[IchbinkeinTeufel]

I have problems staying hydrated. I'm really dehydrated, at the moment - can anyone give me any suggestions? If your only suggestion is "Drink water!" then please don't bother, because I've obviously thought of that. Haha. xD I've just drank quite a bit of water, but I don't think it's doing much, so I'm having a cup of Earl Gray tea with a tiny bit of salt. I'm forever getting dehydrated, because it doesn't occur to me, unlike a normal person, to drink things like water, all the time. This is why I quit drinking Pepsi, because it ends up being all I drink, and it's ****ing monumentally useless for staying hydrated. -.- Since I inevitably started the bad habit back up again, it looks like I'm gonna have to once again kick it!

Also, I struggle drinking water, sometimes... like... now, I'm really thirsty, but I couldn't just guzzle the water, like back when I was a kid, but instead had to take a few gulps at a time. Might just be the taste, which I don't like.

A few things I know of, so far:Hydration sachets.

• Warm water with a bit of salt, sugar, and fresh juice.
• Keeping the room temperature cool, so as not to sweat.
• Avoiding exercise - same reason as above.
• Some people seem to swear by Gatorade.

That's about all I've picked up on.

One last thing: I do plan on telling my GP about my dehydration problems, but I won't be seeing her for a while, yet. (don't want to go out, so lacking food and decent drink - anxiety, depression, OCD -.-)

[wintersnow]

Hey, maybe I have some tips for you.

About the water thing - have you tried to put a can of water in the fridge, with slices of cucumber or lemons in it? It makes the water taste different (for the better of course) and the fridge gives it that super cool temperature which I personally love. I don't drink much water either, but that is my trick. Maybe juice or some other healthy stuff could encourage you to drink more.

And just so you know, the Earl gray tea dehydrates you even more since the caffeine in it gets your bladder going... And I would not go for the gatorade - pretty much only sugar in there.
I actually feel a bit worried when you mention that you avoid exercise due to this. I really think you should talk to T about it. Exercise releases endorphins, which makes you feel better.

Take care!

[unaluna]

I use a straw. I make fresh ice cubes. I make herbal or decaf tea. I drink out of a coffee mug. I have problems remembering to drink water too

[IchbinkeinTeufel]

Thanks, guys.

Wintersnow, I avoid exercise for a multitude of reasons. I'm on my second or third large cup, now - all with a small bit of salt, of which I'll stop doing, now. My brother suggested the following:

Also, as far as water goes, something I learned was that water often tastes bad/unpleasant because of the chemicals used to treat it. Chlorine is normally the main culprit. You will find that if you place a jug or glass of water in the fridge that the chlorine will evaporate, making it taste less like the *** it usually does.

Hankster, isn't Earl Gray a herbal tea? I'm not sure what decaf is, except perhaps a coffee? I know I need to avoid diuretics, as they cause you to go pee-pee - I wanna retain liquids, not flush it out!

[wintersnow]

Nah, Earl Grey is just plain regular black tea. Herbal tea could be infusions of different herbs such as chamomile or something. Clipper has some great herbal teas! Black tea contains loads of caffeine - almost as much as a regular cup of coffee! And caffeine makes you go and pee. So cool down with that black tea

Interesting with the chemical thing. I already knew of chlorine, even though I don't think that where I live (Sweden) the water is treated very much. When I was in London last spring I noticed that the water from the taps and in the shower even smelled more chlorine than home. But I agree - it tastes better when having been in the fridge for a while

I eat fruit as well as drink tea, friuts and some vegetables are suppose to be high in water content. I really like wintersnow's suggestion of putting lemon or even lime in your water. I always have a glass of water siting in front of me during the day and evening so I can see it, makes me want to take a drink.
warm thoughts

[wintersnow]

Originally Posted by chilekat2

I eat fruit as well as drink tea, friuts and some vegetables are suppose to be high in water content. I really like wintersnow's suggestion of putting lemon or even lime in your water. I always have a glass of water siting in front of me during the day and evening so I can see it, makes me want to take a drink.
warm thoughts

Oh yeah, lime! I used to do that all the time for a period, yuuum!

[-jimi-]

It's a rather new thing to drink a lot of water. In the past, we actually did not. We drank with meals. That was it if it wasn't something at a coffee break. Then we had extra if we felt a lot of thirst like when it was really hot or we had exercised. Sometimes people overestimate how much they need to drink.

If your pee is not dark but light yellow you are fine.

I mostly drink everything I need in one go, twice a day, and inbetween not so much. I haven't died so far. I keep water close though when I'm on the computer. I have a nice bottle because for some reason I hate drinking water from a glass, and it is good to have a lid since computers don't like water much.

[Hope-Full]

Try coconut water - the pure stuff, not the bottled crud. It's very hydrating as it has natural electrolytes in it. I know cause I have the same problem

I've also tried to keep two water bottles ready and cold - one that I try to drink in the morning, and one that I try to drink in the afternoon. Each takes me about 4 hours to drink, but it gives me a good chunk of hydration.

Watermelon is great in the summer, too, very hydrating and better than drinking water!

[IchbinkeinTeufel]

Wintersnow, I'll be on the look-out for herbal tea - thank-you.

Jimi, I tend to try to keep liquids near the computer, as-well, since otherwise I will forget! I also don't like drinking from glasses; it agitates my OCD, so I avoid them at almost all cost.

Hope-Full, thank you! I will consider coconut juice as I love that stuff.

Psychiatric Meds are dehydrating.

Caffeinated drinks ... Coffee, Tea, Pepsi, Coke, etc. are dehydrating.

Alcoholic beverages are dehydrating.

Gatorade works, but not as well as water ...

Yes, I know, water sucks, but ... It's imperative that we drink it because the lack thereof will eventually cause our systems to start shutting down, and that isn't a pleasant way to die.

I find that keeping it on ice and sipping on it day and night works best for me.

I don't totally eschew all the other stuff, but I try to let water be at least 50% of my total liquid consumption.

[hamster-bamster]

I think it is a myth about horrible dehydration from caffeine-containing drinks.

Drink what you like and make sure your food has plenty of fluid content.

Tea, milk, kefir, some coffee - I drink all day long and am well hydrated, without drinking any water.

[yellowted]

you don't have to drink loads to stay hydrated, i really struggle to drink much more than 500mls a day, like you i forget to drink i do however make sure i have either soup, a sauce or gravy and fresh veg in the evening, sugar free jello to snack on and when possible i have cerial with lots of rice milk for breakfast.
snacking on cucumber or watermelon or jello really helps keep you hydrated, they all are low calorie and have a high water content, for more indulgent ways try eating icecream or sorbet, basically anything containing lots of water or liquid, ice lollys, boiled beetroot, fresh tomatoes etc are all full of fluids
i love drinking watermellon juice, i skin and deseed it then put it in the blender, cool and serve with ice and a sprig of mint.
using bottles with sports caps or poptops make drinking easier for me as i can control the flow better.
I have got much better at drinking more since i started buying individual cartons of juice and small pop top bottles of water and keeping a supply of them both in the fridge and in an electric cool box by my bed, so i don'tr have the hassle of getting a cup, trying not to choke etc, and cold 'cold drinks' are easier to drink than room temp or warm 'cold drinks'!

[eskielover]

When I was living in the California desert, I was forever getting dehydrated & ending up in the ER needing IV fluids because I would end up constantly passing out. I was always riding my horse in the really warm part of the day & I bought one of those huge keg mugs at WalMart 64+ ounces it holds.....fill it with ice cubes to take away from the bad taste of the water....also used filtered water when I could. It helped a lot, but I still ended up dehydrated.

Now I live in a very humid area & I still carry my mug of water where ever I go....it's just become a part of me. I do like the herbal teas & put the ice in them.....sometimes much better than just water. I also have a insulated glass with a straw that I take when I don't want to carry such a huge mug as the other one....but I keep it next to me at all times so I'm always drinking from it....it does help more living in a more humid area of the country & an area less hot than the 100+F that it was throughout the summer in the desert.

I understand how you feel though....it's horrible to end up dehydrated.

[-jimi-]

Coffee is only a diuretic if you're not used to it. If you drink it randomly it will push out fluids though.

When I feel I can't stomach water I drink low fat milk. If it is very hot outside it is actually better than water since warm people usually eat too little.

[-jimi-]

100 F and I would both be dehydrated and melting. If melting is an option... I might turn into a pile of sand!

[growlithing]

Poweraide zero (to avoid calories and sugar). Replaces electrolytes. Crystal light is also good. Flavoring your water often makes it easier to go down. I like to carry around a big jug and fill it up once or twice. The thing about drinking water you have to get into the habit of drinking. Flavored water or poweraide helps me.

[yellowted]

everyone seems to be aware that too much salt is bad for you, but what people often do not get is that too little is even worse, make sure you have some salt every day, even if it is a packet of chips/crisps or salt on your supper. water does not replace the salt you sweat out so you have to be aware to replace it too not just the water you use each day

[anxiousdove]

I'm really digging the cucumber water idea, merely because it sounds awfully refreshing. I can imagine sipping this on a hot day.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2

[-jimi-]

Originally Posted by yellowted

everyone seems to be aware that too much salt is bad for you, but what people often do not get is that too little is even worse, make sure you have some salt every day, even if it is a packet of chips/crisps or salt on your supper. water does not replace the salt you sweat out so you have to be aware to replace it too not just the water you use each day

Very true. If you are not doing much and it is not hot, you can get by with whatever sodium your food has. But when it's getting hot people lose a lot of hydration and they might drink water like crazy and forget it will just run right through you if you have zero salt. And they might eat less and drink more because they don't feel good. In that situation some salty nuts can do wonders for your energy levels.

[transient]

Sorry for this gigantic post, I couldn't help it bc this topic interests me a lot, and I still struggle w/ it sometimes

A few things that have really helped me are, like a few others before me have mentioned, coconut water. If you don't like the taste you can mix it in with a bit of fruit juice, or try to find the orange mango/ papaya/ etc flavoured ones, that are usually very natural with no added ingredients.
Recently I found out about aloe water! It's all natural with no sugars added, and it tastes really good! Theres regular that usually has white grape for flavour, there's mango aloe, peach aloe, etc. The aloe keeps your skin hydrated and can aid in digestion, etc. Eating more fresh, organic (if you're able to) fruit can do wonders to restore the water in your body. I love the saying "eat your water" that you find in vegetarian/vegan resources

If you live in an area that has unsafe tap water, and you are able/ have time to boil water, I really recommend it. Just add a bit of salt so the water doesn't go right through you
It's best to drink at least 1-2 glasses of water before eating your first meal. Your body uses up water when you digest food, so eating before drinking can make you more dehydrated.

Another thing that has been mentioned- cut down on soda, anything with added sugars like fructose and sucrose. Definitely stay away from powders you add to water, and gatorade. Products like that boast about helping with electrolytes and low calories, but they really just have sugar in them, and calories are what we get energy from, so we need them!
Aspartame is also in a lot of sodas and crystal light (and a LOT of processed foods, so you must be aware of those as well) and it's something I urge you to stay away from at all costs. Aspartame is like poison. It helps to dehydrate you, alters chemicals in your body, and directly causes some illnesses. It's very dangerous (it's not even been properly reviewed by the FDA, and a lot of countries have done more to ban it than the US has) and I urge you to do some research on it.
I look out for it in any foods and if it's there, I dont buy/ eat it, and ever since cutting down dramatically it's much easier for me to stay hydrated. as a plus, a lot of my migraines have been less frequent, and my other physical sicknesses haven't been as painful. use duckduckgo.com and search "everything I need to know about aspartame"
I guarantee that if you cut down on any foods containing aspartame, added sugars, or anything that is processed (like "enriched flour" that is bleached and has no nutritional value, white sugar, instant foods etc) or genetically modified, your question will be a lot less of "How can I drink more water (especially if you're already drinking the recommended amt.)" to "If I eat this food will it adversely effect my health?"

[Perna]

I would talk to my doctor; hydration is not just about drinking water, there are a whole lot of processes inside one's body that influence it and that need to be checked if you are chronically being dehydrated. Older people and others who don't experience thirst as we did in our youth get dehydrated without knowing it and it can be life threatening.

[Raging Quiet]

I have to drink most of my liquids from a water bottle as I'm more likely to drink a prepared drink as I don't drink enough and can't recognise when I'm thirsty. I am used to filling up the water bottle and keeping it with me - I usually mix it with fruit juice as I hate water and don't drink hot drinks.

[buttrfli42481]

I too have a problem with recognizing thirst. I just don't realize when I am thirsty before it is too late. I hate the way water tastes. And yes, I know that water supposedly doesn't have a taste to it, well it does to me and I don't like it. I normally drink water with my meds in the morning and then again at bedtime, and that is about it for my liquid intake for the day. I know that I get liquids from the food that I eat, but also know that is not enough. I have tried putting fruit in my water, but that grows old really quick. I have also tried drinking filtered water and it still tastes bad. I do drink black mango tea on occassion, but it has caffeine in it. One of those danged if I do and danged if I don't situations.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by buttrfli42481

I too have a problem with recognizing thirst. I just don't realize when I am thirsty before it is too late. I hate the way water tastes. And yes, I know that water supposedly doesn't have a taste to it, well it does to me and I don't like it. I normally drink water with my meds in the morning and then again at bedtime, and that is about it for my liquid intake for the day. I know that I get liquids from the food that I eat, but also know that is not enough. I have tried putting fruit in my water, but that grows old really quick. I have also tried drinking filtered water and it still tastes bad. I do drink black mango tea on occassion, but it has caffeine in it. One of those danged if I do and danged if I don't situations.

I too hate the taste of water. Only distilled water truly does not have a taste to it (but still is disgusting in its own way ).

Black mango tea is great - what is wrong with having a little caffeine? Do you get insomnia from it? Caffeine in moderation is only good for you, and black mango tea does taste good.