Weird question on hydration levels

Atlantique

I drink a lot of water (usually between 12 and 15 cups a day) and my urine is clear or very light yellow. So it seems as though I'm getting enough water.

However, this week I'm noticing that my skin is not 'springing back' right away from pressure. For example, I carried some groceries over my arm into another store and then drove home. It took about an hour for the depressions on my arm to leave. And today, I slipped my ponytail over my wrist and had a depression for at least a half hour.

I've always taken this sort of failure of the skin to bounce back as a sign of dehydration. So now I'm confused as to what is going on.

And it's not because I've lost some massive amount of weight and the skin on my arms is stretched out --that's not an issue for me.

Is this just 'getting older' or should I be concerned that something is not right?

melissapoulin

i think the bounce back thing is only if you apply pressure for a couple seconds, from the sounds of things the indents on your arm were from quite a bit of pressure for awhile. i wouldn't take this as being not hydrated enough. but i am not an expert and don't know for sure, that is just my thinking on it

FairyMiss

are you having any other problems?? almost sound like pitting edema

FairyMiss

are you having any other problems?? almost sound like pitting edema

but with that there is usually puffyness as well, any puffiness in those areas that you can do that in?

Atlantique

are you having any other problems?? almost sound like pitting edema

No, everything else seems normal.

I haven't noticed any puffiness anywhere, no.

FairyMiss

still if its seems weird never a bad idea to ask your doctor

lolabugs

I'm in no way an expert or even very knowledgeable about nutrition in general, but you may be at risk of water intoxication. If you're drinking too much water, your electrolytes can get too dilute, preventing adequate transfer across cell membranes. From what I've been reading on this subject, women are advised to drink about 2.2 liters or 9 cups of water per day. From what you've stated, you drink about 3.5 liters per day. You might try limiting your intake to 9 cups to see if this issue improves. I don't exactly know why you would see your skin not bounce back, unless your cells are so saturated that when you apply pressure, you squeeze out enough fluid to make it harder for your cells to refill once the pressure is released. I hope this helps.

spoofed

Yeah, I was actually wondering the same thing. I remember there was a police officer here in DC that in the summer months was drinking 2 gallons of water a day--he had some weird health issue (From water toxicity!) and ended up in the hospital. In any event, it made me a little conscious of drinking too much water.

I think you'll probably be fine--particularly if you are working out, but I'd probably second lolabugs thoughts.