Risks Associated With Drinking Too Much Water

You have probably come across the expression, “too much of a good thing”; it’s a simple yet warranted statement, especially in this case. Nearly all of the body’s major systems are dependent on water to maintain proper functionality. When you drink plenty of water throughout the day, you help important processes such as regulation of body temperature, excretion of toxins and waste products from the body, among other important processes.

If you exercise in high temperature conditions, especially, you might be concerned about keeping your body hydrated enough. However, drinking excessive amounts of water, or overhydration, can cause an imbalance between the water and sodium in your blood, making it a condition that’s potentiallyas deadly as dehydration.

Types of Overhydration

The body controls the amount of water in it through two processes: excretion by way of producing urine in the kidneys, and the thirst response mechanism. However, these processes can be rendered “inefficient” either by disease, or a person consciously or unconsciously overriding their own thirst mechanism. This would lead to too much water collecting in the body, with the consequent risk of water intoxication or dangerously low blood sodium levels (hyponatremia).

That being said, there are two types of overhydration caused by, namely, water retention and increased water intake.

• Water retention – Occurs when the body is unable to get rid of excess water, as is the case with a number of medical conditions, for example. This can be dangerous because it causes an imbalance between water and sodium in the blood.
• Increased water intake – When you drink water in copious amounts, more water collects in the body than the kidneys can get rid of in the urine.

Causes of Overhydration

As mentioned earlier, overhydration by increased water intake can occur both consciously and unconsciously. For instance, when you exercise, especially in the heat, you tend to drink too much water. It is also possible for some medications to induce a feeling of thirst or make you feel parched, causing you to drink more water.

In the case of overhydration by water retention, some medical conditions are often the cause, for instance:

• Kidney problems
• Liver cirrhosis
• Congestive heart failure

Symptoms of Overhydration

Although symptoms of overhydration might not be experienced right away, some of them may include, headache, nausea, vomiting, and disorientation (or confusion). If left unchecked, overhydration can cause dangerously low blood sodium levels, or hyponatremia, which can cause more serious symptoms such as, muscle weakness, spasms or cramps, seizures, unconsciousness, and even comatose.

In order to properly diagnose overhydration, a doctor may conduct a medical history check, physical examination, and blood and urine tests, just to be certain that the symptoms are not being caused by another medical condition.

How Much Water is Enough?

An individual’s hydration needs will vary based on a number of factors, including the level of physical exertion and rate of water loss from the body excretion. In addition, since the human adult body is composed of up to 60% water, “enough” is relative, owing to varying body mass across individuals. However, as a rule of thumb, aim to drink at least 2 – 2.5 litres of water daily to maintain adequate hydration.

A few other measures can be taken to prevent overhydration, for instance:

• Weighing yourself before and after intensive athletic exertion to try and determine how much water you have lost and need to replenish.
• Trying to avoid drinking more than one litre per hour of fluids.
• Consulting your doctor if you feel a strong urge to drink water, or if you have a medical condition such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, or kidney problems, so that you can get advice on how to best treat those conditions.

Hopefully, that sheds some light on hydration and the risks of overhydrating, and also debunks some of the common misconceptions about hydration.