Saturday, September 15, 2012

New Quest! Hydration!

Drink eight glasses of water a day. Drink eight glass of water a day.

This is one I hear all the time.

However, that's not actually what is recommended. I'm going to use the Mayo Clinic for this one because they're very well respected.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283 Go to the link and you'll read:

How much water do you need?

Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
So how much fluid does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.
 9 cups!

Wait...you've got to click on the next page.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283/NSECTIONGROUP=2

Factors that influence water needs

You may need to modify your total fluid intake depending on how active you are, the climate you live in, your health status, and if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.
  • Exercise. If you exercise or engage in any activity that makes you sweat, you need to drink extra water to compensate for the fluid loss. An extra 400 to 600 milliliters (about 1.5 to 2.5 cups) of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires more fluid intake. How much additional fluid you need depends on how much you sweat during exercise, and the duration and type of exercise. During long bouts of intense exercise, it's best to use a sports drink that contains sodium, as this will help replace sodium lost in sweat and reduce the chances of developing hyponatremia, which can be life-threatening. Also, continue to replace fluids after you're finished exercising.
  • Environment. Hot or humid weather can make you sweat and requires additional intake of fluid. Heated indoor air also can cause your skin to lose moisture during wintertime. Further, altitudes greater than 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which use up more of your fluid reserves.
  • Illnesses or health conditions. When you have fever, vomiting or diarrhea, your body loses additional fluids. In these cases, you should drink more water. In some cases, your doctor may recommend oral rehydration solutions, such as Gatorade, Powerade or CeraLyte. Also, you may need increased fluid intake if you develop certain conditions, including bladder infections or urinary tract stones. On the other hand, some conditions such as heart failure and some types of kidney, liver and adrenal diseases may impair excretion of water and even require that you limit your fluid intake.
  • Pregnancy or breast-feeding. Women who are expecting or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated. Large amounts of fluid are used especially when nursing. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink 2.3 liters (about 10 cups) of fluids daily and women who breast-feed consume 3.1 liters (about 13 cups) of fluids a day.


Well I'm not pregnant, or currently ill. But I do live in a very hot, southern climate, and I do sweat. Med school has a dress code so you typically wear pants no matter what the temperature you're walking in outside. Regardless, It is recommended that I drink more than 9 cups of water a day. How much more I didn't find. But the rest of the article is a good read and basically has asked to monitor oneself by making sure your pee comes out clear.

So why have I chosen this quest?

Today I watched a friend get very dehydrated and was close fainted. She was holding the ropes for me while we were rock climbing, and deftly passed them to another person. Everyone was A OK. Still, it got me thinking.

I set myself up for similar situations all the time because I have particularly low blood pressure. Always have. 90/60. So I get dehydrated easy. If I have to stand for a long time, let's say talking to a patient, I get whoosy and I have to sit down. I've taken to either making sure there is a place to sit just in case, or I have to go out of my way to warn everyone that I may need to sit down. Because trying to tough it out never cuts it. Can't fight a blackout with will power.

Alright: Let's lay out the rules for my quest. 

Starting next week, Monday, the goal is to drink 9+ cups of water a day. Water. Not sugary crap, or anything else. Water. 9+ cups is 72+ ounces. That's 0.5625+ gallons.

Why the plus? Well...I live in a hot climate. The plus is...+1-2 cups if I'm exercising. Or +1 cup if  I pee and that pee ain't clear.*

How long am I going to keep this up? Let's start with a week.
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*"Ain't" ain't a word! I live in the south, and I am sorry to inform you that any time that you see or hear a repeatable string of phonics with an attached meaning that a collective whole understands...you indeed have stumbled upon a....a word. Culture, y'all.

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