How bad is it really to not drink enough water?
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lillianboozer
Posts: 2 Member
I don't drink nearly enough water. I'm trying to drink those 8 cups of water every day but I'm terrible at it. I did it once a couple of days ago and felt great. I'm just wondering what all is bad about not drinking enough water. Maybe this can help motivate me.
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Replies
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I am the worlds worse. I drink flavoured water but not much I can go days without drinking any water apart from coffee0
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You can get dizzy ,headaches and dehydrated to the point of hospitalized. Not to mention organ stress/damage.
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Water is essential to good health. Your body is good at extracting water from everything you drink and your body does alert you with symptoms if you're getting severely dehydrated.
Think of it this way: without enough water, body temperature regulation, transportation of nutrients and waste, and even "lubrication" in your body can be affected.
Do you have to drink 8 cups a day? There's no solid evidence to prove you do, but it doesn't hurt either. Personally myself, I drink at least 8 cups a day along with other liquids because it works for me.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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The 8 glasses a day thing has pretty much been proven bogus. The study it was pulled from was including the huge percentage of water you get from food items (fruit, veggies, meats) all loaded with water. Just keep yourself comfortably hydrated and you should be fine!
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If your pee is light yellow to clear, you're getting enough water. That's really all you need to be concerned with.0
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You'd have to be pretty dehydrated for those symptoms though.You can get dizzy ,headaches and dehydrated to the point of hospitalized. Not to mention organ stress/damage.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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If you've been chronically dehydrated for some time, you won't notice the effects, because it's your default mode.
Now that I am drinking 1-2 litres per day, more if I exercise, I really notice when I don't, which happened recently. I feel tired, sluggish and sometimes quite irritable. I'll have more issues digesting food, feel bloated or crampy. Took me three days of blaming it on jet lag before I realized I wasn't drinking water. After the first day of drinking my whole litre all the symptoms disappeared.
If you aren't drinking enough water, your body rations it out as best it can. It takes some away from digestion, the eyes, and the skin. It slows down the metabolism (which doesn't help weightloss) and makes you reluctant to move. Thirst and hunger are often confused, leading you to eat more.
My two strategies to drink water are simple
1 - I keep a filled bottle of water on my desk at all times.
2 - I make unsweetened iced tea/herbal tea, for when I want a flavored drink. Just put a few teabags in cold water and let sit on the counter overnight. Done!
Your urine should be pale yellow most of the time.
http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2013/10/what-the-color-of-your-urine-says-about-you-infographic/
Go get a reusable bottle, fill it, and keep it with you!0 -
Judging by the fact that you were alive when you wrote this post, I'm going to assume that you actually ARE getting enough water.
"Water" is a strange substance, in that "water" is not the only source of "water." As a matter of fact, "water" is in just about everything, so we're getting it from lots of different sources. The other day for example, I enjoyed some delightful watermelon, and it was loaded with (you guessed it) water!
Fun Factoid: The only thing that doesn't have water in it is oatmeal cookies ... those things are practically pure poison.
Let's blow your mind a bit more ... even things without "water" in their names can contain water. Coffee for example. Tea. Mountain-berry Punch Koolaid (the best flavor of koolaid).
Don't get me wrong. Drinking plain old water is a great idea, and if you're on a caloric deficit you should be deliberate about those "8 cups of water every day." But that doesn't mean you can't have fun with it. Don't care for water? Have some lemonade.
Everyone likes lemonade.
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8 cups of water per day is just a reasonably good, general guideline..it's not magical or anything. stay hydrated...being dehydrated isn't a good thing. your urine should be clear to pale yellow...the darker it is, the more dehydrated you are.0
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If you've been chronically dehydrated for some time, you won't notice the effects, because it's your default mode.
Now that I am drinking 1-2 litres per day, more if I exercise, I really notice when I don't, which happened recently. I feel tired, sluggish and sometimes quite irritable. I'll have more issues digesting food, feel bloated or crampy. Took me three days of blaming it on jet lag before I realized I wasn't drinking water. After the first day of drinking my whole litre all the symptoms disappeared.
If you aren't drinking enough water, your body rations it out as best it can. It takes some away from digestion, the eyes, and the skin. It slows down the metabolism (which doesn't help weightloss) and makes you reluctant to move. Thirst and hunger are often confused, leading you to eat more.
My two strategies to drink water are simple
1 - I keep a filled bottle of water on my desk at all times.
2 - I make unsweetened iced tea/herbal tea, for when I want a flavored drink. Just put a few teabags in cold water and let sit on the counter overnight. Done!
Your urine should be pale yellow most of the time.
http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2013/10/what-the-color-of-your-urine-says-about-you-infographic/
Go get a reusable bottle, fill it, and keep it with you!
Great tips will give it a go0 -
It's very bad to not drink enough water -- one can die from being seriously dehydrated.
Are humans with access to water and other liquids actually going to become seriously dehydrated if they simply allow themselves to follow their natural thirst signals? Seems extremely unlightly, although I'd be sure to drink extra if it's really hot or you are exercising, as some people seem not to notice thirst under those conditions as well (although low intensity endurance exercise poses a risk for OD'ing on water if you drink way beyond what you need).
If you are concerned you might not be drinking enough water, check the color of your urine.
The human body is pretty good at making sure you eat and drink enough, though, absent a lack of available food/water or a mental disorder.0 -
Well, if you get to the point of being dehydrated, it can get REALLY bad.
The 8 glasses a day is a pretty arbitrary number. The "special snowflake" idea does come into play here. It depends on how active you are, the weather, how much you sweat normally, size, and a number of different issue. Luckily, your body has really good feedback mechanisms. Thirst is the obvious one. Also, the color of your pee (I know, I know TMI). If your pee is a light yellow you are good. If it is a darker yellow or orange, you may need to drink some more water. If it's clear you are probably overhydrated and should probably chill out with the water.
Also, don't forget your electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium and potassium to keep things balanced.0 -
rjmudlax13 wrote: »Well, if you get to the point of being dehydrated, it can get REALLY bad.
Being lightly dehydrated is common, and is not a big issue short term. I think you are referring to being acutely dehydrated, when medical attention is required.
Dehydration occurs when water loss exceeds water intake, usually due to exercise or disease. Most people can tolerate a three to four percent decrease in body water without difficulty. A five to eight percent decrease can cause fatigue and dizziness. Over ten percent can cause physical and mental deterioration, accompanied by severe thirst. A decrease more than fifteen to twenty-five percent of the body water is invariably fatal.[2] Mild dehydration is characterised by thirst and general discomfort and usually resolved with oral rehydration.0 -
lillianboozer wrote: »I don't drink nearly enough water. I'm trying to drink those 8 cups of water every day but I'm terrible at it. I did it once a couple of days ago and felt great. I'm just wondering what all is bad about not drinking enough water. Maybe this can help motivate me.
Most people get enough water in their diet without having to chug down 8 glasses. If you drink soda's, tea, coffee you're getting water. If you eat fruit and veg you're getting water.
Best rule of thumb, if you are thirsty - drink. If your pee is too yellow or smells strong - drink.
Outside of that you are probably doing fine.
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rjmudlax13 wrote: »Well, if you get to the point of being dehydrated, it can get REALLY bad.
Being lightly dehydrated is common, and is not a big issue short term. I think you are referring to being acutely dehydrated, when medical attention is required.
Dehydration occurs when water loss exceeds water intake, usually due to exercise or disease. Most people can tolerate a three to four percent decrease in body water without difficulty. A five to eight percent decrease can cause fatigue and dizziness. Over ten percent can cause physical and mental deterioration, accompanied by severe thirst. A decrease more than fifteen to twenty-five percent of the body water is invariably fatal.[2] Mild dehydration is characterised by thirst and general discomfort and usually resolved with oral rehydration.
Correct. I just didn't feel to need to be pedantic.0 -
I count all of my fluid intake, as any drink is primarily water. I also don't drink any significantly caloric drinks with the exception of the occasional glass of wine, and soy milk. That said, I try to get the majority of my fluid intake from straight or sparkling water.
I used to mostly just drink coffee and diet soda, and not much of it. It was obviously not enough for me, but I was fat and unhappy anyway so I didn't make much of a connection. I didn't notice any real negative side effects then. As I've increased my fluid intake, I feel less hot/tired when I move around. I don't feel as sluggish in the afternoons. I have orthostatic hypotension (dizziness if I stand quickly) that is much improved with high fluid intake. It also helps prevent constipation, which many people experience when decreasing their food intake. Lastly, drinking plenty of water really helps me keep my hunger in check and maintain the habits I've worked so hard to establish.
In the end I think it's more about how it can be better, rather than it being really bad now 0 -
rjmudlax13 wrote: »Well, if you get to the point of being dehydrated, it can get REALLY bad.
The 8 glasses a day is a pretty arbitrary number. The "special snowflake" idea does come into play here. It depends on how active you are, the weather, how much you sweat normally, size, and a number of different issue. Luckily, your body has really good feedback mechanisms. Thirst is the obvious one. Also, the color of your pee (I know, I know TMI). If your pee is a light yellow you are good. If it is a darker yellow or orange, you may need to drink some more water. If it's clear you are probably overhydrated and should probably chill out with the water.
Also, don't forget your electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium and potassium to keep things balanced.
I pretty much always have clear pee, but if i don't drink the amount of water that I drink I feel like crap.
Having a giant reusable water bottle is my trick.. It's always in arms reach. And ice water. Ice water is amazing....the more water I drink the more water I want.0 -
veganbettie wrote: »rjmudlax13 wrote: »Well, if you get to the point of being dehydrated, it can get REALLY bad.
The 8 glasses a day is a pretty arbitrary number. The "special snowflake" idea does come into play here. It depends on how active you are, the weather, how much you sweat normally, size, and a number of different issue. Luckily, your body has really good feedback mechanisms. Thirst is the obvious one. Also, the color of your pee (I know, I know TMI). If your pee is a light yellow you are good. If it is a darker yellow or orange, you may need to drink some more water. If it's clear you are probably overhydrated and should probably chill out with the water.
Also, don't forget your electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium and potassium to keep things balanced.
I pretty much always have clear pee, but if i don't drink the amount of water that I drink I feel like crap.
Having a giant reusable water bottle is my trick.. It's always in arms reach. And ice water. Ice water is amazing....the more water I drink the more water I want.
Yep. I drink a minimum of one gallon a water per day, and even that doesn't feel like enough.0 -
veganbettie wrote: »rjmudlax13 wrote: »Well, if you get to the point of being dehydrated, it can get REALLY bad.
The 8 glasses a day is a pretty arbitrary number. The "special snowflake" idea does come into play here. It depends on how active you are, the weather, how much you sweat normally, size, and a number of different issue. Luckily, your body has really good feedback mechanisms. Thirst is the obvious one. Also, the color of your pee (I know, I know TMI). If your pee is a light yellow you are good. If it is a darker yellow or orange, you may need to drink some more water. If it's clear you are probably overhydrated and should probably chill out with the water.
Also, don't forget your electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium and potassium to keep things balanced.
I pretty much always have clear pee, but if i don't drink the amount of water that I drink I feel like crap.
Having a giant reusable water bottle is my trick.. It's always in arms reach. And ice water. Ice water is amazing....the more water I drink the more water I want.
Yep. I drink a minimum of one gallon a water per day, and even that doesn't feel like enough.
That's pretty much where I'm at. I wonder if thats bad? O_O I FEEL okay, so i'm assuming i'm okay.0 -
SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »If your pee is light yellow to clear, you're getting enough water. That's really all you need to be concerned with.
I just wanted to add that urine should be a straw yellow and not clear. If it's clear then you could be getting too much water, or having a concentration issue which wouldn't be good either. Once or twice clear throughout the day isn't bad, but we should all aim for straw colored. Clear might mean you're washing out all your vital electrolytes.0
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