I am really trying to watch my sodium intake, but as you know it's in just about everything!

I try not to eat too late at night, but it's normally about 7pm when I am finally eating supper.

I'm drinking plenty of water during the day.

I try really hard to limit my sodium especially at supper, but every morning I wake up puffy and feel like I ate a bag of salt.

It normally subsides in an hour or so, but just wondering if there is anything else I can do to try to help it?

Drink water in the evening, after dinner? You say you drink plenty "during the day," but you could be somewhat dehyrated by bedtime.

Jay

Have you had your blood pressure checked?

Definitely drink more water- puffy in the mornings means you were hydrated. And when you say plenty of water how much water are you drinking? 8 glasses is not necessarily enough for every person. Some need more.

I'm drinking about 40-60 ounces a day. But... I don't drink it at night, I usually drink hot tea before bed... so I'll try drinking a big glass of water before bed. (Then I'll be up running to the bathroom all night lol... but oh well)

NiteNicole.... I haven't been "diagnosed" with high blood pressure, but I do believe it runs a little high sometimes... the last few times I went to the doc it was just a tad bit elevated. Is there something about that that makes you puffy?

40-60 ounces is not enough.

At minimum you should drink 8 glasses, and 40 oz is 5 glasses.

And I tend to agree with the general guideline that you take your weight, divide it by 2, and then that's how many oz of water to drink a day. For you that would be 127.5 oz of water, or 16 glasses of water a day, so you need to drink 2-3 times what you are drinking now.

I personally drink about 100 oz of water a day- I no longer have issues with puffy fingers or a puffy face in the morning since I started drinking more water.

Yeah, that's kind of the idea...

You have a choice. Drink water and pee when you need to, or be puffy. It's up to you.

High blood pressure forces more fluid into the tissues and acts to prevent it from getting back out. It's a good idea to have your blood pressure checked regularly. However, I would suggest you increase the water you drink, especially in the evening. (I'm not a doctor, and this is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.)

Jay

You'll get used to it- when I increased my water I did wake up once a night to pee- but now I don't anymore- and I actually do drink a glass of water before bed! lol. But I go to the bathroom just before I sleep also

Yeah, totally not enough water. I try to drink 1/2 my body weight in ounces daily.

Are you eating a lot of processed foods? The only sodium in the foods I eat is what I add.

When you said "it's in just about everything" that jumped out at me. Are there foods you could prepare yourself so you can control the salt content? Are you eating things that are high in sodium?

If any little bit of salt causes fluid retention for you, I'd consider asking again about high blood pressure. If I don't take mine for a day or two and then take it I will gain then lose about five pounds. My face and neck look extra puffy, and my fingers and toes will as well. Fluid retention was my first warning sign of high BP.

I know the "dieter's wisdom" is that you have to half drown yourself in water but that whole "8 glasses a day" business is totally unfounded. If you're drinking so much that you're running to the bathroom all day, you're drinking more than you need. 40 - 60 ounces is a LOT of water. All that you're peeing out is mostly what you're taking in. If you already have had a lot of salt and you're trying to deal with that, then drinking water helps. If you're chronically having issues with water retention and you're eating normal or low levels of salt, water is not your problem. Something else is causing you to have this sensitivity and it might be your BP.

See your doctor and ask specifically about your BP and let them know you're having trouble with fluid retention and you're sensitive to salt, even when you limit it. Drinking water might help you deal with the fluid but it won't cure whatever is causing the problem in the first place.

If you're eating french fries and processed food all the time, that's one thing. If you're watching your salt intake and still puffy and swollen, you need to find out why.

If I eat store-bought bread, pastries, cake, cookies, or processed meats...I get puffy.
I cut them all out of my diet.

I count the calories of every little item that goes in my mouth.
As long as I stay on my diet and avoid those foods, I have no puffiness at all.

Table salt is not my problem, and has never been. But I drink berry juice every day to keep my blood pressure and cholesterol normal. Onions and garlic also help.

If I make my own bread from scratch, not a mix...I have no problems.
If I eat fresh meat, fresh veggies, dairy products and fruits, I have no problems at all.

Any packaged bread mix, cake, muffin, pancake, etc. causes problems. Also processed foods, frozen dinners and packaged snacks. They are all loaded with chemicals that cause puffiness.

Get rid of all the chemical saturated junk foods and you'll be ok.

OP are you actually using a tracker to track your salt intake? Pretty much anytime I eat out my salt intake goes up to a high level. Cooking at home I usually get 1600-1800 mg a day.

If you don't drink enough water your body tends to retain it- which is why most people who start drinking more water complain about going to the bathroom a lot. Once your body gets used to more water it starts to release the water it holds on to and eventually your body adjusts so you don't go to the bathroom in excess.

One sure fire why to know if you drink enough water is the color of your urine- if it's consistenly dark yellow you aren't drinking enough.

Do you drink alcohol? Drinking, even moderate amounts, always made me "puffy" in the morning. Within 2 days after I quit the puffiness subsided.

I also have never been a huge water drinker like many "dieters". I drink maybe a glass a week, though I get in lots of liquid via unsweet tea and coffee... I once read the caffeine works as a mild natural diuretic, but don't quote me on that. Anyway, I'm just not really into the old old drink and pee thing, and it isn't aways the answer to ridding ones body of extra fluid.

i often drink water before bed on purpose, so i'm less likely to sleep through the alarm. i'm a heavy sleeper. i never wake up during the night to go.