Too Much Water?

Khovde07

So I was looking into how much water I should be drinking everyday and I was told about a formula to figure it out. Take half of your current weight and that's how many ounces of water you should be drinking everyday. Ok, that didn't sound too bad. When I put that into liters, however, it seemed like a lot. With my current weight, I should be drinking around 3 liters of water everyday. Now I know hydration is great and water helps with all sorts of things (I work in the medical field). But I'm curious... wouldn't 3 liters of water everyday start to effect your blood chemistry? With that much water going through your system it would start to dilute your blood and screw with your ions and natural sodium levels.

I managed to get 3 liters in yesterday and I was peeing every 30 minutes like clockwork, which got a little annoying. At that point, it just seemed like the water was going straight through my system instead of hydrating my body. Is there anyone who can advise this on a medical level, particularly relating to blood chemistry?

Fat4Fuel2

I'm not sure if I can answer the chemistry part of your question, but everyone is different. Hydration look like very light yellow urine. If you're urine is that color, you're good. If it's darker, drink some more. It also takes time for your body to adjust. As you drink more water more regularly, you'll find that drinking 3L a day is easy and you might even want to increase it. Peeing every 1/2 hr is way too much, but if you're using the bathroom once every 2 hrs or so, you're probably hydrated. Also, caffeine is a diuretic (i.e. will dehydrate you by making you pee more). If you're drinking coffee and lots of water, you will be peeing constantly.

sheldonz42

Several sources have debunked the "caffeine dehydrates you" myth. Mayo Clinic for one.

Nony_Mouse

That amount comes from actual medical recommendations, so one would assume it's fine. That's actually what your body needs, most of us are just chronically dehydrated. When you first start drinking lots (enough!) water you will pee LOADS, but your body gets used to it. If you're used to drinking way less perhaps try building up slowly so your body can adjust .

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/water-for-weight-loss-diet

CorlissaEats

You get used to the amounts the longer you drink that amount in my experience. And that formula is for fluids, not just water. Count your juice, pop, soup and anything else in that amount. Its a rule of thumb for hydration, though, in some cases less or more is required based on your body and activity levels.

Ajaxlost

I feel you on the bathroom trips. Up last night 3 times to pee and making VERY frequent trips during the day. My hubby also commented on how fast we're flying through the tp. lol

wkwebby

I believe you will only run into a scenario of too much water or diluting the blood when you hit 8 gallons (24-28 liters?) or more because the body can't expel the water faster than you drink it. You can see how drink too much isn't an issue most of the time.

buckeye213

Corlissa you must be from Midwest they are the only ones I know that say "pop" instead of soda... Too funny

Fat4Fuel2

sheldonz42 wrote: »

Several sources have debunked the "caffeine dehydrates you" myth. Mayo Clinic for one.

I understand your point. However, caffeine affects how much water your kidneys filter out of your blood and into your bladder. This is why you need to pee more... there's more liquid in your bladder. While this may not dehydrate a person, they will have less liquid in them than if there were no caffeine ingested... If we need to get this technical...

Khovde07

buckeye213 wrote: »

Corlissa you must be from Midwest they are the only ones I know that say "pop" instead of soda... Too funny

Haha I'm from Minnesota so I didn't even notice! It is "pop", everyone else is wrong

Khovde07

Also, I really do get the benefits of drinking plenty of water and that my body will get used to it, this was mainly just for my own academic curiosity. When I was discussing this with a chemist I work with, he was convinced it would mess with your ions. But then we got into the debate of whether it would "dilute" your blood or simply flush out the toxins, or some combination. This is what happens when you're bored in the office!

G8rRay

Regarding Mayo Clinic recommendations, here's a link: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256?pg=1

DR;TL version: 13 cups/day for men, 9 cups/day for women--8 oz cups, but some of that can be from other beverages and from food.

FitOldMomma

I have trouble getting all the water that is recommended for my weight. I attempt to get 64 ounces of fluids per day. I count black coffee, tea or any other clear liquid towards my total. One thing I've noticed- my body quickly gets used to the extra fluids so I don't have to urinate much more often. Also, it seems the more I lug around a water bottle the more I will actually drink.
- You'd have to drink quite a lot of water for it to mess with your body chemistry. As long as your kidneys are working well- they will do the job of ridding your body of the extra fluid.
- Aim for clear or nearly clear pee. That's what my doc told me a long time ago. If it's dark, drink more fluids.

Christine_72

I'm 5"8 and 140lbs. I drink 3L of water everyday, and have done for a long time. I'm in the loo every 30 minutes or so, and I get up to pee a few times every night even when I stop drinking at 6pm, it's incredibly annoying. My pee is very clear, and yes we go through a ton of toilet paper lol

Khovde07

So just in case anyone was curious, I asked around to my medical friends and husband. I was informed that your kidneys will essentially shunt off ducts to prevent your blood from losing too much sodium and other nutrients so any excess water will just pass right through.