Should you force yourself to drink more?

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  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    edited April 2015
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    MarciBkonTrk wrote: »
    Can you provide me with your basis for this? Because to be honest from a healthcare professional stand point it doesn't add up. I'm a nurse and when a patient comes in with dark urine the first tests are a urinalysis, CMP, CBC, and liver/kidney function testing. Plus they are immediately given IV fluids. I just want to understand where you are coming from because all the advice that's been posted have been met with resistance.

    ijl5m1kw17cq.jpg

    I'm certain it's correct. I learnt about it in loads of detail in a lecture course at university, and have a 50 page set of notes on it.

    It has a brief summary under "osmoregulation in animals" here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmoregulation#Osmoregulation_in_animals

    I'm not meeting your posts with resistance. I'm discussing it with you.

    And yeah, I'm sure tests are immediately done for excessive dehydration and other urine abnormalities as they're good indicators of dysfunction.

    PS: why on earth would I be trolling about it?
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    _nicolemarie_ wrote: »
    MarciBkonTrk wrote: »
    Can you provide me with your basis for this? Because to be honest from a healthcare professional stand point it doesn't add up. I'm a nurse and when a patient comes in with dark urine the first tests are a urinalysis, CMP, CBC, and liver/kidney function testing. Plus they are immediately given IV fluids. I just want to understand where you are coming from because all the advice that's been posted have been met with resistance.

    ijl5m1kw17cq.jpg

    I think people were misunderstanding where the OP was coming from. She wanted to know the WHY behind why the dark urine is a good indication of dehydration. Most people were just saying that it was a good indication, but not why it was a good indication.

    YES.
  • llUndecidedll
    llUndecidedll Posts: 724 Member
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    It depends. I've never felt thirsty, but my skin is SEVERELY dehydrated. I have the classic sign of dehydrated skin all over my body, little fine and not so fine lines everywhere.

    I now wish I would have forced myself to drink more water, but I've always been the type of person who only drank when eating. Now, I have caused irreparable damage to my skin, so if you feel like you must drink a little more water... then please do!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    _nicolemarie_ wrote: »
    MarciBkonTrk wrote: »
    Can you provide me with your basis for this? Because to be honest from a healthcare professional stand point it doesn't add up. I'm a nurse and when a patient comes in with dark urine the first tests are a urinalysis, CMP, CBC, and liver/kidney function testing. Plus they are immediately given IV fluids. I just want to understand where you are coming from because all the advice that's been posted have been met with resistance.

    ijl5m1kw17cq.jpg

    I think people were misunderstanding where the OP was coming from. She wanted to know the WHY behind why the dark urine is a good indication of dehydration. Most people were just saying that it was a good indication, but not why it was a good indication.

    YES.

    I think I may have found the answer you want. This is a layman's explanation, so if I have it wrong it's because I don't understand science that well.

    Dark urine is dark because the kidneys are holding on to water so the body can use it for other things instead of diluting the waste materials they normally would if you were properly hydrated.

    None of these links are "scientific", just what I found with Google-fu:

    http://www.healthgrades.com/symptoms/brown-urine
    http://www.healthline.com/symptom/abnormal-urine-color
    http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Dehydration/Pages/Introduction.aspx
  • mmZoya88
    mmZoya88 Posts: 2
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    Hey OP I thought I'd share my experience with you since your water situation reminded me of my past one. I'm a 27 (going on 28) year old female and until the last year or so I never really felt thirsty often or on a regular basis.

    I was still dehydrated and didn't know/care about it. It did have adverse effects on my body; dry skin(patches), eyes, mouth, lady bits, bowel movements, and bladder infections. Honestly most of these i had no idea were related and never thought about it till recently.

    I also tried to force myself to drink water with no satisfying; only uncomfortable results.

    If you did want a suggestion for drinking more water if that's the route you choose Here's mine. I was able to increase my water intake by continually increasing the amount I drank by a tiny bit every day. Just a little bit and build up slowly; that's what I had to do anyway.

    Also i was primarily inactive for the majority of my life so far; although I have been working on that too. I did notice I started becoming thirsty more regularly when I started working out.

    Anyway hope you find some of this information useful to your journey.
  • mmZoya88
    mmZoya88 Posts: 2
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    Also headaches I used to have terrible head aches.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    I've gone 60 years by drinking only when I'm thirsty. I really don't understand grown people who find it necessary to hug a bottle all the day long. I think the pee color is as reliable a check as any I've seen.
  • MarciBkonTrk
    MarciBkonTrk Posts: 310 Member
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    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    MarciBkonTrk wrote: »
    Can you provide me with your basis for this? Because to be honest from a healthcare professional stand point it doesn't add up. I'm a nurse and when a patient comes in with dark urine the first tests are a urinalysis, CMP, CBC, and liver/kidney function testing. Plus they are immediately given IV fluids. I just want to understand where you are coming from because all the advice that's been posted have been met with resistance.

    ijl5m1kw17cq.jpg

    I'm certain it's correct. I learnt about it in loads of detail in a lecture course at university, and have a 50 page set of notes on it.

    It has a brief summary under "osmoregulation in animals" here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmoregulation#Osmoregulation_in_animals

    I'm not meeting your posts with resistance. I'm discussing it with you.

    And yeah, I'm sure tests are immediately done for excessive dehydration and other urine abnormalities as they're good indicators of dysfunction.

    PS: why on earth would I be trolling about it?

    I checked out the link you shared and this disclaimer was at the top of the page.

    This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2014)

    As far as the trolling goes, it's just been my experience here on MFP that if someone post a request for advice and then challenges the suggestions that they actually don't want advice they are just looking to stir the pot. Since I tend to be a pot stirrer too I just made that assumption. Of course we all know what happens when you assume! Since that was not your intention, I completely apologize.

  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    MarciBkonTrk wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    MarciBkonTrk wrote: »
    Can you provide me with your basis for this? Because to be honest from a healthcare professional stand point it doesn't add up. I'm a nurse and when a patient comes in with dark urine the first tests are a urinalysis, CMP, CBC, and liver/kidney function testing. Plus they are immediately given IV fluids. I just want to understand where you are coming from because all the advice that's been posted have been met with resistance.

    ijl5m1kw17cq.jpg

    I'm certain it's correct. I learnt about it in loads of detail in a lecture course at university, and have a 50 page set of notes on it.

    It has a brief summary under "osmoregulation in animals" here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmoregulation#Osmoregulation_in_animals

    I'm not meeting your posts with resistance. I'm discussing it with you.

    And yeah, I'm sure tests are immediately done for excessive dehydration and other urine abnormalities as they're good indicators of dysfunction.

    PS: why on earth would I be trolling about it?

    I checked out the link you shared and this disclaimer was at the top of the page.

    This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2014)

    As far as the trolling goes, it's just been my experience here on MFP that if someone post a request for advice and then challenges the suggestions that they actually don't want advice they are just looking to stir the pot. Since I tend to be a pot stirrer too I just made that assumption. Of course we all know what happens when you assume! Since that was not your intention, I completely apologize.

    I've also come across the information in various textbooks, which I can provide references for if you want.

    Haha honestly no worries. Sorry if it came across like that, I'm not very good at explaining myself sometimes. :)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    People in hot countries must make sure they stay hydrated (and get enough salt, too).

    I am required to drink a certain amount daily as part of my post-surgery routine, as it is now harder to get enough fluids. If I don't I risk kidney stones; unpleasant.

    I have found that if I keep a larger water bottle near me I will work harder to finish it. This psychology is well-known in the movie industry with their super-sized popcorn and drinks.

    Bad Popcorn in Big Buckets: Portion Size Can Influence Intake as Much as Taste

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