Water Intake for a day?

Question

Hi,

I have a question for you. I drink water regularly - I don't and can't drink soda. My question is:

I drink about 3-4 GALLONs of water each day. Is this normal???
If I don't drink 1-2 cups of 24oz water I get thirsty easily.

My mother is worried that I drink TOO Much water - however my current regular intake as follows:

1 Gallon of water for every 2-4 hours

PS: Yes I go to the bathroom a LOT and my byproduct is watery (my urine is white like water)
+ I usually eat apples or snacks during 8 hours period :/ - I don't get confused from drinking this much water (I heard about water intoxication - symptoms usually you get confused)
+ I usually drink multivitamin+Vitamin C tablet because I don't eat enough veggies - I usually eat meal twice or once a day because I'm very busy

Well I weight 160 lbs and 5'7 and
I don't exercise a lot - I'm pretty much your average guy

I don't eat sweets (candies) - I rarely eat chocolates and Ice cream

I don't have diabetes or any other diseases

It's just that since I was a little kid - I drink water a lot <<<-- is this my potential problem????

Answer 1

From what I understand, you should take in half of your body weight in ounces of water per day. If my calculations are correct, then there is 128oz per gallon which means you weigh roughly 256.

Be careful. You may flood your cells and you could get very sick (like that lady who just died in CA last month from too much water intake).

Answer 2

It depends on your lifestyle. Do you exercise a lot? Do you sweat a lot? You can lose 1 litre of sweat in one hour during exercise. Not drinking enough water is no good for you. Drinking too much water is no good for you. But the general rule is, drink when you're thirsty and eat when you're hungry. Vitamin C and B can make you go to the toilet more often. Being thirsty all the time can be a sign of diabetes, so you might want to get tested because it does sound like you're drinking more than you should need.

Answer 3

Yes, its excessive.

The only time I get close to drinking that much is during hard workouts in 90° plus temperatures, even then, much of it is gatorade so I don't get my electrolytes too depleted. I'm talking about cycling above 20mph or running close to race pace for several hours.

If you really are that thirsty, consult a physician. It could be a sign of a serious disorder like diabetes. If its just habit or obsession, well, you need to ease up. It is possible to get your blood electrolytes seriously out of whack by drinking that much water, potentially leading to heart arrythmia and death.

Answer 4

Thats way to much water ever hear of water intoxacation, i only drink about a gallon and a 1/2, besides whatever water you get in your food, ever hear the saying to much of a good thing.

Answer 5

boy, i don't know, people here, say u have diabetes, i don't know, they say u are supposed to drink 8 cups of water a day, they say water can help u can get rid of wrinkles at an early age. but u might want to see a doctor, about this excessive thirstiness, i know, iknow, people keep telling u this, but u should consider it. try eating 3 meals a day, excercise daily, and eat ur fruits and veggies.

Answer 6

As long as you feel fine you should be alright....

It is recommended that you drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces per day, but nothing says that you should not drink more than that. As long as your body is running normally you should be fine. But a gallon of water every four hours is way too much...

Answer 7

If your are drinking that much water you may want to talk to a doctor because your maybe a diabetic.

Answer 8

I guess it depends on how physically active you are. Because obviously if you sweat alot, you will need to drink water to replenish. But I say for a normal person, that is probably too much water.

Answer 9

That is way too much water to be drinking, you need to see a doctor if you are drinking that much to just satify a thirst. You may well have a medical problem

Answer 10

if u get thirsty really easily and end up drinking that much water, then you might want to eat less salt.it makes u thirsty.and no, most people dont drink that much water everyday.