# Can You Drink Too Much Water?



## meera (Feb 13, 2006)

In a word, yes. Drinking too much water can lead to a condition known as water intoxication and to a related problem resulting from the dilution of sodium in the body, hyponatremia. Water intoxication is most commonly seen in infants under six months of age and sometimes in athletes. Athletes can also suffer from water intoxication. Athletes sweat heavily, losing both water and electrolytes. Water intoxication and hyponatremia result when a dehydrated person drinks too much water without the accompanying electrolytes.



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What Happens During Water Intoxication?*

When too much water enters the body's cells, the tissues swell with the excess fluid. Your cells maintain a specific concentration gradient, so excess water outside the cells (the serum) draws sodium from within the cells out into the serum in an attempt to re-establish the necessary concentration. As more water accumulates, the serum sodium concentration drops -- a condition known as hyponatremia. ...Theoretically, cells could swell to the point of bursting.

From the cell's point of view, water intoxication produces the same effects as would result from drowning in fresh water. Electrolyte imbalance and tissue swelling can cause an irregular heartbeat, allow fluid to enter the lungs, and may cause fluttering eyelids. Swelling puts pressure on the brain and nerves, which can cause behaviors resembling alcohol intoxication. Swelling of brain tissues can cause seizures, coma and ultimately death unless water intake is restricted and a hypertonic saline (salt) solution is administered. If treatment is given before tissue swelling causes too much cellular damage, then a complete recovery can be expected within a few days.



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It's Not How Much You Drink, It's How Fast You Drink It!*

The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen liters of water a day! You are unlikely to suffer from water intoxication, even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over time as opposed to intaking an enormous volume at one time. As a general guideline, most adults need about three quarts of fluid each day. Much of that water comes from food, so 8-12 eight ounce glasses a day is a common recommended intake. You may need more water if the weather is very warm or very dry, if you are exercising, or if you are taking certain medications. The bottom line is this: it's possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition.

LINK: http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm


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## ardsam (Jul 30, 2008)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6261509.stm


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## MXMAD (Oct 11, 2007)

ardsam said:


> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6261509.stm


That's crazy :confused1:

I have the problem of not drinking enough but im getting there


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## 2001kdy (Jan 23, 2009)

yep saw that report had no idea drinking too much could be so lethal.


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## bawny (Jan 25, 2009)

It's an odd one but I guess anything in huge amounts can be bad for you.

I'm drinking about 4 or 5 pints a day but thats from 0700 to 2200 so spread out.


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## Morgy (Jan 21, 2006)

I recently saw on telly about a man who was on a long distance run and when he finished he collapsed, his body went into shock and he died. Turns out that the combo of lots of water and sweating did the trick, flushed all the salt out .


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## pauly7582 (Jan 16, 2007)

hyponatremia will only occur during extreme levels of exercise. eg marathon runner. Water will only kill you in the extreme absence of electrolytes which would take serious amounts of exercise to sweat out. Think professional/soon to be professional endurance athlete training over 5 hours per day.

So...can water kill YOU?

No.


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## Guest (Mar 21, 2009)

Mr.Muscle said:


> i can do that, i prefer drink than eat some food


EH:confused1:

I do like your avatar i will give you that

Yes you can and its very dangerous especially if you have done some thing like make weight using dieretics if you just drank and drank you would get into serious trouble. That's why there are detailed protocals on how to rehydrate after making weight.


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