An alert reader asked me if her coffee habit counted toward her daily fluid intake requirement. A regular coffee drinker myself, I wanted to reassure her that yes, coffee counts, so drink away! But I needed to be sure, so I did a little research. Here’s the scoop!
It’s true. Coffee and other (non-alcoholic) drinks that we might consume over a day do count toward our total hydration needs. That includes fruit juices, teas, milk, sodas, smoothies, hot chocolate, lemonade, V8, all manner of sports drinks, hydration mixes, and other liquids you didn’t know you needed (many of which you don’t). Oh yes, don’t forget plain water. According to WebMD, you can stay fully hydrated throughout the day by drinking water and these other fluids, as well as eating foods that have a high water content (like watermelon). That works for an average person on an average day.
That’s fine, but how do we ensure we’re adequately hydrated on a day that is anything but average, such as hiking, training, or racing in high heat and humidity? Can we just “drink to thirst” and be done with it? According to Dr. Stacy Sims (see our June blog), “you can start by drinking to thirst, but also use common sense.” By that, she means using sex-specific guidelines to reduce the risk of heat illness as well as avoiding hyponatremia (dangerously low sodium from excessive fluid intake.) As a baseline, she recommends women drink fluids at the rate of 0.16 ounces per pound of body weight (around 22 oz for a 140-pound woman) per hour in temperatures 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. She also suggests pre-hydrating the night before an event, especially if you’re in the high hormone phase of your cycle or if you’re post-menopausal. That’s because our sense of thirst isn’t as acute during those times and is, therefore, less reliable. And make sure the fluids you’re ingesting replace not just water, but electrolytes as well.
Another interesting reference on why thirst isn’t always a great measure of hydration status comes from Brian Rigby, MS, certified sports nutritionist, and writer. He says that drinking only water during intense exercise, particularly in hot weather, doesn’t help maintain hydration. It’s not just about the fluids, it’s about the right fluids. Check out his evidence-based article, “How Reliable Is Thirst for Staying Hydrated?”, at https://gognarly.com/blogs/blog/how-reliable-is-thirst-for-staying-hydrated?_pos=1&_sid=5a9169140&_ss=r
I reached out to my favorite sports nutrition company, SkratchLabs, to see if they had anything to add about hydrating in tough conditions and if they saw gender-based differences in hydration needs. Peter Vercio, Field Marketing Manager based in Boulder, Colorado, said that Skratch products are engineered to be flexible because individual needs are so variable. Here’s an excerpt from their blog:
“…rehydration during exercise isn't just about water balance, it's also about sodium balance. What this means is that to adequately hydrate, you need to replace both the water and the sodium that you lose during exercise. Unfortunately, sweat sodium is highly individual and can vary anywhere from 400 mg to 2000 mg per liter of sweat, with an average somewhere between 700-900 mg per liter (Skratch Sport Hydration is 800 mg per liter). As a general rule of thumb, if you're not consuming enough salt relative to water, you'll find yourself needing to urinate frequently despite losing body weight due to sweat loss. On the other hand, if you're consuming too much salt relative to water, you'll find yourself wanting to drink more water and potentially gaining weight as the high salt intake might drive you to drink at a greater rate than your sweat loss.”
What’s the bottom line? You’ll need to find a sports hydration product, preferably one that provides what your body needs and not what it doesn’t, and experiment with the mixture until you get it right. SkratchLabs founder, Dr. Allen Lim, says “sometimes the best option is the simplest option. Focusing on what the body needs is key and natural ingredients are the clear winners. You don’t sweat Red Dye #40, so why drink it?”
So, what’s all this have to do with coffee consumption? Here’s a Healthline article that provides an in-depth look at 9 of the top evidence-based benefits of coffee. The 9th benefit (last but not least) is Coffee May Enhance Athletic Performance, which is probably why so many sports nutrition products contain caffeine. Here’s what the author, Rachel Link MS. RD, says: “Coffee is often used as an ergogenic aid (performance enhancer) by athletes looking to improve performance and increase energy levels. One review of nine studies reported that drinking coffee before exercise improved people’s endurance and decreased their perceived exertion, compared with a control group. Another large review reported that moderate caffeine consumption could slightly improve power output and time-trial completion time”. (Results vary so it’s likely that caffeine may affect people differently.) Here’s the link: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coffee
A note of caution: caffeine is a stimulant. High caffeine intake has been linked to increased urinary frequency and urgency in several studies. If you already deal with a leaky bladder, it’s recommended you keep your consumption under 450 mg per day.
Prickly Pear Sports’ mission is to enable active women, and women who long to be active again, to engage in activities they love without fear of embarrassing bladder leaks. Whether you’re a coffee drinker or not, we’ve got you covered!