Somebody jokingly asked if beer counts towards your hydration number.
Always the scientist, I hit the books and used AI for the answer I suspected; it really depends on the alcohol content of the beverage.
The simple answer is your first pint of average strength beer counts, after that the diuretic effect will kick in by pint 3 you’ll be looking at overall fluid loss rather than gained.
As you know, I don’t think you should believe everything you read on the internet and a friends birthday gave the opportunity for some real life testing at our local pub.
I can confirm that the first beer felt good.
After the third, my step count improved with frequency of trips to the loo which continued throughout the night leading to sleep disruption, although it is always better to wake up to go 😉.
On Monday morning, I can confirm that I was dehydrated. In fact, my head was banging and I didn’t feel very well at all.
I very rarely take pain relief but if you have spent any time with my children you will know that reduced volume is not an option.
A couple of paracetamol took the edge off, unfortunately we had a little run planned and it gave the edge back 🤣
The conclusion to my experiment is that a single pint will add to your fluid balance, anything beyond that will affect your sleep and lead to dehydration and the associated effects.
However, the banter with the old guys that frequent the pub and sit at the same table every Sunday and have done for decades was worth it.
Darren “blood like sand” Checkley
