How much water should an unloader bring?

I keep getting told to drink plenty of water when I'm working, but when I ask how much, everybody gives me a different answer. Some people have been telling me you have to keep drinking even if you're not thirsty, and some other guys have said you can even have too much and make yourself sick. I'm really not sure how much water I should bring with me and if I should drink when I feel like it or if I need to keep drinking whether I feel like it or not.

[Diegotron]

Buy yourself a half-gal/Gal portable drinking container at wal-mart, fill it halfway with ice, then fill the rest with water. Keep it on the truck with you and just drink it when you need to or want to. It'll stay cold the whole shift.

[MonavieLeaker]

Originally Posted by Diegotron

Buy yourself a half-gal/Gal portable drinking container at wal-mart, fill it halfway with ice, then fill the rest with water. Keep it on the truck with you and just drink it when you need to or want to. It'll stay cold the whole shift.

What he said

[rocket man]

A 5 gallon bottle and a straw

[dillweed]

diegotron's suggestion is a good one. Some of us bring gatorade when it's super hot. A frozen one will melt during your shift and it's so refreshing!

You don't need to force water - your bod will tell you when it's needed. But don't guzzle liquids when it's hot. Just take enough to whet your whistle. Stomach cramps hurt!

Oh, there are drinking fountains around the building. When I started I didn't take anything to drink and they did let me go to the fountain when needed.

You'll soon figure out what works best for you. Best of luck and let us know how your'e doing.

[helenofcalifornia]

Yuck!! You actually drank from the company water fountain??? Our's always has scotch tape across it so no one can drink from that putrid mess. Your water must be good.
When I unloaded or loaded in a hot, hot valley town, I always took a 1 gallon jug (1/2 ice 1/2 water). When you have to work in trailers that have been sitting on the west wall on a hot day in blazing sun, 1 gallon is sometimes not enough.

[dillweed]

LOL at the scotch tape. It's city water and not the best but it kept me alive for the few days it took to figure out what type of container to use.

[Iggyiam]

i read something in a science journal talking about drinking too mutch water can cause hyponatremia?

[Baba gounj]

There was a story in Cambridge Mass about a girl who drowned herself by drinking gallons of water daily.
As for how much for unloading; that depends on how hot it is and how much you sweat . A good rule is to keep a couple of jugs handy ( filled with your choice ) until you decide what is right. There is no set rule on whats right, each day is different.

[drewed]

YES you can drink too much water, but its gallons upon gallons consumed. I had a teacher once that said dont follow the 8 10oz glasses a day, take in half your body weight in oz. for a normal non physical strenous day. you could do easlily twice that wo a problem and drink 15-20 oz an hr should do pretty well

[fredly00]

About a gallon will do... I would lose about 5lbs per morning shift. and that was with a gallon in/on me...

[Iggyiam]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6263029.stm

[Mike Hawk]

If you drink ridiculous amounts of water and have no way of releasing it yea you can kill yourself, there is a scientific name for this, natural selection. I ride a street bike for exercise and a 100 oz camelbak is not enough, I end up dehydrated at the end of 2 hours with horrible headaches and dizziness. I take 200 oz of water and that keeps me fully hydrated if I drink it all. Take a gallon, if your piss is yellow at the end of your shift take more, your pee should be clear if you are fully hydrated.

[UPS Lifer]

Originally Posted by rookie unloader

I keep getting told to drink plenty of water when I'm working, but when I ask how much, everybody gives me a different answer. Some people have been telling me you have to keep drinking even if you're not thirsty, and some other guys have said you can even have too much and make yourself sick. I'm really not sure how much water I should bring with me and if I should drink when I feel like it or if I need to keep drinking whether I feel like it or not.

As you said....there are a ton of different answers out there. I got this off of UPSers.com.

You should drink approx. 4 to 5 eight oz. glasses of water per shift.

My suggestion would depend on the heat and physical exertion you expend. This is what I try to do. ultimately you need to look at your own body type, the way in which you expend heat through perspiration and how much energy you expend during physical exertion.
Next time you visit a doctor ask this same question!

For myself I use this...
Rule of thumb --> Drink one 8 oz glass of water for every 30-45 minutes of work. You can adjust this based on the heat, exertion and your ability to adapt to those conditions.

Carry the water with you - do not rely on a drinking fountain. I was also told by a doctor that water was the best hydrator. (sooo that means less "Gatorade" type drinks and more water)

Another thing - the colder the water, the more energy is needed to expend it. I was told by a doctor that drinking cold water during a meal inhibits proper digestion. Room temp is better!

[Fnix]

Just get a half gallon water or gatorade and freeze it before you goto bed and bring it to work.

there have been a lot of warnings about freezing plastic bottles because it releases a bad chemical

[cheryl]

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp

According to snopes dioxins are not released when water is frozen in plastic bottles. There are no dioxins in plastic. That is an urban legend.

[Iggyiam]

Originally Posted by UPS Lifer

Another thing - the colder the water, the more energy is needed to expend it. I was told by a doctor that drinking cold water during a meal inhibits proper digestion. Room temp is better!

plus your body burns energy (calories) to warm that water back up

When i was still part time i used to bring in the smallest water bottle and fill it about 20 times per night!!! It got me off the sort asile 20 times (not including bathroom breaks) to fill it!!! Then they started giving me these big UPS jugs to use but i always seemed to forget to bring it back the next day!!! Ahhhh the good ole days!!!!!

[local804]

Originally Posted by Baba gounj

There was a story in Cambridge Mass about a girl who drowned herself by drinking gallons of water daily.
As for how much for unloading; that depends on how hot it is and how much you sweat . A good rule is to keep a couple of jugs handy ( filled with your choice ) until you decide what is right. There is no set rule on whats right, each day is different.

Was that the girl on the radio talk show who was trying to win a prize?

[local804]

Originally Posted by UPS Lifer

Another thing - the colder the water, the more energy is needed to expend it. I was told by a doctor that drinking cold water during a meal inhibits proper digestion. Room temp is better!

Hope this does not apply to cold beer at dinner

[dino]

2.58 gallons

[helenofcalifornia]

The woman that died from drinking too much water was from Sacramento. It was a radio contest for tickets or an Ipod or some such thing. The deejays were told by nurses that called in while the contest was going on about the dangers of drinking too much water, but the contest went on. And she died leaving a husband and kids. I don't think anyone at UPS has to worry about drinking too much water while working if they just listen to their bodies.

[thebrownbox]

Originally Posted by helenofcalifornia

The woman that died from drinking too much water was from Sacramento. It was