Why are we so thirsty...?

December 19, 2005 11:29 PM

My girlfriend and I have just moved to Davis, California from London, England, and we have both noticed that we drink lots more water than ever before....Why? It's winter here so it's not the heat.

We are both drinking about 2-3 litres of water a day.
My only guess is that the humidity in London must be higher due to the famous English weather - but it's been raining heavily in California for the past week or so, and we are still thirsty!

posted by xoe26 to Health & Fitness (24 answers total)

Not sure what the temps have been like or if you are running heating, but any forced air type heating tends to dry out the air something fierce. I wake up in the am with very dry lips because of it. (not in Calf. mind you)
posted by edgeways at 11:33 PM on December 19, 2005

Response by poster: We have got no heating at all in our apartment, and we have been getting very cold recently. Up to the point of wearing two sweaters and multiple pairs of socks!
posted by xoe26 at 11:37 PM on December 19, 2005

Has your salt intake increased since coming to Davis? Are you eating a lot of In-n-Out fries perhaps? Also, Yolo county has terrible water, so I hope you're not drinking tap water.
posted by spork at 11:41 PM on December 19, 2005

Best answer: I second the suggestion that it is probably due to a change in diet.
posted by keijo at 11:48 PM on December 19, 2005

Response by poster: No major salt increases as far as I know, but those In-n-Out fries sure are good :)
I am just a poor student so its tap water for me. However, if you've ever sampled London tap water you'd never complain about the tap water here!
posted by xoe26 at 11:48 PM on December 19, 2005

Nothing wrong with London tap water is there? There was a blind test a while back where the respondents chose Thames Water tap water over bottled mineral water brands. But now I derail.
posted by keijo at 11:49 PM on December 19, 2005

Maybe you exercise more with all the moving etc.?
posted by keijo at 11:50 PM on December 19, 2005

Best answer: Is there more chlorine in the water in Davis than London? I've noticed that I might as well be drinking sand when the water is heavily chlorinated. Try a Brita or similar.
posted by brujita at 11:54 PM on December 19, 2005

Response by poster: Brujita - yes the water here does seem to be quite heavily chlorinated - more so than in London. Is this the link?
posted by xoe26 at 11:57 PM on December 19, 2005

Yeah, Davis water is infamous.
posted by johngoren at 12:13 AM on December 20, 2005

When I first moved to Stockton, CA, I and other noticed that our skin and hair looked weird. We set a glass of tap water aside for a couple hours and came back to see the thin film of yellowish oil that had settled on the top. That's when we installed the filters and stopped drinking tap water there.
posted by muddylemon at 12:28 AM on December 20, 2005

Is Davis at altitude? Higher than London? Altitude will lower humidity and cause dehydration.
posted by frogan at 12:54 AM on December 20, 2005

I'm a Davis resident myself (another poor student). The water in Davis is some of the worst in the State! It fails about hald a dozen tests a year!? Get a Brita. This is something I noticed when I first moved up here from Southern California. I drink it by the cup full now... over and over.

Never really wondered why...
posted by nosophoros at 12:55 AM on December 20, 2005

When I moved from Canada to L.A. I noticed a major upswing in my consumption of water. I assumed it was because of there being less humidity in the air in CA than back home.
posted by Radio7 at 1:32 AM on December 20, 2005

But as far as problems go, drinking too much water (unless it's polluted) is not one that will trouble you much. Water is good for you. Most people don't drink enough.
posted by madman at 2:45 AM on December 20, 2005

Best answer: It's just lots dryer there than London. You loose lots of moisture from your breath. Rain != humidity.
posted by Goofyy at 2:49 AM on December 20, 2005

We have got no heating at all in our apartment, and we have been getting very cold recently. Up to the point of wearing two sweaters and multiple pairs of socks!

California isn't England: you are entitled to heat in your apartment. I recommend a call to your landlord ASAP!
posted by Carol Anne at 5:48 AM on December 20, 2005

Best answer: Davis is a desert climate. You need to be drinking more water to avoid dehyrdration. You lose a lot of water without noticing it., because it evaporates so fast. You might want to look up warning signs of dehydration; I know it includes headache and disorientation. I got ill in Sacramento because I didn't realize the effect of the low humidity.
posted by theora55 at 6:35 AM on December 20, 2005

I find I drink a lot more water in California compared to England because it's so easy to get - here, I just wander three meters to the fridge, and grab a glass. In the UK, I have to walk a lot further. Also, water here (in bottles) is a lot cheaper.
posted by djgh at 7:54 AM on December 20, 2005

Isn't it just that you are adopting the habits of your new setting? Americans generally drink more water than Brits and I'd think Californians even more so.

Incidentally bottled water isn't cheaper in the US - I can get a decent litre of generic water from Tesco for 30p aka 15c. Never seen that price in any American supermarket, even the grimmer ones where they don't spend their profits on waxing the fruit as much as the floors.
posted by A189Nut at 9:42 AM on December 20, 2005

Best answer: I've lived in Davis during the winter, and that dry wind sucked the life out of me. And the tap water never had a bad taste to me, but it felt like a left a film on the roof of my mouth. It also didn't seem to quench my thirst - maybe that's it? Really cold bottle water or Brita from the fridge is a must.
posted by peep at 10:09 AM on December 20, 2005

...30p aka 15c...

30p is (rounded to the nearest cent) 53c, rather than 15.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 11:02 AM on December 20, 2005

Er yes, got it the wrong way round. Still never seen a litre of bottled water in a US supermarket for 53c either
posted by A189Nut at 3:42 PM on December 20, 2005

Sorry xoe26, I didn't post a link--but you can find Brita or Pur at the supermarket or chain pharmacy.
posted by brujita at 10:51 PM on December 20, 2005