How long can you go without a drink (water)?

[magicfarawaytreestime]

Got a new colleague who is really struggling with our rules at work. No water/drinks at desks
She is really unhappy about it and keeps going out for a drink, I’ve said you do get used to it but I’m not sure if she will!
curious if others would struggle. It’s 2hrs max between breaks

I have pots so need to drink 3l a day minimum so I wouldn't be able to do it

I could go fairly easily for 2 hrs between drinks. But I have a kidney issue and need to drink at least 3L a day according to consultant. I do struggle with that if I don’t have the water bottle with me.

I’d quite happily go out and drink though it seems a bit daft to make you have to go out to drink in an office.

Id feel unwell to be honest so I do see her point.

Of course it's legal. There's a lot of professions where you'd need to wait until a break or step out to have a drink e.g. a surgeon, science lab tech, chemical plants etc.

The vast majority of healthy people can very easily wait 2 hours between drinks.

I was just about to post this. No POTS but ME and I can't function on less than that.

Unwell to wait 2 hours between drinks. Really?

Drink with breakfast.
Drink before work.
Drink at 11
Drink at lunch
Drink at 3
Drink at 5
Then as many drinks as you want between 5pm and bedtime.

It's hardly dehydration is it?

It’s interesting seeing people’s opinions. I feel she might leave because of it, she was commenting today that she missed having a water bottle and a cup of tea at her desk

I can easily go several hours. I don’t think this rule is unreasonable. We seem to have become used to drinking more frequently that we used to. Years ago we didn’t all carry water bottles around everywhere like so many people do now. I think it’s what we have got used to rather than what we actually need.

I'd struggle definitely. Not always from hydration although I drink a lot throughout the day due to chronic migraine, but if I'm talking a lot eg in meetings I'd want a drink or I'd id get a sore/dry throat. It seems excessive not to allow a sealed water bottle.

I see people haven't read the op's reply's properly.

Breaks are every 2 hours

You can get up and get a drink a AT ANY TIME you want, just don't drink it at your desk.

Seems fine to me.

3 litres a day?

1 litre before work

1 litre after work over the evening

250ml at mid morning break
250ml at the afternoon break
500ml over your lunch

easy

Ha ha I do too. In the early days it was bottles of Harrogate spring water, before everyone had a their own refillable bottle. I don’t see what the problem is with a drink every 2 hours and as needed - there’s no health reason to continuously sip,

Also does your office have air conditioning? That would make a huge difference to me, I find it really dries the air. I don’t have it at home and the airs much nicer

Yes exactly. I mean it might take the piss if you went out every 5 minutes but if I’m suddenly thirsty then I go out, down a glass of water and come back

No AC, well ventilated

I am crap at drinking. I regularly go 6hours without anything and then notice I am feeling thirsty and have a drink then. Of course in a work environment, perhaps in air con, talking to clients/customers all day I guess my body would require more water, more regularly. I can’t believe that an employer could reasonably ban closed lid water bottles, surely? Hydration can negatively impact performance and concentration by up to 70%, so they are daft to be so rigid.

I’d struggle with this. Not just lack of water but as an adult being told when and where I’m allowed a bloody drink.

This would have been fine for me years ago but I’m on medication now that makes me insanely thirsty and would really struggle

You’re not told when! You can leave the room at any point to get a drink without saying a word (although we all tend to say “off to the loo/drink/stare into space”

I was an archivist back in the day and we had that rule when historical documents were out. It’s only sensible. The current health trend for constantly glugging or sucking water is fairly recent.

They can, like in a lab or factory line or some checkouts/retail staff aren’t allowed
I feel pretty well hydrated with
before work - tea and water
10.15am ish tea and water
12.30 ish water
2pm water
3.45pm water
5.30pm - finish and do what I want

From what you’ve set out, that should be totally doable? Even my 85yo MiL manages a cross-country trip on two hourly pee and tea stops! (Pee first, top up with a cuppa, rinse repeat).

Being crap at drinking was how I fucked my kidneys and ended up needing to drink min of 3l.

@backformoreofthesame in theory yes. In practice I struggle to get in 1l before 9am. Also for reasons I don’t yet understand loading that much first thing seems to lead to me needing the loo way more.

If i a drank a litre before work id be peeing all morning it needs to be spread out

3 litres, regardless of when you drink it, would mean you'd need a loo pretty often. 3 litres is madness.