Drinking heaps of water is awesome

[bert eats dirt]

Hi everyone, I just thought I'd share with you my experience with drinking heaps of water. I decided I was going to do a 30 day trial of (among a couple of other things) getting up earlier (using Steve's "wake up at the same time every day, go to sleep when you're tired" method), and drinking lots of water. Someone once told me that at my body weight (70kg) that I should be drinking 3 litres of water per day, so that's what I've been doing. I've only been doing this for a few days but I've already noticed something quite interesting. In the past when I've tried to change my sleeping habits I end up feeling tired & sluggish throughout the day, and I end up falling asleep in the afternoons. This time around though I've felt awake and alert all day, maybe even moreso than I did before when I just woke up whenever. I'm no dietician so I could be wrong, but I suspect it's due to all the water I've been drinking - I've heard from a couple of sources that the number one reason for daytime tiredness is not drinking enough water.

(As for the time I've been getting to bed, the first two days I still got to bed at my usual time - pretty late, but last night I was asleep before midnight, a pretty noteable achievement in my books!)

So anyway there's my experience :-D I'd love to hear of anyone else's experience with upping their water intake and/or changing a sleep pattern.

[Shamou]

From here...

10 Reasons to Drink Water

1. Water is absolutely essential to the human body’s survival. A person can live for about a month without food, but only about a week without water.

2. Water helps to maintain healthy body weight by increasing metabolism and regulating appetite.

3. Water leads to increased energy levels. The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.

4. Drinking adequate amounts of water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.

5. For a majority of sufferers, drinking water can significantly reduce joint and/or back pain.

6. Water leads to overall greater health by flushing out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.

7. Water can prevent and alleviate headaches.

8. Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance.

9. Water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.

10. Water is the primary mode of transportation for all nutrients in the body and is essential for proper circulation.

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[Mark Lapierre]

Excellent. Just watch out for Hyponatremia!

I started drinking about 2.5L of water per day a couple of years ago on the advice of a couple of nutritionists. It had no noticeable effect on me. But that's just me, I've heard many positive stories from others.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Mark Lapierre

Excellent. Just watch out for Hyponatremia!

I started drinking about 2.5L of water per day a couple of years ago on the advice of a couple of nutritionists. It had no noticeable effect on me. But that's just me, I've heard many positive stories from others.

I seriously don't think that getting into the habit of drinking a minimum of 2.5L of water could have immediate effects... (except maybe having to go to the john more often... ) ...but I am an ardent believer that it is beneficial in the long run...

One thing is certain... you don't have anything to lose...

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[Keith]

Originally Posted by Shamou

I seriously don't think that getting into the habit of drinking a minimum of 2.5L of water could have immediate effects... (except maybe having to go to the john more often... ).

Define "immediate". It certainly makes me feel better within a couple of days.

Usually I then let it slide.

(This is partially due to the aforementioned 'john' issue. I'm led to understand that goes away after a while, though...).

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Keith

Define "immediate". It certainly makes me feel better within a couple of days. Usually I then let it slide (partially due to the aforementioned 'john' issue - I'm led to understand that goes away after a while, though...).

I don't want to be picky here... but if you don't have any health problem... I cannot see how drinking more water can you "feel better." It's not like if someone lost 25 pounds... that could make them feel better... but water...???

The way I see adequate water drinking is the same way I would see regular oil change in your car... it won't make it run any better... but, it should make the parts last longer...

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[Jenny]

Originally Posted by Shamou

I don't want to be picky here... but if you don't have any health problem... I cannot see how drinking more water can you "feel better." It's not like if someone lost 25 pounds... that could make them feel better... but water...???

Yeah, it sounds funny but I'm with Keith. About four months ago I started drinking much more water and noticed a pretty dramatic change in my mood and energy level (particularly late afternoon). In my case though I'm assuming it's because I really wasn't drinking much water at all and my poor body was probably mildly dehydrated all of the time.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Jenny

Yeah, it sounds funny but I'm with Keith. About four months ago I started drinking much more water and noticed a pretty dramatic change in my mood and energy level (particularly late afternoon). In my case though I'm assuming it's because I really wasn't drinking much water at all and my poor body was probably mildly dehydrated all of the time.

A very good assessment of the situation... and, very glad you found a solution to your problem...

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[jwz]

I would love to drink much more water throughout the day too.

Today I began wondering... Would it be okay to substitute some of all that water with organic juice and other healty drinks?

Or would I be better off to stick with water as much as possible?

If juice is not the answer, please enlighten me with the reason(s).

:-)

-Jan

[Ree]

I lost 36 pounds using weightwatchers and one of the biggest changes for me was drinking adequate amounts of water each day. I noticed an improvement in my skin and my hair, my sleep and my moods. Many of my fellow WW members indicated the same improvements. Oh, and I did need a few additional trips to the john at first, but my body adjusted after a short while

[Mayo]

I had a problem like:

Acidosis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Althoug few grains of salt in water solves it. I am still under 2L of water but with summer and new regime of water consumption it will go just under 4L a day.

[stellabeam]

My acupunturist Niel Ringe says that if you drink more water than you need (ie other than what is dictated by your thirst), you pee out valuable vitamins and minerals
My personal experience is that often I am out of touch with my body's thirst. I think I am hungry when I am thirsty. I feel tired but do not recognise it as thirst. In the past I would eat choclate which would further dehydrate because of the sugar.
I have found it helpful and energising to consciously drink a set amount of water each day, depending on the weather and my activities. However I would llike to be in tune enough with my body to know when I am thirsty!

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by stellabeam

My acupunturist Niel Ringe says that if you drink more water than you need (ie other than what is dictated by your thirst), you pee out valuable vitamins and minerals

You can tell your acupuncturist that your Chiropractor said that she is full of beans...

If you have no kidney problems... you would have to drink gallons of water to lose valuable vitamins and minerals...

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[bert eats dirt]

Originally Posted by jwz

I would love to drink much more water throughout the day too.

Today I began wondering... Would it be okay to substitute some of all that water with organic juice and other healty drinks?

Or would I be better off to stick with water as much as possible?

If juice is not the answer, please enlighten me with the reason(s).

:-)

-Jan

Water's really the best thing you can drink. The problem with fruit juice is it's full of sugar and contains citric acid. If you don't do enough exercise or have a fast enough metabolism, that sugar will be stored as fat in your body. I've also read a few stories of parents feeding their kids fruit juice believing it's a healthy alternative to cordial and soft drink, only to have the sugar and citric acid rot their teeth away. So stick with water

If you want to make sure you drink enough water, try this method. Pick an amount you want to drink each day (say 2.5L), get a water bottle of some known volume (say 500mL), figure out how many bottles you need to get to your desired level, then just make sure you drink that many bottles of water per day. Carry the bottle around with you wherever you go and just keep sipping it down throughout the day. I also read somewhere that it might be a good idea to drink 500mL of water soon after you wake up to make up for the time you've been sleeping. That may or may not be true, but gulping down half a litre of water first thing in the morning is an easy way of kick starting your water consumption for the day :-)

[jwz]

Sounds pretty reasonable, Bert. :-)
I will definately keep off the juice and drink some more water from now on.

Luckily I have the privilege of having a pretty clean source of water the place I live. (a small town in Greenland, population 4000) So tapped water should do.

Thanks.

-Jan

[Iksander]

Ironically the modern lifestyle makes it difficult to listen to your thirst...

When I was out on a survival trip - all you really do is listen to your body; drinking five liters of water a day was quite natural - I had three Nalgene bottles attached to my pack! Despite freeze dried food, it is probably the healthiest I have eaten in my life as well.

You lose weight within two weeks also - smaller stomach/intestinal system and loss of excess fat due to the altered diet, constant exercise, and of course - loads of water.

[Shamou]

A reliable article on water intake... see here...

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[Sam988]

Drinking more water didnt have much of an effect on me, actually i had to go to the bathroom every 30mins (literally.. i must have some kind of problem) so it didnt help much and i wasted a lot of time in the day going to the bathroom many times.

[bert eats dirt]

jwz - you don't need to totally exclude fruit juice, it's ok occasionally, but the majority of the stuff you drink should be water :-)

[MichaelOlson]

Originally Posted by Sam988

Drinking more water didnt have much of an effect on me, actually i had to go to the bathroom every 30mins (literally.. i must have some kind of problem) so it didnt help much and i wasted a lot of time in the day going to the bathroom many times.

I have this exact same problem. However, I still manage to drink at a minimum a gallon of water a day. It just makes me feel better when I do it.

[Amadeus]

bert, you are probably just going through the placebo effect. I really don't think water will give you greater energy levels. You just think it is doing something for you.

[Peter S C]

I have been drinking more water lately and feel really good, but I think it's more a case of what I am drinking water instead of. I now rarely drink soft drink/ pop and I have stopped drinking alcohol 5 nights a week (with the odd exception!).

[bert eats dirt]

Originally Posted by Amadeus

bert, you are probably just going through the placebo effect. I really don't think water will give you greater energy levels. You just think it is doing something for you.

I never actually said I felt like I had more energy, just that I feel more "awake and alert". I'm inclined to believe that I was used to feeling run down before when I wasn't drinking enough water (and as I also mentioned apparently the main reason people feel run down during the day is because they're not drinking enough water) and better feeling is caused by me now drinking enough water, but yeah I'm also open to the suggestion that it's all placebo :-) Can I ask why you say it's "probably" the placebo effect?

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by bert eats dirt

I never actually said I felt like I had more energy, just that I feel more "awake and alert".

You know the old saying, "If it makes you feel good...

That being said, here is a pertinent quote,

"In 2001, ACE sponsored a study to test the claims made by manufacturers of super-oxygenated waters. The study, conducted by the Human Performance Research Lab at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, revealed that drinking super-oxygenated water had no measurable effect on heart rate, blood pressure or blood lactate values during sub-maximal and maximal exercise tests.

At the time, researchers concluded that any potential benefits of super-oxygenated water would undoubtedly be attributed to the placebo effect."


PS.- A full bladder certainly has the propriety of keeping you awake and alert... (Sorry... I could not resist that...)
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