How much water do you drink a day?

[addictivepersona]

IIRC 8 glasses a day is too much for most people. You can certainly drink too much water, as AP can attest to. One liter is all that is required for the average person.

I really don't know how much I drink. I just chug fluids when I get thirsty until I feel like I've had enough. I'm a sucker for Gatorade though... if I'm thirsty it is what I crave.

The ADA (American Dietetics Assoc) says, or at least teach us, that most people require a minimum of eight 8oz glasses a day.

And yeah, I can attest to drinking too much water, but the thing is is that it wasn't harming my kidneys... Yet. Your kidneys are capable of filtering 15 liters a day. They don't want to do that on a continuous basis though, which is why my doctor told me to not drink more than 8 or 9 liters in a day. My opinion is is that if you have any persistent, drastic change in your level of thirst, go to your doctor. Being excessively thirsty is a sign of a few things, including diabetes and less commonly the kidneys becoming resistant to the anti-diuretic hormone.

Also, Gatorade can actually raise your blood pressure... Gotta throw that out there for people who think it's a water substitute, since it is not. Gatorade is for, according to my dietetics professor, people who are extremely active for more than one consistent hour throughout the day. We're talking soccer (not American football) players who are constantly running for the entire hour of practice, tennis players who go non-stop for an hour, etc.

Yea that would be interesting to see, being thats the most i usually get in during the day. I would drink more, i like to be hydration and food conscious, but it's such a hassle to carry a water bottle around all day and food is a bitch $$

Once you get used it, it's no longer a hassle but a real convenience. :)

the ammount of water you'd need to drink before it got toxic is actually quite a lot.

quick wiki search http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

Yes it is, but here's the thing: Water intoxication really isn't so much about the quantity of water, but the duration of time. All the people you hear about dying from water intox. were the ones who had to chug a gallon in an hour or something crazy like that. I drink a gallon over time--Does that mean I'm going to die from water intox.? No.

^That's toxicity to the point of death. Heavy exercisers or others that drink lots of water get electrolyte imbalance much more often than that.

Neo, it is not any one place I got the info from, it's just from what I've read about things like electrolytes/ kidneys. When I was going through benzo withdrawal I read all about this stuff. Drinking more water than you are thirsty for isn't a good idea.

You can get electrolytes from your food, so as long as you're eating fresh, real food (not packaged stuff), you're probably not going to suffer from an electrolyte imbalance. That was one of the things I had checked in my second most recent blood/urine test, actually--Electrolytes were balanced, though sodium was low (because when I eat it, I get wicked dehydrated, so I avoid it as best as I can), and I took no special precautions to ensure they were balanced. Even with drinking 9-12 liters of water a day, I do not drink Gatorade or take any supplements to balance electrolytes. My body does it for me from the food I eat.

I do agree with you though, that drinking more water than you are thirsty for is not a good idea. As I said up there, if you experience a sudden and lasting drastic increase in your thirst level, go see your doctor.

Happy drinking all! *Raises water glass and drinks*

 

[FourAM]

In terms of unadulterated water I'd say I drink about 4 litres a day, In terms of non-alcoholic fluid in general I'd say in total I drink closer to 8 litres a day.

 

[Pegasus]

Yeah that 8 glasses thing is not true though. Snopes even did a piece on it, and has the study linked that I'm pretty sure I got the 1-2 liter minimum from.

"Kidney specialists do agree on one thing, however: that the [8 glasses per day] rule is a gross overestimate of any required minimum. To replace daily losses of water, an average-sized adult with healthy kidneys sitting in a temperate climate needs no more than one liter of fluid, according to Jurgen Schnermann, a kidney physiologist at the National Institutes of Health.

One liter is the equivalent of about four glasses. According to most estimates, that's roughly the amount of water most Americans get in solid food. In short, though doctors don't recommend it, many of us could cover our bare-minimum daily water needs without drinking anything during the day. "

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

 

[ColtDan]

i sometimes get strange lower back aches, feels like my kidneys are aching, also seem to get more dehydrated easier these days. been told ive gotta drink less alcohol. not sure if its the actual alcohol thats the problem or the fact that i consume so much liquid

 

[addictivepersona]

Yeah that 8 glasses thing is not true though. Snopes even did a piece on it, and has the study linked that I'm pretty sure I got the 1-2 liter minimum from.

"Kidney specialists do agree on one thing, however: that the [8 glasses per day] rule is a gross overestimate of any required minimum. To replace daily losses of water, an average-sized adult with healthy kidneys sitting in a temperate climate needs no more than one liter of fluid, according to Jurgen Schnermann, a kidney physiologist at the National Institutes of Health.

One liter is the equivalent of about four glasses. According to most estimates, that's roughly the amount of water most Americans get in solid food. In short, though doctors don't recommend it, many of us could cover our bare-minimum daily water needs without drinking anything during the day. "

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

Huh. Guess I stand corrected.

 

[L2R]

yeah i agree that the blanket "more is better" is not quite accurate and there are factors such as time and activity to consider. however, when i drink 2+ litres of water i feel much better. i also dig having almost crystal clear urine. feels right, man.

 

[twentysix]

140 pounds, 6', male, temperate climate, little exercise... little sweating lately. about 4 liters.

 

[Pegasus]

Huh. Guess I stand corrected.

It's like 1.8 liters in 8 cups so it's not that drastically different. There's variation between people and this influences at what level the "official" minimum level gets set. I personally think that encouraging people to drink when they are thirsty is the best idea.

 

[ColtDan]

yeah i agree that the blanket "more is better" is not quite accurate and there are factors such as time and activity to consider. however, when i drink 2+ litres of water i feel much better. i also dig having almost crystal clear urine. feels right, man.

this.

 

[delta_9]

Apparently the recommended intake is around 2 litres.

Well technically, I believe the amount of water you're supposed to drink is in relation to the amount of kCals you intake during the day. Something along the lines of 1mL/kCal, not including the water that is actually in the foods.
Of course there are variables though(age, gender, amount of physical activity, ambient conditions, etc.)
I actually don't usaully just drink straight up water, unless it's the only thing available. I do drink at least a half dozen cups of tea/coffee throughout the day, and make it using.....that's right, WATER!!!! :D
I'm not at all sure how much in volume I drink during the day, but I can tell you that I pee often and it's usually not dark yellow.

 

[Z Y G G Y]

not enough usually

but my body "tells" me right away if I am even slightly dehydrated by having an increased pulse rate (as it tries to decrease blood pressure) and tingling/pain in the feet.

I used to not pay attention to hydration but ever since I have been my skin improved greatly and many symptoms went away, which previously I had no idea were due to dehydration.

Your body needs a way to get rid of things and it does it by the way of peeing...dark, smelly urine is not great

 

[addictivepersona]

Well technically, I believe the amount of water you're supposed to drink is in relation to the amount of kCals you intake during the day. Something along the lines of 1mL/kCal, not including the water that is actually in the foods.
Of course there are variables though(age, gender, amount of physical activity, ambient conditions, etc.)

That's the formula (1cc or ml per kcal) for water we use in the hospitals around here for the bare minimum a person should have, when they are bed bound and are not doing much activity. However, if the person is small, and eats below 1500 calories, they still need at least 1500ml's of fluid. And if they're out of bed, their water needs are higher. According to the hospitals. *Shrug*

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

At least 3-6 glasses of it. Sometimes more if tea is considered "water".

 

[J.Wallace]

I try to drink as much water as I can throughout the day. I feel much better overall when I'm fully hydrated, especially in the summer.

 

[addictivepersona]

^ But how much do you drink in a day? Saying you drink "as much as you can" is quite subjective.

Nowadays I'm drinking 4-5 liters of water. Down from the 9-12 liters i was averaging over the summer.

 

[nAON]

9-12 litres? jesus tits

i hit maybe 2-3L a day including juice

 

[addictivepersona]

^ Yup. See post 5.

 

[ThizzMon$teR]

I have a glass with every mean and in between every meal. So about 6 depending if I remember the in between's.

 

[fivelinefury]

I never drink enough water, it's terrible 8) Should try and start to drink some though. I only usually have 2-3 glasses of cordial (water+some suger), and other than that 2-3 cups of coffee during the day, then alcohol at night 8)

 

[GenericMind]

I don't really drink it in manner that's easy to measure, but I'm at the water fountain at work constantly throughout the day. I'm pretty sure it's enough to be considered enough.