A Year of Wellness Series: March 2021- Daily Fluid Intake During Menopause

Do you drink enough fluids in the day?  And if so, how do you know?  What kinds of fluids should you be drinking?  Does menopause affect how much you should be drinking during the day?  These are all valid questions and there are some confusing answers out in the vast internet.  This blog post is continuing my Year of Wellness Series, and in March 2021 I’m focusing on daily fluid intake for women during menopause.

This year I am continuing my own path to improving my health through small improvements each month of 2021, and sharing that journey with you.  Part one of my year of wellness series is about assessing your health and lifestyle and then using that information to make a list of small and attainable goals throughout the next year that are specific and tailored to you and your needs.  You can find that blog article here.

Part two from February 2021 focuses on achieving healthy sleep patterns during menopause and can be found here.

What are the health benefits of staying hydrated during Menopause?

Our bodies are made up of around 60% water, and that decreases slightly as we age.  We lose water through breathing, sweat, urine, hot flashes and other bodily functions.  Water has many important functions in our body including:

• Regulating body temperature
• Cushioning joints
• Maintaining electrolyte balance
• Aiding digestion
• Promoting lymphatic and blood flow
• And more!  (1)

So keeping yourself well hydrated will help your body function at it’s best!

But how much fluid intake is enough during Menopause?

Well this all depends on how active you are, what you eat, where you live, and how much you weigh.

The more activity you do, the more you will sweat and lose moisture through breathing more heavily.  That extra moisture loss does need to be accounted for.  Consider drinking 8-12oz of water for each half hour that you work out.

The foods you eat do impact the amount of fluid that you take in through your food.  If you eat a diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, you will be taking in more fluids than if you ate more starches and meats- as there is more water in fruits and vegetables.

Tea, coffee, sodas and other drinks do contribute to your fluid intake during the day(1),  but these drinks do have some concerns.  Teas, coffee and certain sodas do have caffeine in them, which can act as a diuretic (removes water from the body).  Also, adding sugars or other products like cream does increase the potential for weight gain, so limiting your intake of these in your fluids is best.  And,  alcohol added to your drink does dehydrate the body as well, so limit the amount of alcohol you ingest for optimal hydration.

Where you live does impact how much more fluid you need to drink.  Living in a hot and dry climate increases your need for extra fluids as more is lost through sweating, especially if you don’t have air conditioning.

How much you weigh does affect how much water you should drink.  There are two easy ways to calculate the basic amount of water you should drink in a day (for metric or imperial):

1. Multiply your weight in Kg by  0.033 to equal the amount of litres you should drink  – so if you weigh  63kg, you should drink 2.1 litres (rounded up) of water per day.
2. Divide your weight (in pounds) in half and that is the amount of ounces of water you should drink- so if you weigh 140lbs, you should drink 70 oz of water per day (or almost 9-8oz glasses).

And of course, increased moisture through hot flashes/flushes and night sweats will have an effect on how much you need to drink as well.  A woman having hot flashes and night sweats 20+ times per day will need more fluid replacement than someone who isn’t having any.  These differences aren’t huge, but should be considered.

You will know you are well hydrated when your urine is clear and/or light yellow in colour.  You also won’t feel thirsty.

How can dehydration affect Menopause?

Dehydration can raise Cortisol (the stress hormone) in your body.  High levels of Cortisol can contribute to weight gain.  Dehydration can also exacerbate fatigue, mood swings, brain fog, headaches, memory loss, decrease blood pressure, increase constipation and other digestive issues, and cause bad breath (1).  We have enough of these challenges with the hormonal fluctuations associated with menopause, so don’t compound the problem with dehydration.

How does Menopause affect hydration in your body?

A decrease in Estrogen levels has an effect on our skin’s hydration.  Staying well hydrated will help to prevent this dryness and improve our skin’s appearance (2).  I’ve noticed my skin has gotten so dry in the last several years and I’m constantly applying moisturizer.  Hydrating your skin from the inside out will help with this!

Fluctuating hormones also contributes to bloating.  Drinking enough water helps to encourage good intestinal mobility which will help to reduce bloating during menopause, and keep you regular too! 🙂

With Menopause and the hormonal changes that we go through, we are more prone to gaining weight.  Increasing your water intake helps to increase your metabolism, helps fill you up so you don’t eat as much, which aids in weight loss (3,4).

Drinking cool/cold water when you start having a hot flash can help cool you during, and also replace lost fluids that occur.  Keep a cup with ice water by your bed at night to help with those awful night sweats (5).

Headaches can be caused from Menopausal hormone fluctuations.  Dehydration also causes some horrid headaches.  So, staying well hydrated can assist with this, even if it doesn’t take the headache away entirely (6).

Tips for fluid intake during Menopause:

• Aim for ½ your weight in oz per day of fluids.
• Sip frequently throughout the day. Have a travel cup/jug ready!  I fill up three during the day, so I can track my intake easily.
• Add lemons/limes/mint/cucumbers or a few berries to your water for flavour.
• Drink a glass before each meal. This will help you eat less as well!
• Use a fluid tracker (see my printable below!)
• Set an alert on your phone to remind you to drink.
• Eat a diet higher in fruits and vegetables to increase the fluids you take in through your foods.
• Drink herbal teas.
• Consider a Soda Stream if you need to ditch the soda pop and drink healthier. See above for flavourings that you can use instead of soda syrup or flavours high in sugar.
• Limit your intake of caffeinated drinks, drinks with sugars, and those with alcohol.
• Keep water beside your bed at night to help with the night sweats.
• Increase your water intake by 8-12oz for every 30 minutes of exercise that you do.
• If you are working outside in the heat, remember to increase your fluids to prevent dehydration.

Can you drink too much water in a day?

Yes, you can.  It’s not easy to do, but it can happen- usually during sporting endurance events .  Drinking too much water can affect your health by creating an electrolyte imbalance in the body.  This is a great article regarding the effects of drinking too much water, or “water intoxication”.

There are some people who cannot increase their fluid intake such as those with kidney, liver or heart disease.  You should check with your doctor or healthcare practitioner if you aren’t sure if you should.  I hope that this post has helped you understand your daily fluid intake needs during menopause.  Please note that while I am a Registered Nurse, I am not your nurse and my opinions in this article do not constitute or replace medical advice. Please see your healthcare practitioner if you have any questions or concerns about your health or fluid intake during Menopause.  Also, see my disclaimer here for more information.

Please consider subscribing to my newsletter below for access to my free resource library which includes the fluid tracker above and other printables to help you to improve your health in 2021.  My newsletter is filled with tips for celebrating midlife and is sent out to your mailbox every month.  You can also follow me on Instagram- you will find my feed below- just click on one of the posts.

 

Take care,

 

 

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References:

1. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink
2. Akdeniz M, Tomova-Simitchieva T, Dobos G, Blume-Peytavi U, Kottner J. Does dietary fluid intake affect skin hydration in healthy humans? A systematic literature review. Skin Res Technol. 2018;24(3):459-465. doi:10.1111/srt.12454, 10.1111/srt.12454
3. Boschmann M, Steiniger J, Hille U, Tank J, Adams F, Sharma AM, Klaus S, Luft FC, Jordan J. Water-induced thermogenesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Dec;88(12):6015-9. doi: 10.1210/jc.2003-030780. PMID: 14671205.
4. Daniels MC, Popkin BM. Impact of water intake on energy intake and weight status: a systematic review. Nutr Rev. 2010 Sep;68(9):505-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00311.x. PMID: 20796216; PMCID: PMC2929932.
5. https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/hot-flashes-a-to-z
6. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-daily-headaches/in-depth/headaches/art-20046729