# Is my fluid intake healthy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 15, 2002, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-fluid-intake-healthy/132330 "2002-10-15T14:35:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-fluid-intake-healthy/132330/1 "2002-10-15T14:35:25Z")
I wake up at 4:30 AM and get home from work about 4:30PM. In that time, I’ll have [ul] 3-4 16oz cups of coffee 2-3 12oz cans of juice (apple or orange) 4-8 16oz cups of water [/ul] Plus, before I go to bed at night, I’ll have a lot more water - I have a 32oz cup that I usually drink from, and will have 3-4 of those before hitting the hay. Near as I can tell, I drink a lot more than other people - I was just wondering if I’m going to suffer from kidney failure or something. Thanks, ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-fluid-intake-healthy/132330/2 "2002-10-15T14:55:50Z")
Is this a recent change? If so, get yourself tested for diabetes. When I became diabetic, I went from drinking a couple cups of coffee in the morning, and a glass of water with lunch, to drinking something every hour, on the hour, including having to get up in the night a couple times. This change basically occurred over night. I also lost 25 pounds in 2 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-fluid-intake-healthy/132330/3 "2002-10-15T15:05:46Z")
You’re not getting near enough liquor if you ask me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-fluid-intake-healthy/132330/4 "2002-10-15T15:19:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\*Is this a recent change? If so, get yourself tested for diabetes. When I became diabetic, I went from drinking a couple cups of coffee in the morning, and a glass of water with lunch, to drinking something every hour, on the hour, including having to get up in the night a couple times. This change basically occurred over night. I also lost 25 pounds in 2 weeks. \*\* It’s not recent - I’ve been drinking like this for as long as I can remember. I’ve had several physicals during that time, and nothing abnormal came to light. So I don’t think it’s a medical condition - I just drink alot. And thanks, **Knead** , I’ll try to rectify that as quickly as possible. A few tall gin and tonics ought to do it 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-fluid-intake-healthy/132330/5 "2002-10-15T15:26:52Z")
The liquid intake isn’t bad in itself (actually, a _low_ fluid intake is more likely to cause you kidney problems) but if you’re drinking out of thirst instead of habit, you may have a serious problem. Diabetes is possible, but if this isn’t the case, how much sodium do you consume in a day? If it’s a lot (or if you have a low tolerance), that may explain frequent thirst. Since excess sodium intake can raise blood pressure, I’d get mine checked. Try cutting down on salt and salty foods for a few days and see if that has any effect. But if you’re drinking fluid just becuase you _like_ to, and your urine output is not excessively low or annoyingly high, I can’t see a problem. ---
**Author:** ![shamrock227](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@shamrock227](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shamrock227)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-fluid-intake-healthy/132330/6 "2002-10-15T16:50:36Z")
I drink constantly, too. 2-3 (sometimes more) large coffees, lots of diet coke, some water, etc. I had myself tested for diabetes a few years back because I had heard that always feeling thirsty was a warning signal. Turns out, no diabetes (thank God), I was causing my own problem – the caffiene and sweetner (sugar, asparatame) in what I was drinking was what was making me thirsty 🙂 As far as your question, I really don’t know about potential kidney damage. Sorry ☹ However, here’s my completely uneducated opinion. While it seems that you are drinking more than the _average_, it does not seem that you are drinking excessively enough to cause problems. But, again, that’s just an opinion… (Getting tested for diabetes would be a good idea, though – never hurts to be able to rule it out)…