To start her day, Simma-Chiang will drink half a cup of water (or a full cup, if the urine was darker yellow) and an iced coffee. “Coffee is definitely part of my morning routine. I need it to wake up,” she says.
Coffee is both a natural diuretic and bladder stimulant, which means it can increase the urge to go. To avoid peeing too much, Simma-Chiang tries to moderate her coffee intake to one cup. But hey, we all have those days where one is not nearly enough, and that’s OK. Regardless, she stops drinking coffee by noon to ensure high quality sleep later that night.
Staying hydrated throughout the day is a good way to maintain overall health, and as we all know, affects urine quality. “I don’t overdo it with hydration by carrying a gallon water bottle,” she says, “but I’ll bring two 16-ounce containers, one with water and another with iced tea because I like to sip on a flavored drink during my day.”
Instead of guzzling these drinks all at once, she’ll work on them gradually throughout the day. “Between patients, phone calls, and procedures—really any time I sit down— I take at least one sip of water,” she says.
That said, Simma-Chiang understands this strategy may not work for people who sit all day at work, constantly near their water cups, either over-hydrating or too focused on work to pause for a sip. “I’m fortunate enough to have an active job where I’m on my feet pretty much all day, but for people with sedentary jobs, I recommend getting up and walking around, going outside, or even just staring out the window instead of looking at a screen all day,” she says.
These short movement and mental breaks can serve as a reminder to take a drink. Plus, being active, getting vitamin D, and spending time in fresh air are all important for general health, she says.