Dehydration

Mike

Mike

Well-known Member
Location
London
We are told to drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated, some
say to drink water, others say any fluid will be OK, yet,
alcohol causes dehydration and the more that you drink,
the more dehydrated you get, the average amount in most
drinks is between 4% and 12%, unless you drink neat spirits.
Dehydration is the number one cause of dementia, I read &
second is diabetics.

I often wonder why alcohol dehydrates.

Mike.
 

I remember back in the days that I used to drink (in my 20's) if I drank too much and got drunk (embarrassed to admit that) the next day suffering with a hangover, I'd be so thirsty I could not stop drinking water. Must have dehydrated me.
 
Mike said:
We are told to drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated, some
say to drink water, others say any fluid will be OK, yet,
alcohol causes dehydration and the more that you drink,
the more dehydrated you get, the average amount in most
drinks is between 4% and 12%, unless you drink neat spirits.
Dehydration is the number one cause of dementia, I read &
second is diabetics.

I often wonder why alcohol dehydrates.

Mike.
Click to expand...
Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it promotes water loss through urine. It does this by inhibiting the production of a hormone called vasopressin, which plays a large role in the regulation of water excretion.

Vasopressin tells your kidneys to reabsorb water, rather than flush it out through the bladder, if it is needed by the body. With the body's natural signal switched off, the bladder is free to fill up with urine which is then excreted when we go to the toilet.

The consequence is that we lose more liquid through our urine than we take in. That’s why we need to go to the toilet more often when we drink alcohol and also why we’re at danger of becoming dehydrated unless we replace the excess lost fluid by drinking more water.

Alcohol makes us pass urine more and more frequently, and fluid leaving our bodies at this rate can lead to dehydration if not replaced. It is important to replace lost fluid by drinking water if we choose to drink alcohol.

The effects of dehydration include feeling thirsty, dizzy, lightheaded and tired, experiencing a dry mouth and lips and dark yellow and strong-smelling urine. Dehydration can become serious and lead to confusion and seizures. Serious dehydration requires urgent medical attention.

When I was at college I played Rugby, in the same team were a couple of medical students. One, whom I became good friends with, loaned me one of his medical books, marking the chapter about alcohol abuse. The damage that excess alcohol can cause to vital organs made for enlightened reading, actually, if I'm truthful, it made for scary reading. I didn't quit alcohol completely but I did cut down and I always drank a pint of water before heading home.

Did you know that lemon juice has a strong hepatoprotective ( the ability of a chemical substance to prevent damage to the liver) effect, and helps reduce the harm of alcohol consumption.
 
Many older people get "Water Retention", mostly seen
in women because men wear long trousers, but you see
some with swollen ankles, this I believe is water, I wonder
if the occasional over indulgence of alcohol would help
in those situations!

Mike.
 
Once again, I am reminded how, as we age, everything becomes a problem. Even those of us who haven't had a drink (of alcohol) in many, many years, STILL have a drinking problem.

...and just when I thought I finally had a handle on getting older. Harrummmmph! Kids these days... o_O

...as he toddles off for his hourly nap.

Tony
 
I really don't know very much about some things
and it shows!

Thank you for all of your explanations.

Mike.
 
I drink when I'm thirsty. So far my body's mechanisms haven't steered me wrong. I think all the "drink more water" is a bunch of nonsense, TBH. Our bodies have been telling us when to eat and when to drink for some 200,000 years. Other creatures don't drink unless they're thirsty, but in the past 20 years multitudes of humans don't leave their houses without a water bottle attached to their freaking hands.

The only time I push fluids is if I've got a blood test scheduled.
 
I have no problems with people leaving their houses with a bottle of water in their hands. There are a lot worse drinks to be leaving the house with which is why road ditches are so full of beer cans and bottles.
 
fmdog44 said:
Per my doctor there is no substitute for water so if you think drinking other fluids make up for water that may not be true.
Click to expand...
Doctors get very little nutritional training - and whatever they learned is typically decades old. Therefore, I do my own research on nutritional matters.

Our bodies are very adept at separating water from tea, coffee, juice and other liquids with dissolved sugars and solids. Babies can survive on breast milk alone for many months, no supplementary water needed.
 
helenbacque said:
Sundowning is the late afternoon brain fog that is a large problem with early stages of dementia and Alzheimer's. One of the major causes is dehydration. The desire to decrease nighttime bathroom visits is said to lead people to not drinking enough water late in afternoon.,

https://www.aegisliving.com/resource-center/what-is-sundowning-and-why-does-it-occur/
Click to expand...
Intentionally denying one's thirst is never a wise strategy.
 


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