How Much Water Should We Drink A Day?

[artluvr09]

I know we should drink more than the average person because of having dysautonomia but how much should we be drinking? I usually drink two 20 ounce water bottles but i mix the water bottles with half g2 and half water. Sometimes i don't even drink two water bottles. I am probably not drinking enough. I am 107 pounds and am 4 foot 10. I have know idea how much I should drink. I remember a few years ago my cardiologist told me i should probably drink around a 2 liter bottle of water a day but then over the summer his assistant told me 64 oz. I don't know which one. How much water do you guys drink a day to feel better? I am always sluggish and tired so I don't think I am drinking enough.

[Becia]

I was told 3 liters a day. I hardly ever get that in though, because when I try, my stomach doesn't empty right, and I get full on fluids, then I cannot get actual food in my stomach, which leads to me throwing up more.

[bethanyh]

I carry around a 32oz Nalgene bottle like it is part of my body I usually drink 2 Nalgene bottles of plain water a day (64oz) then a 16oz bottle of Propel or some other electrolyte drink. Some days I feel decent with that amount, other days I don't.

[Sunshinegirl]

I was told to drink 3 liters but I find that I need more than that. I do get bloated sometimes but at the rate I sweat I can wake up in the morning totally dehydrated. I drink over a liter during the night. My car is loaded with water bottles and the side of my bed gets littered with them every day. I am adverse to the coloring in gatoraid so I use a powder that is all natural. I think you have to just pay attention to how much water you are loosing and drink accordingly. Check the color of your urine. That will tell you how hydrated you are. Some people only think to drink more when it is hot. In the winter, the dry air is nearly as bad as the sun!

Also, I think 64 oz is what is recommended for people without this condition. It would make sense that this is a minimal amount.

[bethanyh]

I cannot handle Gatorade due to the coloring so I drink Propel, which is made by the Gatorade company. There are two types of Propel that I drink. One is the vitamin water, which is clear but it flavored so it has artificial sweeteners. The other Propel is their brand new electrolyte water, which is unflavored and tastes like drinking straight saline (gross!). However, it seems to help for a short time with me.

Sunshinegirl: do you mind me asking, what type of powder do you use?

[gjensen]

The general recommendation is 2-4 liters per day, but we need to be sure that we do not dilute the electrolytes. Salty drinks are better.

I do well to get 2 in me. The irony is that I drink less when I feel at my worst, and drink more when I feel at my best. I need to be more disciplined about it. It does help, but I do not hold onto it long.

[gjensen]

I started reacting to Gatorade. The other ideas are helpful to me. I was getting ready to try a homemade mix.

[sue1234]

I drink a big, lightly sweetened 32 oz. iced tea every morning, then start adding in the water as the day goes on. I cannot survive without my tea to wake me up AND help get my bowels going. Coffee makes me feel really weird, so can't do that. As far as electrolyte drinks, I can't do them. I just make sure I eat my salt and potassium every day. All in all, I drink close to a gallon over my 15-hour awake period. If I drink any less, my urine gets yellow. I also CRAVE drinking something all the time.

[statesof]

My doctor told me its not really about how much you drink throughout the day, but that you basically load up on water a few times a day. For example he told me to drink a liter of water basically first thing when I get up in the morning, and that doing this is different than if you drank the same amount over the course of the first 2-3 hours when you wake up.

[maggie]

I drink 100 oz of water a day. I eat five small meals a day and at each meal I drink 20 oz of water. I have done this now for 8 years. I don't use those other products for the reason of the chemicals in them

[sideofsalt]

At the beginning of my POTS a few years ago, I had trouble balancing my salt and water intake. It seemed like I would wash my salt away. Now, I drink a more consistent amount, about 1.5 liters per day. When it's hot, more like 2 liters per day.

[Sunshinegirl]

I use zipfizz or its off shoot called eco drink. They are sold cheaper at Coscto, BJ's and Sams in bulk. they are full of electrolytes and vitamins. They have natural color and flavor and just a few calories without artificial sweetener. I cannot do phen's such as aspartame. Sucralose or Splenda is OK. The others give me pop fizzys in my head that are like awake seizures. Also the artificial color makes my heart race and gives me the runs. Additives can be worse than food. In a pinch try a V8 or v8 splash. I carry those with me all the time. They have salt and valuable nutrients with a low calorie count.

I could not survive off of less than 3 or 4 liters a day. I also eat pickels and drink pickle juice...the natural kind with no colors or preservatives. The pickles take time to digest and seem to release the salt more slowly. Also, they don't have any real calories to speak of. I get tired of pickles but I remind myself that it is just a pickle and not a chemo pill. Perspective....its a good thing.

hope that helps

[Sunshinegirl]

Also for breakfast I began eating sweet potato with a bit of smart balance and a ton of salt. That decreased the bloat and loss of water and salt because it keeps it in the fiber and releases it more slowly. Its healthy and full of fiber. Also, old fashion Irish or steel cut oatmeal can be made with a bit of smart balance and a good dash of salt and still taste good an hearty. Keeps you full without being over full and sick. The bit of good oils seems to be essential to staying satiated on a small meal. Grits works the same but digests too quickly for those who usually have the runs. It is not as heart healthy either. Sometimes adding psyllium husk on a "runny" day seems to keep things in longer and come out better.

[Kkb1216]

I was told 100 oz. It's a struggle for me. I can do 64 oz without thought, but 100 oz makes me feel bloated which leads to nausea and that's a bad road. I track my liquids. I have to. I'm good at convincing myself I drink more than I really did.

I have one glass of unsweetened iced tea a day. It's a treat. And I adore it. Cool bliss.

Oh, I like the sweet potato idea. I love sweet potatoes. Yum.

-K

[Psalm 23]

I was told to drink 2.5 - 3 liter of fluid per day and 9 grams of salt. I just drink water and small shots of concentrated sea salt water throughout the day. I seem to get enough electrolytes in my food. It works for me.

[dizzyallie]

Id be getting probably 1.5 litres water in a day. Cant do more makes me feel yuk especially when combined with food.

[artluvr09]

Wow! I don't know how i am going to drink that much! I was also debating on trying to stop drinking gatorade. Is there any all natural electrolyte drinks without fake sugars or bad ingredients? I also can't have caffeine. It is a struggle to drink plain water! I mean it tastes fine but i feel like it doesn't quench my thirst.

[ks42]

I had to struggle to find completely natural electrolyte supplements, as I can't do any kind of coloring, flavoring, or sweetener - aspartame is a no-no, and both splenda and stevia cause GI problems for me. Plain sugar or even dextrose (as in Pedialyte) is out, as they both spike my blood sugar and cause my symptoms (and hydration) to actually get worse. I found two electrolyte supplements and one natural sports drink that I love:

Elete, which is just naturally occurring trace mineral electrolytes that comes in drops and tablets that you add to your water (it is flavorless, although I do believe they have one with natural lemon flavor as well). I get it either at Whole Foods or through the Elete website.

Celtic Sea Salt Electrolyte Drink Mix Powder, which is celtic sea salt for sodium (really excellent source of sodium with some trace minerals) with additional electrolytes added (and I think just a touch of lemon flavor from the citric acid). I get that one through Amazon.

Recharge (all natural sports drink with various juices, electrolytes, and sea salt, which is pretty easy to find at health food stores / whole foods I think). I love the taste of it, but I find it a bit pricey if you're going to drink a ton of it.

As per Mayo, based on my body weight (118) I'm supposed to consume 2.5 liters of fluid daily, with 43 ounces being plain water and 43 ounces being enhanced with sodium and electrolytes (with my sodium intake at 5-10 grams salt, which equals approx. 2-4g sodium). I only use the above mentioned electrolyte formulas in about 8 oz of fluid a day (I'm super sensitive to mineral supplementation - too much can actually cause symptoms), and for the rest of the enhanced 43 ounces, I consume about 8-16 oz of broth daily (organic vegetable or chicken broth w/o MSG or additives - good source of electrolytes and sodium), and add plain celtic sea salt to some of my water (it still has some minerals/electrolytes, just less than the electrolyte formula does). Once in awhile I throw in some Recharge.