If you've ever had to take a urine drug test, you know it's not always easy to know how much water to drink before the big day. You may have heard that drinking water will dilute your urine and cause it to fail the test. But what's the real story? Should you drink enough water so that your pee will be clear? Or is it better for it to be yellow or even slightly cloudy? What about too much water—is that bad? And how much should you drink in general in order to keep yourself hydrated? To help answer these questions and more, I spoke with Dr. Chris Fadda (aka Dr. Ganja) and asked him everything I needed to know about passing a urine drug test while also staying healthy:
Drink enough water to be hydrated before you take a urine test.
The short answer is that you should drink enough water to be hydrated before you take a urine test. This means drinking enough liquid so that your urine appears light yellow or almost clear, with no trace of blood (which would indicate dehydration).
Drinking too much water can make your urine too diluted, which can cause the test to fail.
To avoid this, you should drink enough water to be hydrated before taking a drug test. The amount of water you need to drink depends on how long it's been since your last pee. The more time that passes between urinating and testing, the more likely it is that you'll have an insufficient volume of urine for testing purposes (especially if you're dehydrated).
A good general rule is to drink half your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of water. This will ensure that your urine sample stays clean and doesn't have any impurities that could cause a false positive on the drug test.
For more specific instructions, follow these guidelines:
For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of water (roughly 10 cups).
If you're not sure how much water is in a cup or ounce, check the chart below:
The amount of water you need to drink depends on your body type and other factors.
If you're overweight, it's possible that the urine test will show too much liquid in your body because of the extra weight. On the other hand, if you are underweight or malnourished, there might not be enough liquid in your system to give an accurate reading on a drug test.
If you exercise regularly and sweat heavily during physical activity (such as playing basketball), then drinking extra water before taking a drug test will help dilute any toxins present in your urine sample so they don't show up onscreen during screening procedures.
Additionally, some prescription medications may cause false positives for marijuana use when screened by certain types of tests (including immunoassay).
Be careful not to drink too much water in one go because it could cause you to get sick or pass out. The body can't process all that water at once, and if it doesn't have time to get rid of the excess liquid through urination, it will be forced out through other means. This can lead to nausea and vomiting as well as other unpleasant side effects like bloating and dizziness.
So what's the right amount? We recommend six 8-ounce glasses per day--but only if you're feeling healthy! If there's any chance that your kidneys aren't functioning properly (for example, if there was recent surgery), then consult with your doctor before increasing your intake beyond normal levels."
As a general rule, the more active you are the more water you need to consume. If you're exercising regularly or if it's particularly hot outside, drinking at least four cups of water per day is recommended. If you aren't used to drinking that much and don't want to go overboard (and end up with an upset stomach), start by adding one extra glass per day until your body gets used to having more fluid in its system.
If there's one thing that everyone knows about urine tests: Don't drink too little before taking them! Drinking only one glass of water before taking a test can cause false positives because it makes the concentration level appear higher than normal--even though it's not actually higher than normal due to dilution from other fluids consumed during the day (like coffee).
The amount of water you should drink before a urine test depends on your body type, the amount of exercise you've been doing and other factors. There isn't a hard-and-fast rule about how much water you should drink before taking a urine test.
It's important to note that drinking too much water in one go can cause nausea or fainting--so don't chug down gallons at once! Instead, aim for around eight ounces every hour until just before your scheduled appointment time.
As you can see, there isn't a hard-and-fast rule about how much water you should drink before taking a urine test. It depends on your body type and how hydrated you are already. If you're unsure whether or not you're drinking enough water before taking a drug test, talk with your doctor or other healthcare provider who can help make sure everything goes smoothly on the day of the test.
In addition to drinking plenty of water before testing, it's also important to stay calm and relaxed throughout the process because stress hormones like cortisol can cause false positives when testing for drugs (especially marijuana).