Drinking enough water?

Need water? OR Need hydration?

by Gotrhythm - 2023-05-25 15:46:47

I don't know about the connection to pacemakers but it is true that one of the conquences of getting older is that we no longer feel thirst as we once did. We still need hydration as we always did, but we can no longer trust "feeling thirsty" to tell us when we need to drink more.

I wound up at the doctor a couple of weeks ago. Diagnosed with a mild UTI, of which I had no symtoms except generally feeling terrible. But, the PA said, the serious problem was dehydratiion. I said was I being consious about drinking more water, and she said, that won't do it. The problem is replacing electrolytes as well as H2O.

She recommended Gatorade or Pedialyte, but I went to Sprouts and bought their store brand of hydration powder. I've been drinking it all day instead of water.

Many small irritants have disappeared. Feeling dull. Blah. Dry lips. Mild headaches. Feet/toe cramps at night. Waking up with a desert-dry mouth--which I had attributed to mouth breathing.  And the most interesting to those of us who deal with arrythmias,  PVCs which had been much reduced after the latest settings adjustment, have virtually disappeared.

Not everyone with a pacemaker is older, of course, but for a lot of us, the onset of our arrythmia/heart condition was associated with age. And becoming more easily dehydrated is also part of aging.

Thirst and heart rate.

by Selwyn - 2023-05-25 17:37:53

Heart rate is not a great indicator of thirst regulation.

Your  sympathetic nervous system may increase heart rate and produce a dry mouth ( as in anxiety), however the sensation of being thirsty relies more on neural function within our brain.

You cannot equate heart rate with blood flow as other factors, such as peripheral resistance play a part.

If you are keen to learn about thirst, see: https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2019/neuroscience-thirst-brain-tells-look-water/

Hydration

by Lavender - 2023-05-25 19:52:27

Great article, Selwyn! 
I was told by my cardiologist soon after getting the pacemaker, that I would need more water than I am used to. I think it's because my heart is working more efficiently. 
I have a glass of water near at all times, and containers of water in the car. I tally it to make sure I drink at least ten 8-ounce glasses a day. Sometimes I drink 12. 
I don't like gatorade but did drink the no sugar version for the hydration part of my colonoscopy prep. I drink whether I feel thirst or not. It also helps digestion because the recommended amount of fiber is 21-30 grams. My gastroenterologist recently told me that 20 grams from food, is enough for me at my age. Water helps move that fiber along. 
 

I read all labels and am pretty much a healthy foods nut  with a low fodmap, nondairy, no red meat diet. Water is crucial. 

Hydration drinks

by AgentX86 - 2023-05-25 22:39:45

Before you drink these concoctions, read the labels. You need potassium, magnesium, and sodium for nerve conduction.  Last time I looked at these drinks (all I could find) they were full of sodium (what isn't these days) but just about zero magnesium, and no potassium at all.  Of course most have sugar, too.  They really aren't much more than expensive flavored water.

Read the labels of all of this stuff.  If the information isn't complete, look it up on their web site.  Since she's diabetic, my wife looks up just about everything.  Before we go to a fast-food (there are a few here that serve primarily salads), she looks up the contents.  It's amazing how many carbs are in some of these foods (not in the dressing, the salad itself). 

If you want to track this stuff closey, you have read the manufacturer's information.  I tend to just over-do it, just to be sure.  Magnesium is my issue so I take about half my daily needs (understand that it isn't all absorbed) in a suppliment.

drinking water for hydration

by new to pace.... - 2023-05-26 07:09:40

This past year could tell when i had been not drinking enough water.  I would get many eye floaters.  As soon as i would drink 8oz of warm water they would disappear. Also if i was someplace that i could sit with my head back that would help faster.  Of course while driving could not do the later.  The water would work on its own just a little more slowly.

new to pace 

it's what I was told too...

by Echoplex - 2023-05-30 11:58:35

... I was told I would need to increase my hydration now I have the PM as my heart is working more efficiently, and blood is what we get our hydration for. 

I'm struggling through, as I was always running in a slightly dehydrated state before the PM, so I'm REALLY toiling to increase my water intake. 
I prefer my liquids hot, brown, and caffienated a little :D 
 

I found it to be true

by EFB61 - 2023-05-31 13:33:50

Hi all,

I have found that when I don't stay hydrated enough I really don't feel well.  I had my PM impalnted Feb 2023 so I am still relatively new to it.  I didn't drink a lot of water or Gatorade the first month and just never felt quite right.  My first appointment aftyer a month was speaking to cardiologist and asked abouty fluid intake and told him.  He said I wasn't drinking enough and told me to up my intake.  I did starting that day and I have felt pretty good since that time.  

Don't know the reason why, but can attest to the need of it. 

Ed