To ask if you drink a lot of water do you actually notice a difference?

[heyduggee12345]

I've been making an effort to drink a lot more water. I've been drinking around a litre every day for a couple of weeks.

So far I haven't noticed a difference, just that I need the toilet a lot more which is inconvenient at times! Maybe I need to give it more time to notice any effects.

For those that drink water, how much a day usually & do you feel better for it?

I usually drink 2 litres a day.

I stopped over Christmas and my skin was awful.

Back on my health kick last week, drinking 2 litres and my skin has gone nice again.

All drinks count towards your daily intake( not wine though!)
I do think you need to drink a bit more
even a large travel mug on the way to work for example

I drink about 2.5 litres a day, I don’t drink tea or coffee but a lady in the office said to me once that she didn’t know how I could fit it in while admitting she probably drank 10-15 cups of tea just while she was working 😂 pretty much one ever half an hour, that seems like loads but I don’t drink any so I think dh drinks loads of tea a day where it’s really about 5 cups.

Not drinking enough water gives me migraines, so I definitely notice the difference lol!

I notice my lips particularly. Without the water they're dry and shrivelled and really pale too.

If I'm at work I drink 3-4 glasses of water a day (350ml glasses). I'll have a couple of hot drinks (if I'm feeling thirsty I'll have decaf), a soft drink at lunchtime and a soft drink/sparkling water when I get home. Overall I must drink between 2 and 2.5l a day.

At the weekends it's less (wine doesn't count apparently!) and I definitely notice it. I just don't like the water at home, so end up having squash if I need water.

I think I'm less tired when I drink plenty and it definitely improves the appearance of my skin, everything's just a bit more plumped up.

I also quite like needing the loo more frequently - it means I get out of the chair more often!

Water requirements depend hugely on your diet. If you eat a lot of upf you will need more water as the water content is a lot lower than in whole food.

I find I realise just how thirsty I am and how much water I need. I'm constantly thirsty, the more I drink the more I need. if I don't drink water I don't get thirsty. Really weird. It does make you wee more. Your bowel movements should be better, your skin clearer and you sleep a bit better I think. Keep it up, it's a good habit. I have 2 litres next to me per day but usually only manage half. If I stop then I feel headachy and not thirsty at all weirdly!

You're not supposed to get to the point of thirst. You might want to allow your body to exist on the bare minimum but it doesn't mean it's healthy long term.

Your body is really good at telling you how much fluid you need.

The idea that a healthy adult needs to drink x amount of water a day according to some blanket rule is nonsense.

If you aren't thirsty and your pee is a pale colour you don't need to drink any more. If you are already adequately hydrated, drinking more won't help you feel less tired or make your skin feel plump. You'll just pee it straight back out.

@gamerchick that's not true - thirst (as long as not unexplained and excessive) is a perfectly normal physiological response and my example is certainly not "existing on the bare minimum". Ask a nephrologist ;-)
(and no, I don't feel particularly thirsty on what I consume)

@SkulkHollow precisely!

Being thirsty occasionally doesn't mean your body is existing on the bare minimum.

@heyduggee12345 OP sounds like you're doing fine - you'll be getting fluids from other sources too.

You can have too much plain water - I see it in my sport when people end up with low sodium (hyponatremia). Actually v dangerous.

Nah.

Obviously being persistently thirsty can be a sign of underlying health issues, but just forgetting to drink and getting thirsty is not unhealthy. It's just your body asking for some water. Drinking too much when you don't need to can be as problematic as being dehydrated.

My mum was told not to drink so much water because it was affecting her mineral levels.
I try to drink 4-6 glasses a day of warmish water. Cold just goes straight through you.

Yes definitely. I cut out unhealthy food and drank lots of water for 6 months and everything looked better, hair, skin, looks, belly fat.

Then I had some bad news, took comfort in a pizza and it all went downhill and now my hair and skin are dry.

But new year’s resolution to get back into it is going well and Ive had 2 litres of water today.

This wouldn’t work for me, I never get thirsty, even in summer. And I do feel the effects of dehydration so I do have to consciously drink water.

I drink 2 litres a day (not including tea/coffee). I have more energy and my skin is less dry and more clear. I find my gym classes SO much harder if I have not been drinking much.

I drink 4 x pint glasses a day.

@OhNoOhNo yeah I mean obviously we all need to drink fluids (doesn't need to be water!) regularly but the idea that we all need to be chugging litres of water a day is just not correct.

I think some of the examples above of skin improving etc may also because diet was improved at the same time...people going on a general health kick.

I drink a huge amount of water, litres. I'd say I pee once an hour. I don't notice any difference apart from the fact that when I don't drink enough water, I feel absolutely terrible. I do actually have very clear skin apart from a few old acne scars, but my skin is very fresh. While I have a normal amount of fine lines for a woman in her forties, it has a healthy glow.

You’re not drinking enough.

I notice when I don’t drink enough. I have headaches, lethargic, dry skin.

Yes, the contempoary focus on drinking water, apart from when you feel thirsty, is generally total bollocks.
journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpregu.00365.2002

Yes much more energy and eat less

@OnTheBanks quite, and thanks for the ref.

For the record, I don't get headaches, my skin is fine, energy levels fine, pee the correct pale colour etc etc. My (seemingly minimal) intake is completely adequate for my height, weight and lifestyle ;-)

Though I have felt compelled to make an extra cup of tea 😁