# Water digestion

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-digestion/410489>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 4, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-digestion/410489 "2007-07-04T13:06:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-digestion/410489/1 "2007-07-04T13:06:29Z")

</div>

About half an hour ago, I woke up extremely thirsty and proceeded to down a huge glass of water…huge enough that my stomach feels uncomfortably full. Ugghh! How long does it take water (or any liquid for that matter) to head on down and out?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-digestion/410489/2 "2007-07-04T13:51:17Z")

</div>

walk around a bit. It’ll help.

eta: or try cooking something that requires some tending (stirring, flipping, whatever) … you’ll have to go to the bathroom about a millisecond after it’s started cooking.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-digestion/410489/3 "2007-07-04T14:15:59Z")

</div>

Sometimes, lying on your right side will allow the liquid to pass from the stomach into the intestinal tract a little faster or easier. I don’t have any facts to back that up, but it seems to make me feel better when I have an upset stomach.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-digestion/410489/4 "2007-07-04T14:43:20Z")

</div>

[QUOTE=Hazle Weatherfield]  
About half an hour ago, I woke up extremely thirsty and proceeded to down a huge glass of water…huge enough that my stomach feels uncomfortably full. Ugghh! How long does it take water (or any liquid for that matter) to head on down and out?  
[/QUOTE]

About an hour. [http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn=0022-3859;year=1986;volume=32;issue=4;spage=206;epage=9;aulast=Supe](http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn=0022-3859;year=1986;volume=32;issue=4;spage=206;epage=9;aulast=Supe)  
Perhaps 30 minutes to feel much better if it was only water.  
You are already better.