How much water have you drunk today???

Bluetit1802 said:

I'm not convinced by the "smaller people need less, larger people need more" theory. We don't need water for energy, like food. We need water to flush out the kidneys. The secret is not to gulp it down but to sip regularly throughout the day. Gulping it down puts extra strain on the kidneys.

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I'm happy to agree to disagree on how much water intake suits any individual, but there are definitely different things going on in different sized bodies.

A large person has a different surface area to volume ratio, and they have more difficulty shedding excess heat. So they are likely to perspire more - needing to replenish that with extra liquid.

They will also (if they have gained weight above their body's threshold), have grown extra fat cells. Normally we keep roughly the same number of fat cells through our lives, but if we get fat enough we grow more. These additional cells need additional fluid too.

And i would be far more concerned with damage to the kidneys from drinking too little, than from drinking too much, water. My (very basic) understanding of osmosis is that it is that to pull urea and other stuff out of a concentrated liquid (the blood) and through a membrane (the kidney), and then into the bladder, it is easier if the liquid in the kidney is less concentrated (because of drinking more/enough water). It is all to do with the concentrations. The more concentrated the urine, the harder on the kidneys because of the chemicals in the urine that need diluting.

But regardless of whether anyone agrees or not on how much water is the right amount, there are some very simple tests for dehydration (pinching the back of the hand, lifting skin just above the jawline on the cheek, colour of urine, etc.) i know from these, that my body needs the water it is getting, and is not happy with less.

Edited: for some really gaumless typos!

Brunneria said:

But regardless of whether anyone agrees or not on how much water is the right amount, there are some very simple tests for dehydration (pinching the back of the hand, lifting skin just above the jawline on the cheek, colour of urine, etc.) i know from these, that my body needs the water it is getting, and is not happy with less.

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I've never actually thought conciously about testing humans for dehydration, but having owned several elderly and sick dogs, one with heart failure who was on diuretic tablets tablets for water retention, we were shown checks we could do to watch for dehydration, e.g. a similar pinch the skin check, and also pressing gums to ensure the flesh springs back. Knowing this was actually a life saver recently for a younger dog who had colitis and seriously bad diarrhea, and had not eaten or drunk for over 24 hours and ended up severely dehydrated and semi concious - we used a syringe to feed him water and later broth as well until he'd willingly drink by himself gain.

Robbity

That's interesting.
I know that when our elderly (and very dim) cat became dehydrated, he had absolutely no interest in drinking. The vet had to inject fluid and put him on a drip. She said it was very common - but please dont think i'm drawing any comparisons with human!

Brunneria said:

That's interesting.
I know that when our elderly (and very dim) cat became dehydrated, he had absolutely no interest in drinking. The vet had to inject fluid and put him on a drip. She said it was very common - but please dont think i'm drawing any comparisons with human!

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I've sometimes found when I'm feeling a bit poorly, I don't particularly want to drink though I very well know I should be!! But I suppose that small animals are more likely to become dehydrated faster, as they're not going to have such a large capacity "reservoir" as we (or large animals) have, and the same would probably apply to babies and very small children.

Robbity

I sort of tracked what I drank today and it was 3.0 litres water, 2 cups of tea (440mls) and 2 cups of coffee strong and black (500mls). and 260 mls red wine.
When I drink coffee and wine I always drink an equal amount of water. I find it spaces the coffee/wine and for coffee enhances the flavours.... but that's possibly me...
Last water was with wine at dinner, so hoping there will be no nocturnal trips down the hall at 0 what ever time:00.
Apart from my waking up visit the urine is pretty pale.... but then there are a number of events in a busy day...

I am OCD about checking the colour of my urine, and I also check my dog's gums for correct hydration! The latter is important if they are on a dry food (although we make thin gravy for her)

Thanks for that explanation about why larger people need more water @Brunneria . Something I hadn't really thought about.

T1 n I drink upwards of 186 oz of water a day depending on the temp n how active I am.

Gravity-Carb said:

5 and a half litres of water!

When you walk you must feel like the sea, with waves and everything

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Thanks for the doing the sums..... yikes!

I can't drink the stuff!
When God invented water it was to wash yourself and your things in ... do none of you read the labels?
When God invented tea and coffee he said .... enjoy have a glimpse of heaven.
That stuff was actually made for drinking and I soak tea up like a sponge.

Here's the thing though - a diabetic with a high blood glucose level (and potentially DKA) will drink and urinate a huge amount as a by-product of their condition. Their urine is nearly always very light and yet they are severely dehydrated... So going on urine colour alone isn't reliable to tell you whether you are hydrated!

tim2000s said:

Here's the thing though - a diabetic with a high blood glucose level (and potentially DKA) will drink and urinate a huge amount as a by-product of their condition. Their urine is nearly always very light and yet they are severely dehydrated... So going on urine colour alone going to tell you whether you are hydrated!

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That's interesting. Does that apply to other health conditions, or just ketoacidosis?

64 oz on average for me

So far I have drunk 2 litre of bottle water

Gravity-Carb said:

So far this morning???? Cool.

Not posted for a couple of days as other stresses have taken over. But I have been on it still, with approx. 2ltrs of water a day.

The getting up in the night still hasn't settled, but I am noticing thirst. Although it is something I could easily ignore.....

This morning I drank some luke warm herb tea as I forgot I made it and just as I was leaving I thought I hadn't drunk my 500ml.

So sat in café thinking I need to do some work, procastinating by posting on DUK and I am about to ask for a couple of glasses of 'council pop'.

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Yes, I always drink 5ltrs of water a day. Thirst is a frequent thing to me.