Too much water?

Snowbarrr
Snowbarrr Posts: 8 Member
edited September 22 in Food and Nutrition
Hi! I recently started tracking my water, and realized I'm drinking a ton! I looked it up and read all kinds of scary articles about drinking too much water, which I'd never even considered. But it's not like I am forcing myself to chug it down, I just have a big bottle with me that I drink from when I'm thirsty. Turns out I'm a thirsty girl!

So, all in all, it looks like most days I eaasssily drink 16 - 8 ounce glasses of water. That's just water! I usually have one 8 ounce cup of coffee during weekdays, and often around 16 oz of decaf tea. Wow, I sound like a camel.. And then there is the water I am consuming in food. I mean, all in all, I'm getting way over the proscribed 8-10 glasses a day.

Does anyone have any advice or an opinion? Do you think I need to make an effort to drink less?? I mean, right now, I'm sitting here thinking "man, I'm kind of thirsty..." but I'm worried I'm drinking too much!

How much do you drink in a day?

Replies

  • Natural
    Natural Posts: 461 Member
    on average 6. today i'm up to 8. what did your research say? there probably is a such thing as too much water. a friend tells me it's not good for my kidneys. i don't drink that much that i think i'm hurting myself. if anything, i keeps my sweet tooth at bay.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    I drink half my weight in ouces of water daily.

    Under "how much is too much water" on google I got 32 MILLION hits. I would read up on several of those and make an educated decision based on your personal situation (age, sex, activity level, weight, diet, etc.)
  • lpoeking
    lpoeking Posts: 3
    I too drink too much! On top of it, I used to also drink about 3 - 4 44oz. diet coke fountain drinks a day! I finally got off of that cr*p. I am 48, and had two large babies, so I had to undergo bladder surgery last year, and when I spoke to my doctor about how much I drank, he was FLOORED! Too much can be bad. In 2002 I did the Avon 3 day walk for breast cancer, and we had to drink alot, obviously, because it was an indurance event, and at that time I got used to my urine being clear, My doctor said it should have some color to it. Oddly enough too, before the surgery I tried the medications, and it gave me cotton mouth, so I just drank more! I am up to 12 cups today, and literally just have to cut myself off! Otherwise I am up all night going to the bathroom. I guess like any thing else, too much of anything can be a bad thing, even water and excercise.
  • scrapjones
    scrapjones Posts: 9 Member
    In my opinion 8-10 cups is not nearly enough water a day. I've heard of people that strive for a gallon a day. I take in usually 18-22 cups in water alone. I think the answer lies in you. How are you feeling when you drink a lot of water?
    I feel great when I am drinking plenty of water. I can tell I am hydrated and I burn extra calories cuz I have to take so many trips to the bathroom! ;) You also have to think about workouts, if you're working out and sweating a bunch you need to replace those lost fluids. So in my opinion you are fine, just listen to your body and keep an eye out for a restroom. :)
  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
    I drink a ton also. Maybe 10-12 glasses a day. When I exercise it's more.
    I do think there is such a thing as water intoxication. But I think you'd have to be chugging it constantly. There was a woman who was ina a competition who actually died from it.
  • GoingToLoseIt
    GoingToLoseIt Posts: 171
    I would say to check with your doctor. It could be that there is something medical there, sure, but it could also just be that you're thirsty. Don't get too scared before you check all the possibilities :)
  • mangorabbit
    mangorabbit Posts: 219 Member
    I drink about a gallon of water a day give or take. Some say this is too much, other say it is fine...blah blah. I drink when I am thirsty. The big thing is to not drink that amount of water in a very short period of time. Your body can and does process water quite efficiently, and unless you are drinking all of that water at once...you are probably fine. Just be aware of the water soluble vitamins...you will loose more of those than people who don't end up in the loo as often. ^_^
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
    have you been tested for diabetes? Thirst is one of the symptoms.

    I'd say see your Dr and if you are healthy, dont worry about it :bigsmile:
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
    I also drink more water than the average person - it is a rare day that I don't easily hit 8 glasses of water. I think it really depends on the person, but I echo the thought to ask your doctor if you are concerned.
  • Photoplex
    Photoplex Posts: 49 Member
    If you're as constantly and insatiably thirsty as you describe, I would consider asking your doctor for a glucose tolerance test to check for pancreatic function (diabetes)
  • Snowbarrr
    Snowbarrr Posts: 8 Member
    It's comforting to hear from fellow camels!

    I found this little calculator while researching: http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

    And it thinks I'm drinking too much lol.

    Wow, I did not know that thirst was a sign of diabetes. I mean, I don't know what other symptons there are, but I feel pretty healthy! I'm 26, 5'5, 148. I haven't quite perfected my diet yet, but I think I eat reasonably healthy foods - I mean I'm struggling to get my sodium and carbs down, but I don't think I'm that bad! I guess I better look into diabetes..
  • kmtetour
    kmtetour Posts: 300 Member
    I was also going to suggest talking to your doctor. Also, make sure you are getting enough calcium. Not that that necessarily makes you thirsty, but if all you're drinking is water, tea, and coffee, maybe you could replace some of that liquid with skim milk for a healthy boost of calcium and vitamin D.
  • ron2282
    ron2282 Posts: 2,760 Member
    Our bodies can process up to 15 liters of water a day. As long as your water is spread out over the course of a day and not crammed into an hour or so, you're fine. I drink anywhere from 12 - 16 glasses a day and I've never had a problem.
  • mykaar74
    mykaar74 Posts: 253
    well it is recommended to drink not only the 8 glasses but atleast half your body weight. I also agree that if you're feeling great drinking it, and having no healthy problems you shouldn't worry, however there is nothing wrong with a quick checkup with your doctor for a preventative/informational visit. For now keep getting that water in
  • caitlinclock
    caitlinclock Posts: 528 Member
    I also drink a lot of water. I'm pretty much constantly drinking water. I definitely drink at LEAST 15-20 8oz glasses a day.
  • mem50
    mem50 Posts: 1,384 Member



    Wow, I did not know that thirst was a sign of diabetes. I mean, I don't know what other symptons there are, but I feel pretty healthy! I'm 26, 5'5, 148. I haven't quite perfected my diet yet, but I think I eat reasonably healthy foods - I mean I'm struggling to get my sodium and carbs down, but I don't think I'm that bad! I guess I better look into diabetes..

    Blurry vision, headaches, irritability, shakes and dizzy spells are a few basic ones. Not always true though. Sometimes There are not any signs we notice. Best bet is to check with your doctor for the glucose test. I had mine done and found I was hypoglycemic.
  • MyWishfulShrinking
    MyWishfulShrinking Posts: 56
    I've always read you should drink half your body weight in ounces. You would need to chug a massive amount of water in a short period of time for it to turn unhealthy or deadly. I drink just as much as you, and it's totally fine :)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    I've always read you should drink half your body weight in ounces. You would need to chug a massive amount of water in a short period of time for it to turn unhealthy or deadly. I drink just as much as you, and it's totally fine :)

    tee hee, I just LOVE your screen name ...MyWishfulShrinking


    /end highjack
  • DondeEstaMiCulo
    DondeEstaMiCulo Posts: 26
    From what I've read and seen, this is how I understand it:

    To put it basically, if you drink "too much" water, you flush out a lot of the chemicals ("chemicals" might not be the correct term, so I'm using it generically) that your body needs in order to function (electrolytes, for example). This throws your PH levels out of whack and can cause serious or fatal problems. If you are exercising, your body uses up these necessary chemicals at a much higher rate. This is why you want to drink something like Gatorade during and/or after any extensive exercise. Drinking straight water will replace only part of what your body needs.

    The good news is, it takes a LOT of water - and I mean probably more than you could probably drink - to be too much. But if you aren't replenishing your electrolytes after exercising, then you might want to think about getting some Gatorade or something similar.


    ~Brian
  • Snowbarrr
    Snowbarrr Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks for everyones input!
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
    well it is recommended to drink not only the 8 glasses but atleast half your body weight. I also agree that if you're feeling great drinking it, and having no healthy problems you shouldn't worry, however there is nothing wrong with a quick checkup with your doctor for a preventative/informational visit. For now keep getting that water in

    So I'm supposed to drink 100 pounds of water a day? That can't be right!
  • jfarmer1118
    jfarmer1118 Posts: 18
    Ok, the first thing I want to say is that I am not a medical expert, so please take that into account when reading this post. What you're describing is often called water intoxication (the big, fancy word for it is hyponatremia). It comes down to the amounts of sodium (salt) you have in your body.

    if you drink too little water, your sodium levels rise and this leads to dehydration.

    If you drink too much water, your sodium levels drop and this leads to water intoxication.

    Both dehydration and water intoxication have the potential to be deadly (there have been cases of marathon runners to over-hydrated with fatal results). However, keep in mind that just like you have to be VERY dehydrated before you start experiencing problems, you also have to be VERY over-hydrated to have problems with water intoxication. Odds are your body would tell you to stop before you ran into any problems.

    As sensitive as our bodies seem to be sometimes, they are actually remarkable devices that have a very keen knack of staying within homeostasis (read: keeping everything a-okay). God certainly knew what he was doing when he created us! :)
  • Heidi716
    Heidi716 Posts: 135
    well it is recommended to drink not only the 8 glasses but atleast half your body weight. I also agree that if you're feeling great drinking it, and having no healthy problems you shouldn't worry, however there is nothing wrong with a quick checkup with your doctor for a preventative/informational visit. For now keep getting that water in

    So I'm supposed to drink 100 pounds of water a day? That can't be right!

    HA HA HA!!!! No, 100 ounces! (about 12.5 glasses)
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