Since there are so many great apps out there, I want to ask the ever-so-important question: Which one is absolutely essential to your daily life?
I'll go first: Waterllama! I started using it a few months ago because I really like to know precisely what and how much I drink each day, especially during the summer.
I'd love to hear about the app you use the most and why it's so important to you. And if you have any tips or tricks for getting the most out of the app, I'd love to hear those too!
There is a lot about the American lifestyle that makes us unhealthy and makes us feel worse and really isn’t in our individual power to fix. Making sure you have enough water intake is something you can control at least.
The issue is that when you feel thirsty, it indicates that your body is already dehydrated (essentially experiencing a water deficit), which is not ideal. Therefore, it's important to avoid reaching that point. I used to only drink when I felt thirsty, but since using Waterllama, I have been able to maintain better hydration levels (and I must say, I also feel better!).
I've seen that claim made and also refuted multiple times and it honestly doesn't make any sense to me in the context of animal behavior. All animals presumably drink when they're thirsty. My cat is not game planning its next drink to avoid dehydration before it hits. They drink when they're thirsty and that's probably just fine.
I really don't think this is as big of an issue as people make it out to be.
Interesting hadn't heard that. This article kinda touches on that a bit and generally goes into debunking the idea that we're not drinking enough water.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jul/22/had-our-fill-of-water
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/OWASUMMQjj8
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source, check me out at GitHub.
I generally agree with you but cats probably aren't the best example to use here. They evolved as desert animals with very limited access to water. Because of that their bodies are extremely efficient at using water, which is why their pee is so concentrated and smelly, and they have a very low thirst drive. Cats do regularly drink without being thirsty.
Insert dog for cat, whatever.
The cats drinking despite not being thirsty sounds like a hard claim to prove.
I bought a mouse poison that works on the same principle. Mice eat the dry pellets and it dehydrates them. Apparently, they don’t have a similar thirst mechanism as humans. I have found a dead one in my garage, so it does seem to work.
I believe it's about optimizing our well-being by staying ahead of potential dehydration and supporting our body's functions more consistently. When we maintain proper hydration levels, we're not just preventing thirst – we're also supporting digestion, circulation, temperature regulation, and overall cognitive and physical performance.
But I think I am digressing too much from the topic of the post.
I just don't buy that at all and I'd love to see some credible sources for it.
When I lived in Phoenix, dehydration really was an hour by hour issue. Aside from people spending long periods of time in extreme conditions, you are correct though. If you spend your days in an air conditioned home or office, 8 glasses a day is probably excessive. If you are going to drink that much, make sure you are replenishing your electrolytes too. A typical highly processed American diet is probably sufficient though.
For me a drinking reminder is pretty important as I don't feel thirst at all. The first thing I feel is a headache and after that I feel nauseated, if I somehow don't drink at all during the day.
I use WaterMinder for iOS and I do try to also track my drinking with it but I always get lazy with it.
Well, when I get thirsty i am flirting..with migraine. I don't have a schedule I just habitually drink a lot of water.. but to be able to drink regularly I need to carry it with me.