How much water do you drink?

[Peace and happiness]

This isn't directly related to veganism, but I know many people here are health conscious so it seems like the place to ask. Back story: I was doing keto (before I became vegan) and had to increase my water intake because of the lack of carbs in my diet. So I got in the habit of drinking a gallon of water/day and sometimes a little more.
I've been vegan for over a year now, but am still drinking a gallon of water each day. On really hot days, or days I do an extra workout, I might drink up to a gallon and a half.
Is this too much water? I do add Ultima electrolytes to 20 ounces of my water every day so I don't potentially flush out my kidneys (maybe I'm just being paranoid). My only complaint is that I have to pee about 4 times/night. Could I be drinking too much water?

 

[Emma JC]

the recommended amount (and you should work up to it if you aren't there already) is 6 to 8 8 fl oz glasses per day (8x8=64) and there are 128 fl oz in a gallon and so you are drinking more than twice the recommended amount - I will leave you to google how much is too much and maybe speak to a health professional as too much water can be as dangerous as too little

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Lou]

I'm not sure if there is a "too much" when it comes to water.
There is a too little.

The recommendations are all over the place
I did a little google research right now and got between 6 and 16 glasses a day.

It seems like the most common recomendaton is 8 glasses a day. They even have a nmenonic: 8x8. Eight ounces, eight times a day.

For those of us who have Dr. Gregar's Daily Dozen on our frig, Gregar recommends 60 oz (7.5 glasses).

However, your water intake should be adjusted for your size, activity level, and weather.

Maybe the best guideline is the "pee test". If your pee is light yellow you are good. If its a darker shade - drink more water.

I get between 6 and 7 glasses a day. I used to get one more glass but I have eliminated late night fluids. I still have to get up to pee every night - but at least I don't have to get up twice.

I found this Very Interesting. According to this author, the 8x8 rule has no scientific basis.

“Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.” Really? Is there scientific evidence for “8 × 8”? | American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology

Despite the seemingly ubiquitous admonition to “drink at least eight 8-oz glasses of water a day” (with an accompanying reminder that beverages containing caffeine and alcohol do not count), rigorous proof for this counsel appears to be lacking. This review sought to find the origin of this...

journals.physiology.org

 

[silva]

No, I' pretty sure too much. No more than .8 to 1 liter in an hour.
I remember someone died doing a stupid radio station water challenge

Water intoxication: What happens when you drink too much water?

I opt for about a half gallon,which seems to be the sweet spot most recommend

Having to pee 4x's a night should tell you it's too much

 

[Peace and happiness]

No, I' pretty sure too much. No more than .8 to 1 liter in an hour.
I remember someone died doing a stupid radio station water challenge

Water intoxication: What happens when you drink too much water?

I opt for about a half gallon,which seems to be the sweet spot most recommend

Having to pee 4x's a night should tell you it's too much

LOL maybe that's true. I think I'll have to get accustomed to lowering my intake. I find I feel really thirsty throughout the day if I'm not drinking that much.

 

[silva]

LOL maybe that's true. I think I'll have to get accustomed to lowering my intake. I find I feel really thirsty throughout the day if I'm not drinking that much.

I'm sure you'd need more than usual when you're sweating, but maybe have a cut off time?

Do you follow Dr Greger? Thought you'd find this helpful

Whole Beets vs. Juice for Improving Athletic Performance

 

[Emma JC]

LOL maybe that's true. I think I'll have to get accustomed to lowering my intake. I find I feel really thirsty throughout the day if I'm not drinking that much.

here's the thing.... when your electrolytes are out of balance the salt can (come out of solution) build up in your throat which makes you think you are thirsty and so you have more water and so on and so on... here is an article that explains it well... if you go about half way down to

What if I’m drinking enough water and still feel dehydrated?​

Why You Still Feel Dehydrated After Drinking Lots of Water

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[PTree15]

I drink around 64 ounces a day. I agree with the pee color test.

 

[Danielle]

Not enough. I drink too much sodas, if it's not soda, then juice, shakes, teas.
I work outside so I'll take a sip here and there, sometimes if its real hot I'll drink my whole water containers worth.

 

[KLS52]

Not enough. Maybe 32 ounces if I try really hard.

 

[KLS52]

No, I' pretty sure too much. No more than .8 to 1 liter in an hour.
I remember someone died doing a stupid radio station water challenge

Water intoxication: What happens when you drink too much water?

I opt for about a half gallon,which seems to be the sweet spot most recommend

Having to pee 4x's a night should tell you it's too much

This seems to be my problem. Maybe I have a really small bladder. I did drink 32 ounces yesterday. I usually cut off at dinner time, sometimes late afternoon. I still got up 3 times to use the bathroom. It’s very annoying. Actually, it was twice…once at 11:30 and then again at 1:30 and I had to go again when I got up at 5:30. So I was counting that as three. That seems excessive to me, for someone who doesn’t drink a lot. I can’t even have a salad at dinner because of the water content of the lettuce/vegetables.
My other issue is, I’m rarely thirsty. But I will still force myself to at least get in the 32 ounces because even though I don’t think I want water, I do feel it when I get dehydrated. I feel very sleepy and my heart rhythm goes wonky.

 

[Lou]

I've read that for a lot of us cravings aren't reliable. Although I thought that thirst was the most reliable.
thirty-two oz/day is definitely not too much. But it might not be too little. Our water requirements vary because of our size, activity, and weather. The pee test probably should help.
I haven't been able to sleep thru a night in 30 years. but rarely do I wake up to pee. its more like I am awake and realize I have to pee so I might as well.
But most of the seniors I know do get up to pee during the night. Seems like a typical growing old thing. Once or twice a night seems par for the course. I'm not counting the one when you get up in the morning - everyone does that.

 

[KLS52]

Yes everyone uses the bathroom when they get up but I wouldn’t expect urgency at 5:30 if I just went 2-3 hours prior lol. But I’m sure it’s an aging thing. I am almost 70. But it also feels ridiculous to go to bed 9:30-10 pm and then be awakened from a deep sleep because I have to go, 2-3 hours later. I can’t tell you how many times I have to use the bathroom during sleep but not waking up, and I start dreaming about needing to find a bathroom lol.

 

[KLS52]

Would be nice if 32 ounces is sufficient for me because I don’t see me being able to increase my intake.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I drink about 4 litres a day, if I stay at home but some people seem fine with two glasses a day.

On Sunday I drunk 7 litres of liquids which was normal for a heavy exercise day (8-9 hours cycle and walk).

People seem to want others to confirm to what they do, or just to the average, and are suspicious of outliers. People seem more inclined to believe that I drink 4-5 litres a day unnecessarily or because of some psychological problem. And don´t seem to want to believe that some people are different.

I can get headaches and thirst if I am drinking 2 litres a day even while sat at home in a perfectly cool house.

I think you have to trust your body to some extent rather than confirm to the average.

However waking up to pee several times during the night doesn´t feel right. It´s normal for older people I believe but if you are 34 this doesn´t seem right. I would suggest to drink water less in the evening. I usually avoid drinking any water in the last hour before bed, or drink very small quantities, so I don´t have to wake up at night.

Drink more in the morning. I find that once I get dehydrated it can be hard to shake off the headache without parecetemol in addition to water. In my personal case, it helps to be proactive earlier in the day, especially if I am doing exercise.

 

[silva]

I always have a glass of water first thing in the morning, and a glass just before going to bed. Having to pee gets me out of bed about a half hour before I need to wake up, so it gives me a chance to go back and snooze a bit
I think I read somewhere about water being conducive to a good sleep and it just stuck

 

[KLS52]

I think water first thing and before bed is good for blood pressure too. Pretty sure I read that somewhere or heard it on the morning news show.
I don’t fall back to sleep easily so I can’t drink water before bed but I do try to drink some in the morning.

 

[KLS52]

I let myself get dehydrated today. The good thing is it corrects itself pretty quickly once you start drinking again. I feel better already after just 12 ounces of water. I have an additional 12 ounces sitting here that I will finish over the next 30 minutes. I can’t drink too much at one time. Sometimes I set my timer for every 15 minutes to remind me to drink.

 

[PTree15]

I think water first thing and before bed is good for blood pressure too. Pretty sure I read that somewhere or heard it on the morning news show.
I don’t fall back to sleep easily so I can’t drink water before bed but I do try to drink some in the morning.

I didn't know that about water and blood pressure. I always start the morning with a big glass of water. I sometimes will have one before bed, but only if I'm super thirsty because I don't want to have to wake up in the night to go to the bathroom.

 

[Lou]

Midway thru my cancer treatment I could not swallow. My water consumption was something like 24 oz a day and my blood pressure dropped like 20 points.