why hydrate?

[TCDiver1]

Here are a couple recent threads related to this topic:

Thread One

Thread Two

I fall into the "its hard to hydrate too much" camp. And that is the advice i give to all my students. It is pretty hard to over do hydration in scuba but its very easy to become dehydrated. Especially when visiting a warmer and/or dryer climate than your body is used to.

 

[Wayward Son]

In fitness circles, the simple rule on how much to drink is one half ounce per pound of body weight per day. So a 200 lb person needs 100 ounces of water.

I don't manage quite that much but I do make an effort to drink planety of water daily, not just when diving. I don't go to excess on dive days, but I do take planty of water on the boat & do drink some before, between and after the dives. I also hold the "can't hurt, might help" attitude about it.

 

[pasley]

...and I’ve never dehydrated...I only drink 2 or 3 glasses of fluid a day. Coffee with breakfast...and whatever with lunch and dinner...I've never experienced dehydration...if I sweat in my suit, I overdressed...

Sorry, but your statement about you not being dehydrated is IMHO not accurate. Actually, I would bet you ARE in a constant state of dehydrated because you simply do not drink enough water. Is your output clear or a very light almost clear yellow? If not you are very likely dehydrated. Just because you do not feel thirsty does not mean you are hydrated.

Now why hydrate, well the short answer is this personal story

I use to be very much like you. Drinking coffee for breakfast, and some sodas during the day and rarely water. In short, I was much like you and never really drank water. I also rarely perspire and while in the field (Army) a quart canteen would last days. Six foot tall, 145-148 pounds of lean mean physically fit fighting machine. Now for the story:

New diver with 11 dives under my belt. One day I received a phone call in the afternoon, "my dive partner bailed, do you want to go diving today?" To which I naturally replied sure and we arranged to meet in 2 hours. Did the dive, 19 minutes surface to surface, depth 110 (not the planed 60 by the way) with a well watched (computer in my fact the entire time) ascent and safety stops at 80, 60, 30, and 15 feet. Yet I still got bent and took my rides in the decompression chamber. In reviewing that dive over the 4 years since there was nothing about the dive that should have gotten me bent.

The only thing I can think of was my lack of proper hydration. Was that the cause? I can not definitively say it was. Do I believe it was ...yes I do. Do I drink water now? Yes, all day 6-8 glasses a day easily. 208 dives later and no further problems with DCI and I have been checked for PFO so we have eliminated the physical and the prone to DCI causes. I also feel better and more easily maintain my weight at 145 pounds and run 2 miles at an officially clocked 15:38 minutes. Not bad for a guy who will be 52 in 3 months.

The medical experts do pretty much agree taht dehydration is a contributing factor in DCI. Besides, it does not hurt to drink more water, with in reason.

Last point. Urination in the ocean. The urge to pee is a response of the body to the pressure and there have been several discussions about that here.

 

[ranger979]

In fitness circles, the simple rule on how much to drink is one ounce per pound of body weight per day. So a 200 lb person needs 100 ounces of water.

Sorry but your math doesn't add up. Is the rule one once per two pounds of body weight or does a 200lb person need 200 onces. I'm not trying to nit pick, just trying to determine the correct rule.

 

[Wayward Son]

No, you're right. Had a brain fart & typo, it's 1/2 oz per lb. I'll fix the post.

 

[The Natural]

Also keeping hydrated helps prevent cramps.

 

[HowardE]

I thought coffee, while it does contain water is dehydrating, similar to beer in that aspect.

Hydration is important for healthy life. It helps detoxify your body as well... Up here above 10,000' it's a common topic of discussion, especially when people visit the High Altitude environment... People complain of headache, and they're like "well I had 2 cups of coffee, and a beer... that's pleanty of liquid"

My doctor up here says to drink 8-10 glasses (pints) per day, for an average person.

 

[Wayward Son]

Coffee with caffein is a diuretic. I've seen the math run & you still have a net gain of intake vs output.

Best is water. Everything else -juice, soft drinks, tea, etc- helps just not as much. Some sports drinks may be better overall, since they have things that water doesn't.

 

[String]

I tend to dive semi-deliberately dehydrated all the time.

2-3 cups of coffee in morning prior to dive, more at lunch break.

Although i do take sips from water on a boat its such a PITA to get out of dry suit, stop the boat, go to the toilet, put the suit back on etc i try to keep it to a minimum.

Not ideal but thats how i do it.

 

[Boogie711]

I tend to dive semi-deliberately dehydrated all the time.

2-3 cups of coffee in morning prior to dive, more at lunch break.

Although i do take sips from water on a boat its such a PITA to get out of dry suit, stop the boat, go to the toilet, put the suit back on etc i try to keep it to a minimum.

Not ideal but thats how i do it.

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