Breaking the Dehydration Myth

[Bunnykiller]

I like to randomly read thru the postings and still see alot of posts dealing with vaping and dehydration. So many people believe that vaping causes dehydration... not just the dry mouth feel but actual dehydration that warrants drinking way more water than needed.
For those who feel vaping causes dehydration... a question.
How much fluid ( water) do you think VG/PG can adsorb and remove from your system while vaping?
Lets say one vapes 5ml of juice in a day, how much fluid is lost?

Now, its time to break the myth...
VG is capable of adsorbing water, but to about 40% per volume, it doesnt adsorb more than its own volume.
So, if one is to vape 5 ml a day, the amount of fluid adsorbed and exhaled is approximately 2 ml. Thats not even a full teaspoon of fluid.
So how did this myth start?? When vaping first became noticed, one of its selling points was the phrase " you exhale water vapor instead of smoke". Well, this is true to a point, about 40% ( maximum) of the vapor we see is water vapor, the rest is VG/PG vapor.

And why is it only 40%, water 1 molecule will "bind" up between 2 "VG" molecules ( =VG/PG, =Water)
in effect, this is what it look like, and not all VG/PG molecules get the chance to bind to a water molecule.

To dehydrate yourself enough to require an additional liter or more of water due to vaping, one would need to vape about 3 liters of juice...

and yes, vaping does cause a dry mouth, but a dry mouth is not a definative sign of dehydration, one can be totally hydrated and still have a dry mouth.

 

[r77r7r]

Yay.

 

[Rossum]

I never experienced any dehydration from vaping. As far as I'm concerned, it's an urban legend, but I understand people's reaction to things tends to be different, so I've never disputed people who claim the effect exists.

 

[ppeeble]

But, but ... It must be true because it says so on the interwebz....
The act of breathing through your mouth (for instance when vaping) leads to a dry mouth.
This is one of those myths that actually does some good - most people don't drink enough water anyway

 

[r77r7r]

Have to admit tho, a sip of ice water makes for a better vape.

 

[uthinkofsomething]

I'm not speaking from real knowledge here, but your body uses water to clean itself out constantly. If you are in-taking nicotine does it get processed out at some point? If so, your body uses water to push it through something and out somewhere.

 

[Rossum]

Have to admit tho, a sip of ice water coffee or iced tea makes for a better vape.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Susaz]

I never experienced any dehydration from vaping. As far as I'm concerned, it's an urban legend, but I understand people's reaction to things tends to be different, so I've never disputed people who claim the effect exists.

Nowadays we're vaping high VG liquids. In the days of 70%VG dehydration was an issue and I experienced several times lizard tongue. My mouth was so dry I could absorb ambient moisture...

 

[Rossum]

Nowadays we're vaping high VG liquids. In the days of 70%VG dehydration was an issue and I experienced several times lizard tongue. My mouth was so dry I could absorb ambient moisture...

Did you mean, "In the days of 70%PG"?

I started with liquids like that (Halo) and still didn't notice. However, I'll admit I didn't stick with them for very long. Very early on, I switched to local shops' house juice that was 35PG/65VG and I've stuck with something close to that that ratio ever since.

 

[Letitia]

All I know is I drink more water (flavored) than soda since vaping and my body seems happier for it. The change in habit only comes from dry mouth and sinus; nothing to do with dehydration. Was born thirsty.

 

[MacTechVpr]

How much fluid ( water) do you think VG/PG can adsorb and remove from your system while vaping?

Congrats Bk for necessarily stating the obvious but…

…about 40% ( maximum) of the vapor we see is water vapor, the rest is VG/PG vapor.

Citation please.

As one notable from this forum once put it, "… ecig vapour is about 66% water, as that is where the top of the bell curve in average, independent, unbiased analyses puts it."

With your suggestion, another great myth blown…that VG draws water from the lungs, so a main factor in creating more vapor. A prevalent assertion here some years back.

Good luck.

The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.
—Edward R. Murrow

 

[Janusz]

I like to randomly read thru the postin gs and still see alot of posts dealing with vaping and dehydration. So many people believe that vaping causes dehydration... not just the dry mouth feel but actual dehydration that warrants drinking way more water than needed.
For those who feel vaping causes dehydration... a question.
.

The first symptoms of dehydration include thirst, darker urine, and decreased urine production. In fact, urine color is one of the best indicators of a person's hydration level - clear urine means you are well hydrated and darker urine means you are dehydrated.

However, it is important to note that color of urine can be affected by food we eat medication or supplements (vitamin b6 will make our urine very yellow even when we are fully hydrated).

Alcohol and caffeine consumption be it from coffee or sodas can also have dehydrate effect and it has nothing to do with exhaling... I do not know about nicotine but excess of it can also force body to flush it out of our system...in similar way like diabetic person flush excess of sugar... I would not totally dismiss dehydration as a myth... because I noticed that since I started to vape my urine color is often darker if I do not increase water consumption.

 

[Jebbn]

Good post OP
I live in a hot climate and spent many years working out doors in the heat. I got used to checking out the colour of my urine during the day to gauge whether I was already too dehydrated or properly hydrated in the summer months.
10months into vaping now, initially when I started vaping I made sure I was getting plenty of water because it was recommended but eventually I just couldnt maintain the extra water intake with any enthusiasm at all so I tapered off my intake to a normal amount.
Even on the days when I vape more than usual my urine never gets dark coloured like it would on hot day doing physical work out doors. Vaping doesnt seem to have any affect at all on the colour in fact. That in turn means that vaping doesnt really affect hydration levels.
You can test this for yourself very simply.
I think vaping culture and anti vaping propaganda is full of myths, paranoia and outright BS on both sides of the story.

 

[MacTechVpr]

But a little chain vape'll get you some cotton mouth in a grand hurry.

(So will rapid mouth breathing.)

Good luck.

 

[Jebbn]

But a little chain vape'll get you some cotton mouth in a grand hurry.

(So will rapid mouth breathing.)

Good luck.

So will smoking cigarettes.
Mouth breathers the world over are all just looking for a little relief.

 

[Eskie]

The first symptoms of dehydration include thirst, darker urine, and decreased urine production. In fact, urine color is one of the best indicators of a person's hydration level - clear urine means you are well hydrated and darker urine means you are dehydrated.

However, it is important to note that color of urine can be affected by food we eat medication or supplements (vitamin b6 will make our urine very yellow even when we are fully hydrated).

Alcohol and caffeine consumption be it from coffee or sodas can also have dehydrate effect and it has nothing to do with exhaling... I do not know about nicotine but excess of it can also force body to flush it out of our system...in similar way like diabetic person flush excess of sugar... I would not totally dismiss dehydration as a myth... because I noticed that since I started to vape my urine color is often darker if I do not increase water consumption.

Eh, as you point out, lots of stuff affects urine color so it's not always that helpful. If you want to get fancy and don't mind testing your urine's specific gravity that is way more useful. A good, fast, and simple way to check for significant dehydration is checking skin turgor. Pinch the skin on the back of your hand or forearm. It should just pop back into place if all is well. If the skin remains tented, you're likely dehydrated.

Liquids,especially warm liquids are great for the dry mouth. That or Biotene mouth lozenges which are good for dry mouth caused by medications, other medical conditions,or in our case vaping.

 

[Bunnykiller]

Congrats Bk for necessarily stating the obvious but…



Citation please.

As one notable from this forum once put it, "… ecig vapour is about 66% water, as that is where the top of the bell curve in average, independent, unbiased analyses puts it."

With your suggestion, another great myth blown…that VG draws water from the lungs, so a main factor in creating more vapor. A prevalent assertion here some years back.

Good luck.

The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.
—Edward R. Murrow

considering that we exhale water vapor on a normal basis without vaping, the 66% would be a viable quantity in a total combination ( vaping and normal respiration). Im considering just the adsorbtion of water from vaping alone which constitutes about 40% additional extraction. If you were to measure the water vapor without vaping, it comes to something in the area of 26% per volume of air.
And if you were to condense the water vapor from a non vaping exhale its about .0026 grams of water per breath. In a vaping condition, you would see about .0040 grams of water per breath exhaled. Therefore, 1000 breaths would come to about 2.6 ml of water non vaping and 4.0 grams for vaping. But also consider this... when vaping, one isnt inhaling on every breath so the loss of water is not that intense.
Altho, relative humidity does play an important role in this number, the drier the air, the more evaporation occurs in the lungs and the percentage jumps upwards by about 15% additional. With this in mind, a vaper can loose about 5 ml of fluid in a dry air condition after hitting the vape 1000 times, which comes to about 5 grams or volume wise 5 ml.
5 ml is almost the same as a full teaspoon....

 

[Bunnykiller]

But a little chain vape'll get you some cotton mouth in a grand hurry.

(So will rapid mouth breathing.)

Good luck.

and so will breathing air from a scuba tank.... that has got to be some of the driest air Ive ever inhaled...

 

[Bunnykiller]

I'm not speaking from real knowledge here, but your body uses water to clean itself out constantly. If you are in-taking nicotine does it get processed out at some point? If so, your body uses water to push it through something and out somewhere.

well considering that nicotine is metabolized in the body ( and water is required to metabolize) yes, water is "lost" in the process.

 

[Janusz]

Even on the days when I vape more than usual my urine never gets dark coloured like it would on hot day doing physical work out doors. Vaping doesnt seem to have any affect at all on the colour in fact. That in turn means that vaping doesnt really affect hydration levels.
You can test this for yourself very simply.
I think vaping culture and anti vaping propaganda is full of myths, paranoia and outright BS on both sides of the story.

I tested it in February/March (cold days) and in my case a lot of vaping affected color ... but some people vape a lot more than others and body reacts different...the same as some people sweat a lot and some appear never sweating... amount of nicotine also matters... as your overall health...

I do not think vaping alone cause dangerous level of dehydration but cumulative causes (drinking a lot of of coffee/tea/soda/alcohol with chain vaping can you get there if you do not increase water consumption...

Your or my experience do not necessarily validate if something is outright BS or myth... I can drink two cups of coffee at 8 PM and I will have no problem falling asleep at 11PM but my wife will not fall asleep whole night... the same is true about blood pressure... caffeine affects my blood pressure much less than my wife's.