Water. You may drink too much, too often
How did humans evolve to drink?
Symptoms of drinking too much water or drinking too frequently
Symptoms of dehydration
How much water to drink?
Old people and seniors may drink too little water
References
How did humans evolve to drink?
When you walk around a city, you see people actually carrying bottles of water. When you go to a gym or a yoga class, people drink between each move. Does this make sense?
If you sweat while you are exercising, is it sensible to immediately replace the sweat lost by drinking water (or a sports drink) or is it healthier and part of the workout to have a sense of thirst for a while? Remember that the stores selling you these drinks have a financial incentive to promote drinking.
Of course, you do not want to go into severe dehydration or heat stroke, especially on a hot day. But could it be beneficial to be somewhat thirsty for an hour or two?
Consider how humans evolved and lived until the advent of agriculture ten thousand years ago. People could not carry water unless they had an animal bladder, gourd or calabash. Most people were outside all day, and sometimes went without a drink from morning until night. Hunters were chasing down a prey animal all day, and gatherers digging for roots all day.
Constantly sipping water is parallel to constantly eating food (snacking) all day. Food and drink are so cheap and so easy to get 24 hours per day that we tend to overindulge.
Not drinking for several hours puts the body in a state of mild stress, what I call hormetic stress. Other forms of hormetic stress include fasting, ice baths, interval training and controlled breathing, for example.
A study published in 2016 (1) found that oxytocin is produced by the body when you are thirsty. Drinking too much and drinking too frequently inhibits the production of oxytocin. Could the excessive water habit of many young and active people explain the widespread levels of depression and feelings of isolation today?
Symptoms of drinking too much water or drinking too frequently
- Urine has little or no colour. If your urine has little colour and is almost like water, then you are probably drinking too much water.
- Urine has little or no smell.
- Oxytocin deficiency. Oxytocin is the feel-good trust and love hormone. A deficiency leads to feelings of depression and isolation.
- Mineral deficiency. Drinking too much water can leach valuable minerals and electrolytes from your body, especially if you are driniking soft or mineral-deficient water such as reverse osmosis or distilled water. Mineral deficiencies lead to numerous health problems where it is difficult to connect the dots.
Symptoms of dehydration
- Dark yellow / orange / brown urine.
- Urine sometimes, but not always, has a stronger smell.
- Feeling tired, disoriented and grumpy.
- Finding it hard to concentrate.
- Constipation.
- Low energy levels.
- Unexplained pains.
Warning. Continual and excessive dehydration prevents the kidneys from flushing properly, and can lead to the build-up of kidney stones. Do not go without drinking for long periods when you are feeling thirsty.
How much water to drink?
Most active people living in cities drink too much water, and they drink too frequently. We need sufficient but not excessive water for good health.
Our bodies are 75% water by weight. Brain tissue is 80% water by weight. You need an ongoing supply of water to flush away wastes, for your digestive system to work properly, to prevent your body salts from getting too concentrated and to maintain your blood volume.
The average adult needs a litre (quart) of water every day. On a hot day with heavy exercise and heavy sweating, you can at least double that. When you are giving your body a real workout you can lose over a litre of water an hour through sweat and the moisture in your out-breath. On a winter day you can lose a lot of water from your body through your breathing, because the humidity is low.
Old people and seniors may drink too little water
Nowadays chronic dehydration is rare, except among old people whose sense of thirst becomes less acute with aging. Many old people do not realise that they are dehydrated, especially when they are dependent upon others to keep them properly hydrated. Numerous studies of nursing homes have shown that most inmates are in a constant state of dehydration and one of the most effective means of improving their health and vitality is to give them enough water.
References
1. Pruimboom L, Reheis D. Intermittent drinking, oxytocin and human health. Med Hypotheses. 2016 Jul;92:80-3. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2016.04.043. Epub 2016 Apr 27. PMID: 27241263.