A little concerned

[Edhelraen]

I've been drinking a lot of water yesterday and my pee ended up coming out as clear. I read that this is normal since my body is trying to get rid of the excess water so I've been cutting back on it. Now I've been checking the color and it fluctuates between clear, pale yellow, and then goes back to clear again.

I am concerned that this isn't normal since my pee should have gone back to yellow by now and I'm planning on seeing my doctor tomorrow. I also haven't been able to sleep well because my brain keeps thinking something is wrong with my body but physically I feel fine. Or maybe I'm just peeing too much I think.

Should I wait a few more days to see if my pee goes back to the normal yellow color and not drink as much water?

[Edhelraen]

Update: I just checked again and my pee color is a pale yellow, which is in the normal range. I guess the toilet water diluted it to the point where it looked clear to me!

[Carly]

Hey Edhelraen -- believe it or not, the clearer your urine is the better your body is doing most of the time! Urobilin/urochrome is what turns urine the yellow-y colors we're all used to, and it dilutes the more water you drink. When your urine is clear or close to it, this is a sign your body is well-hydrated and your urinary tract is healthy. The fluctuation you were describing is very normal. Needing to use the bathroom more frequently in this case is also pretty normal.

If you notice your urine is clear when you have not been a lot drinking water or if you are noticeably and unusually thirsty, that would be a good time to consult a doctor.

[Edhelraen]

Thank you for that! I guess I shouldn't have to worry then! I probably just drank too much water and my body needs to flush it out now XD

[Edhelraen]

I'm sorry for posting again but I have another question.

Is it normal for my pee to be diluted somewhat even if I didn't drink that much liquids? I had some soda at round 4pm ish and haven't had anything else to drink for a while and I noticed my pee is again diluted to pale yellow. Is this normal if I drink any type of liquid?

Also is it better for my body that my pee remains in the pale yellow/clear range compared to the darker yellow range? I think my brain is subconsiously telling me that the darker yellow range is the normal range because that's normally the color of my urine when I go, so if I see anything other than that I start panicking and freaking out that something is wrong with my body even though it's perfectly normal and healthy as explained. Is there any suggestions for me not to feel this way?

[Sam W]

Hi Edhelraen,

So, keeping in mind no one here is a urologist, variation in urine color is really common and generally not something to be concerned about; as you've noticed, lots of things about what you ingest can potentially influence it.

Can I ask if you experience this level of worry about other things in your life, or have in the past? Have there been other parts of your body or bodily functions you found yourself monitoring this intensely?

[Edhelraen]

Just my periods but I don't worry about anything else besides that. I had a scare awhile back regarding my period so that made me monitor it more intensely but I'm starting to ease back on that now, especially after I found a reliable obgyn who helped me through that time.

I guess I'm just at that age where I'm more self conscious of my body because my husband and I want a child so I'm monitoring myself more intently

[Sam W]

Got it. One thing that may be helpful going forward is to think about how to find a balance between being aware of your body and overly fixating on minute changes. That may look like consciously telling yourself to stop when you start fixating on a bodily function or finding ways to divert your attention to something else when you feel that fixation starting.

[Edhelraen]

Yes, I am working on that by playing video games or listening to music and focusing on something else aside from my current fixation ahaha. I found that talking to friends also help, so I feel like I've gotten better on not fixating on myself too much in that sense!

Looks like I still need to work on that a bit more. I also need to learn to listen to my body when there's actually something wrong and go to the doctor then instead of worrying too much and stressing myself out even more.