that much every day, but now I just use it to keep track of roughly how much plain water I drink (obviously this does not include coffee, milk, etc.)

Originally started doing this years ago for weight loss reasons. Back then I discovered that sometimes I would overeat when really I was thirsty, not hungry.

 

[Rianne]

I drink approx. 90 oz. of water daily. That doesn't include water from fruits and veggies. I rarely drink anything but plain water. I do have kidney issues and oddly enjoy drinking ice water. I don't need sweeteners or flavors or bubbles. So many people I know don't like to drink plain water. That's why the flavor water industry is booming. It's everywhere!

 

[Plantman]

150 to 200 ounces between the coffee and flavored water. No wonder I have to make so many trips to the bathroom.

 

[Midpack]

I drink 1-2 glasses of water after I wake up and about 5-6 glasses of water, tea or soft drink daily, much more when I’m engaged I golf, pickleball or lengthy yard work. I used to drink only when thirsty, and that’s a mistake IME. My body works a lot better now that I stay hydrated throughout the day. I’ve been surprised at how much difference it has made. Too soon old, too late smart…

 

[Jerry1]

I don’t measure it, but I have a water bottle in the kitchen and I drink from it most the times when I pass by it. It’s probably close to a quart and I probably average one per day. More in the summer than the winter months.

 

[Ronstar]

I have a 68 ounce container that I refill with water about once a day. I used to be more strict with myself about finishing at least that much every day, but now I just use it to keep track of roughly how much plain water I drink (obviously this does not include coffee, milk, etc.)

Originally started doing this years ago for weight loss reasons. Back then I discovered that sometimes I would overeat when really I was thirsty, not hungry.

A big container is good way to keep track. DW has a 20 oz hydro flask. And 4 pennies on the kitchen counter. She slides a penny over every time she fills her bottle. Goal is to have all pennies moved at the end of the day. Good as long as she remembers to move a penny each fill up.

 

[pacergal]

2 cups of coffee and 2-3 refills of ice water in my 16 oz bottle, aim for 64 oz a day, not counting fluid in fruits/veggies that I eat.

I rarely drink juice, maybe a 4 oz glass of OJ a few times a week, mostly plain ice water.
Aim to keep urine light yellow.

 

[4legsgood]

I'll mention this since I don't think most people know this can happen. I took a friend to the emergency room because they drank too much water. They fell to t the ground, maybe passed out, and were very confused, but luckily managed to call me or they might have died. They had to have a temporary pace maker installed to keep heart rate up.

 

[easysurfer]

I shoot for about a gallon a day. In otherwords, 128 ounces.

Any less and I feel dehydrated.

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

2 cups of coffee and 2-3 refills of ice water in my 16 oz bottle, aim for 64 oz a day, not counting fluid in fruits/veggies that I eat.

I rarely drink juice, maybe a 4 oz glass of OJ a few times a week, mostly plain ice water.
Aim to keep urine light yellow.

I seem to be in the 80oz of liquid when including coffee, milk, fruit and veggies (think 20% water from fruit and veggies). No alcohol.

 

[Midpack]

I'll mention this since I don't think most people know this can happen. I took a friend to the emergency room because they drank too much water. They fell to t the ground, maybe passed out, and were very confused, but luckily managed to call me or they might have died. They had to have a temporary pace maker installed to keep heart rate up.

Might have been helpful to include some estimate of quantity instead of leaving it open ended? It's actually very hard to do...

"Drinking too much water is rarely a problem for healthy, well-nourished adults. Athletes occasionally may drink too much water in an attempt to prevent dehydration during long or intense exercise."

Just order of magnitude, not exact:

Adults need to drink about 2.7 to 3.7 liters of fluids a day (90 to 125 ounces), which will come from water, food, and other beverages.

Water intoxication may occur from drinking more than three to four liters of water (100 to 135 ounces, around a gallon) over a short period, like one or two hours, says Lewis Nelson, MD, chair of emergency medicine at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

On average, a healthy person would have to drink more than 6 gallons a day to develop overhydration.

https://www.insider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/how-much-water-is-too-much

https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/diet-nutrition/can-you-drink-too-much-water

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Any recommendation to drink X amount of water per day can’t be correct, there are too many variables – temperature, activity level, diet, body mass, specific health issues to mention a few.
The three indicators I use are – thirst, urine color and body weight. Water is heavy, if a few pounds go missing, it will show on the scale. I typically lose 3-4 lbs on a hot summer run.
Drinking modestly in excess of need probably does no harm, especially if sipped throughout the day.

 

[braumeister]

I took a friend to the emergency room because they drank too much water. They fell to the ground, maybe passed out

Interestingly, the same thing can happen if you're dehydrated.

Life is complicated.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I've had a few doctors tell me to drink more water. But I don't remember if they told me how much to drink.

I usually don't drink more than 20 oz of water a day.

How many ounces of water do the folks here average per day?

I just tabulated the amount of water I drink in an average day and it's about 50 ounces. Also about 12 oz. of coffee. And a can of Coke Zero.

I saw online that men should drink 125 ounces and women should drink 91.

I seriously doubt that can be correct. Visualize buying a 12 pack of 12 oz. cans of water and over the course of a day drinking 10+ cans. Seems impossible to me.

 

[Midpack]

Interestingly, the same thing can happen if you're dehydrated.

Life is complicated.

I've had some debilitating headaches due to dehydration (boating) and even fainted once (golf). Lesson learned...

I used to think I could just hydrate more when needed, but I find that staying reasonably hydrated 24/7 works A LOT better, plus adding a little extra while sweating more.

 

[Major Tom]

I don't drink much plain water, but part of my diet consists of a meal replacement product called Huel. Each 40 calorie "meal" consists of the powder mixed with 15 oz of water. I have about two of them a day, in addition to regular food. I also drink two cups of *coffee and several cups of tea. I have had to cut my liquid intake back due to acid reflux, so it's a balancing act. However, my urine is light yellow, so I think I'm doing OK. It doesn't usually get too hot here and I don't often exercise to the point where I'm losing a lot of water to sweat.

*The common wisdom regarding coffee used to be that, as it is a diuretic, it doesn't help with hydration at all. I understand this is not completely true, as the body does absorb some of the water in coffee; just not as much as if you were drinking plain water.

 

[4legsgood]

Might have been helpful to include some estimate of quantity instead of leaving it open ended? It's actually very hard to do...

"Drinking too much water is rarely a problem for healthy, well-nourished adults. Athletes occasionally may drink too much water in an attempt to prevent dehydration during long or intense exercise."

Just order of magnitude, not exact:

https://www.insider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/how-much-water-is-too-much

https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/diet-nutrition/can-you-drink-too-much-water

I have no idea how much. It was the day after a hot day of replacing a roof, so probably quite a bit but definitely not crazy person gallons.