I’ll Have a Drink With That!
Kidneys unlike wine, don’t improve with age.
Don’t get me wrong. I like my prosecco and pinot noir. Lots like their beer or baileys. And in moderation, you can have them.
Coffee or tea is fine, and the truth is, most of us as we age start to decrease our caffeine drinks or at least stop early in the afternoon.
Point being, you need to drink water. Like it or not your body needs the water.
Increase Water
As we age we need to be more cognizant of how much we drink … and what we drink. We have all heard that we must drink 8 glasses of water per day. That is great but we don’t all fit that one size fits all idea. If you are a petite 118 lb woman you don’t need as much as I might at 165 lbs (I won’t tell you how short I am). I don’t need what a 275 lb woman might need either.
I drink a large glass of water each morning to take my vitamins and then I have 2 cups of coffee. After that, I drink from my 1.5 liter (6 glasses) water bottle until it is finished. That takes until Happy Hour around 4 PM. I don’t want to be drinking after the Happy Hour as I might be up all night having to pee. Not a lot of fun.
As we get older our kidneys, in general, do not filter as efficiently as they should. That is one reason why we should be checking in with our pharmacist yearly to see if we are still supposed to be taking the same amounts of medication that we originally took.
Taking an increased amount of water can help keep kidneys healthy.
In the summer we may need to take more fluids as we sweat more at this time. At this time of the year, it seems easier to drink the water. Once it is a habit you won’t think about it in the winter.
I can tell you from practical experience that it is a royal pain if you start to drink a huge amount of fluids right away. It seems you are in the bathroom every half hour for the first week or so. Have a good selection of reading material available. Make sure you can be at home for that week but once it is done your bladder seems to adjust and you will be going to the bathroom as you used to.
Think about starting with a small increase in your water now and slowly increase the amount you drink over the next little while. Much better idea.
UTI’s
A lot of women develop UTI’s — Urinary Tract Infections. As we get older we seem to have those times of leaks. Increased laughter shouldn’t be stopped because you’re worried about leaking. Sometimes we try to decrease the leaks by taking in fewer fluids. Don’t do that. If your leaking more and more you need to discuss this with a doctor. You also don’t want to become dehydrated.
When you become much older, the way UTI’s can develop is not with a lot of pain but with a change of your mental and emotional personality. We need to try to eliminate them completely if possible.
One important thing is that if you have any medical issues you need to consult your doctor regarding how much you should be drinking before changing anything.
This could make a difference in your health. Ask a friend to start with you. As an added bonus the extra water will make your skin more clear. Win … win!
