Hydration: what you think is enough may not be!

Mindful_Trent · August 2010

So, I learned an important (and unfortunately painful) lesson in staying hydrated this week. I've been pretty good about drinking 8-10 cups of water a day, and figured I was fine on the hydration front. Well, Sunday after my workout, I noticed a pain in my chest on the right side. It wasn't too bad and went away shortly. It came back after my workout on Monday - lasted longer, and was much sharper. I took some ibuprofen and went to bed - it was gone in the morning. Tuesday and Wednesday night workouts - same thing happened! Then Thursday (today) I woke up and the pain was back and was off and on all day today. When it was hurting, I was fine if I sat still, but when I took a deep breath or coughed, it really hurt!

I made an appointment with my doctor, and it turns out that this is most likely due to dehydration!! The lining of my lungs is irritated and rubbing together (there are 2 layers - when you're properly hydrated and in good health it doesn't cause any pain).

Although I've been drinking a "normal" amount of water, I've significantly increased my exercise lately (and doing a lot of it outdoors), it's summer time, I live at a high altitude (Denver, CO), and it's a desert climate (very dry air). When you put all this together (as my dr. explained), it means that I need to be drinking much more than the standard 8 oz. a day! He wants me to be drinking between 12 and 16 cups (96-128 oz.) daily. It's going to be tough at first, but I bought a new (large) water bottle to help with the task.

I just thought I'd post this as a warning - just because you're drinking 8 or even 10 cups a day, it may not be enough! Evaluate your lifestyle and your environment... and in the end, it would probably be better to drink a little more than you need to that it is to drink a little less than you need.

myrazimmie · August 2010

Thanks! that's good to know. Hope you start feeling better!

StacySkinny · August 2010

They say should be drinking AT LEAST half your weight in water in ounces. So for the average 300 lb person that's about 19 cups. The bigger you are the more water you need.

LainMac · August 2010

Thanks for sharing. Excuse me, I've got to go chug some more water down now.

kristinmichelle80 · August 2010

OMG I had no idea! Thanks for sharing

skinnytayy · August 2010

Thanks for making everyone aware of this! I live in South LA and we have constantly been getting heat advisories (heat index of 110-120 degrees + 70-100% humidity) so it's important to get at least 8-10 glasses daily regardless but a few extras may be best to keep hydrated and more than likely you'll never experience water intoxication especially in hot, dry climates or hot, humid climates so the more the merrier for sure. Hope you feel better!!!

second_1 · August 2010

Years ago I had Pluersy, which is an infection of the lining of the lungs and causes swelling-every breathe was painful, so I know what you mean! Ouch! Glad you got it figured out.
From everything I have learned we should all be drinking half our weight in ounces of water, at the minimum and more is even better. I try for 100 ounces daily. Some days are easier than others. Sometimes I use Capella drops to flavor the water and that helps (no sugars or nasty chemicals).

SouthernBell86 · August 2010

I once read in Reader's Digest (Dunno if that makes this legit...?) That you should drink 8 cups of water a day, and then add another cup for every 10 pounds you want to lose. I think that goes for normal conditions though. If you only have ten pounds to lose, and it is summer and dry, definitely up it. 8 cups should be a minimum

hopevictoria · August 2010

I try to drink 90 oz. a day (I usually gage it as three Nalgenes full). It's tough, but I really feel better doing it. Plus, I live in TN & it running in the heat really depletes your water.

Mindful_Trent · August 2010

Thanks for making everyone aware of this! I live in South LA and we have constantly been getting heat advisories (heat index of 110-120 degrees + 70-100% humidity) so it's important to get at least 8-10 glasses daily regardless but a few extras may be best to keep hydrated and more than likely you'll never experience water intoxication especially in hot, dry climates or hot, humid climates so the more the merrier for sure. Hope you feel better!!!

You're right - it's highly unlikely you'd experience water intoxication drinking a few extra glasses a day!

*I'm not a medical professional* but I've done a little bit of reading on water intoxication, and this is NOT something the average person has to worry about, as long as they spread their water out over the course of the day.

The average person can drink 800-1000 milliliters (about 27 to 33 ounces) per hour without experiencing a net gain in water - that's what your kidneys can handle. But, a small net gain (if you were to drink more than that) isn't going to cause a problem. There are many people who get way too much salt in their diets, so a little extra water would help balance that out! It's when you drink a TON of water all at once and dilute your sodium to dangerous levels when you experience water intoxication.

The biggest time people have to worry about this is when they're doing extreme exercise (like running a marathon) because your kidney's ability to process water slows down, so you do need to be careful when doing that type of exercising. I've read that when exercising you should drink fluids with electrolytes (including salt) to replace what you're losing through sweat and the keep everything in balance and that it's important to balance the amount you're drinking with how much you're sweating - you don't want to drink too much while exercising (even if you're drinking fluids with electrolytes).

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill
http://www.healthline.com/blogs/diet_nutrition/2008/08/water-intoxication-death.html
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-302--4814-0,00.html

mamagooskie · August 2010

thanks for sharing.......I had always thought 8 was suffient. However for the last 5-6 months I've been drinking anywhere from 96-120 oz a day (12-15 cups)

Mindful_Trent · August 2010

*Bump*

Vic0180 · August 2010

Good post...One way I learned how to gauge my body's hydration level is actual to take a look at the color of my urine... I know its disgusting to some but if its dark that means your dehydrated and need to drink more water, if its clear that means you've overhydrated... I learned this in the military and I've never suffered heat stroke or any type of ailment due to being dehydrated.

Azdak · August 2010

For an opposing view of the "8 glasses of water" cliche:

http://dms.dartmouth.edu/news/2002_h2/08aug2002_water.shtml

Mindful_Trent · August 2010

For an opposing view of the "8 glasses of water" cliche:

http://dms.dartmouth.edu/news/2002_h2/08aug2002_water.shtml

I understand that "8 glasses a day" is a generalization and that some people may be fine drinking less, but the point of this post was that in SOME cases, 8 a day may not be ENOUGH... I learned the hard way! It depends on an individual's activity level, their own body (how much you sweat) as well as their environment (temperature/humidity/etc.). In my case, I thought I was drinking enough (8-10 a day, but sometimes a little less) but it ended up not being enough. I'm not saying that everyone should drink as much as I was told to drink by my doctor, but people do need to analyze their own situations and not just assume that 8 is enough. 8 glasses a day (or even less) may be enough for some people, but others may need to drink more.

Hydration: what you think is enough may not be!

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