I pretty much never drink water. Is this bad?
January 14, 2018 2:08 PM Subscribe
I almost never drink water because: (i) I am not thirsty very much; and (ii) I don't really like drinking plain old water. Is this bad?
I like fizzy water or water with some lemon or something in it, but I rarely have that on hand. I guess I get my hydration from food/soup and a few cups of coffee and decaffeinated tea during the day. My wife thinks I am going to shrivel up like a raisin or mummy, but I don't feel thirsty! If you are not thirsty, do you nonetheless need to make an effort to drink water? Can you be dehydrated and not feel it?
I like fizzy water or water with some lemon or something in it, but I rarely have that on hand. I guess I get my hydration from food/soup and a few cups of coffee and decaffeinated tea during the day. My wife thinks I am going to shrivel up like a raisin or mummy, but I don't feel thirsty! If you are not thirsty, do you nonetheless need to make an effort to drink water? Can you be dehydrated and not feel it?
Drinking to thirst works just as well for humans as it does for every other animal in the world, great and small. Carry on.
posted by ftm at 2:16 PM on January 14, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by ftm at 2:16 PM on January 14, 2018 [19 favorites]
I guess one thing to try would be to drink a small glass of water and then see how you feel - I don't always feel thirsty either (unless I'm super dehydrated) and I've noticed that sometimes drinking some water will sort of switch on my feelings of thirst. "This tastes really good," I will think to myself, "Why not have another?"
posted by Frowner at 2:33 PM on January 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 2:33 PM on January 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
I apologize in advance if this seems gross, but, what color is your pee? If it's dark yellow or brown, you have a problem. If it's white or very light yellow, you are prbly okay with what your are doing.
posted by charlesminus at 2:55 PM on January 14, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by charlesminus at 2:55 PM on January 14, 2018 [32 favorites]
Anecdote: my mom was like that for many years. The second time she got bladder stones they were so big they had to be surgically removed. She forces herself to drink water now on her doctor's advice and no longer gets them.
posted by outfielder at 3:01 PM on January 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by outfielder at 3:01 PM on January 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
I agree with Frowner. If you drink some water and it tastes good and feels good then you are probably dehydrated.
According to WebMD Signs of mild or moderate dehydration include:
Thirst
Dry or sticky mouth
Not peeing very much
Dark yellow pee
Dry, cool skin
Headache
Muscle cramps
posted by mumblelard at 3:28 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
According to WebMD Signs of mild or moderate dehydration include:
Thirst
Dry or sticky mouth
Not peeing very much
Dark yellow pee
Dry, cool skin
Headache
Muscle cramps
posted by mumblelard at 3:28 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I was on some drugs as a kid that had a chance of damaging my kidneys, and I was a kid who did not drink a ton of water. So the doctors had to really hammer it into my head, that i absolutely had to drink water, "until your urine is pale, pale yellow" If you're drinking so much your urine is totally clear, yeah that's too much. This is entirely anecdotal of course, but after 3 years of being on that medicine, they checked my kidneys expecting at least a little damage, and they were fine. More anecdotes- after I got off it, I fell back into the old habit of not drinking too much water and got my first and hopefully last kidney stone. Yeah, I'm not doing that again. So I just always have a water bottle on hand that I refill all the time. But you are partially right, a lot of water is derived from food. So check your pee. If your pee is a nice pale, pale yellow then your girlfriend is wrong. If your urine is darker yellow or even brownish- yeah you need to drink more water.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 5:06 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 5:06 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Agree with checking your pee. I'm like you, rarely drink straight water. If you need some flavor, put a scoop of Gatorade powder (or Crystal Light or whatever) in a glass and then fill it up with water. It's cheap, nearly effortless and tastes better. I keep the tin of powder next to the sink.
posted by AFABulous at 6:01 PM on January 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by AFABulous at 6:01 PM on January 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
PEE CLEAR, NO FEAR
PEE DARK YELLLOW, CHECK YOURSELF FELLLOW
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:03 PM on January 14, 2018 [20 favorites]
PEE DARK YELLLOW, CHECK YOURSELF FELLLOW
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:03 PM on January 14, 2018 [20 favorites]
I'm from a culture where most water consumption comes from soups and tea, but my partner grew up with a pitcher of water at the table at every meal. I slowly started drinking more water just in following my partner's habit, and hadn't noticed I was doing so -- until we visited my home country, and we were so. thirsty. all the time. My grandmas started having boiled water ready in teapots for our bizarre "drinking water" needs.
By drinking more water, my body had become used to needing more water, it turned out. Whether that's bad or good, well -- for me, it was good. I realized I had fewer headaches, and my skin, which had been perpetually pimply my whole life, cleared up almost entirely. I do get thirsty much more often now, though.
posted by Pwoink at 7:05 PM on January 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
By drinking more water, my body had become used to needing more water, it turned out. Whether that's bad or good, well -- for me, it was good. I realized I had fewer headaches, and my skin, which had been perpetually pimply my whole life, cleared up almost entirely. I do get thirsty much more often now, though.
posted by Pwoink at 7:05 PM on January 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
For fizzy water definitely get a Sodastream and three* of the bottles. Would keeping some lemon juice in the fridge work for the lemon flavor?
*Three bottles are necessary because if you drink one bottle and refill it then you drink the second bottle soon after, you have to wait for the first bottle to chill.
posted by bendy at 8:47 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
*Three bottles are necessary because if you drink one bottle and refill it then you drink the second bottle soon after, you have to wait for the first bottle to chill.
posted by bendy at 8:47 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Oops, my mom had kidney stones, not bladder stones. The rest is accurate.
posted by outfielder at 9:29 PM on January 14, 2018
posted by outfielder at 9:29 PM on January 14, 2018
Keeping the things you like to enhance water with around will encourage you to drink water more. You say you like fizzy water and decaff tea, one of my favorite drinks is herbal iced tea and la croix (other brands are available). I just make the tea into a concentrate in the microwave, pour it over some ice, pour a la croix in and BOOM no calorie, no sugar, super flavorful water.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 7:06 AM on January 15, 2018
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 7:06 AM on January 15, 2018
As others say, you are getting water from the food and other drinks you consume. Likewise the color of your urine is a decent heuristic to see if you need more water in your life.
I was once like you and never drank much water on its own. The big thing that changed that for me was getting a water filter pitcher that I could store in the fridge. Filtered water usually tastes better than not and very cold water tastes better than faucet cold water.
posted by mmascolino at 8:13 AM on January 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
I was once like you and never drank much water on its own. The big thing that changed that for me was getting a water filter pitcher that I could store in the fridge. Filtered water usually tastes better than not and very cold water tastes better than faucet cold water.
posted by mmascolino at 8:13 AM on January 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Seconding La Croix--I would be a sad, dry raisin human without it. I have also had some amount of success with the Mio water additives (the lemonade, blueberry lemonade, and strawberry watermelon are my favorites) as a way to add some flavor to water without adding a bunch of extra calories or having to stir in powders.
If it seems like you're already getting a good amount of hydration from the food you're eating, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Drinking more water is nearly always better than drinking less, but you probably don't need to start mainlining it to be healthy. Figuring out small, enjoyable, convenient ways for you to drink a little more is probably the way to go, and more sustainable in the long run anyway.
posted by helloimjennsco at 8:29 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
If it seems like you're already getting a good amount of hydration from the food you're eating, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Drinking more water is nearly always better than drinking less, but you probably don't need to start mainlining it to be healthy. Figuring out small, enjoyable, convenient ways for you to drink a little more is probably the way to go, and more sustainable in the long run anyway.
posted by helloimjennsco at 8:29 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by aniola at 2:15 PM on January 14, 2018