Is It Possible To Drink Too Much Water?

We’ve all read over the internet, in the news, in health and medical research why it’s a good idea to drink a lot of water. But is it possible to drink too much water?

While you may think you can never get too much of a good thing—like fruits and vegetables…no one would ever tell you to eat less of those—the truth about water is that while it is good for you, it actually is possible to drink too much water.

If you drink too much water, you may put your body in harm’s way and expose yourself to the possibility of water intoxication. Aside from water intoxication, drinking too much water can cause of wide variety of other potentially serious issues. For instance, when you drink too much water your total blood volume rises , meaning you get more blood. But your body is only made to contain as much blood as you need to survive and therefore if your blood level rises, this causes stretching and strain on your blood vessels and the major arteries, especially those that run to your heart, your brain and your other major organs.

But it isn’t only your heart and blood vessels that can suffer if your drink too much water. It’s possible to cause damage to your kidneys as well. Your kidneys are the filtration system for your entire body and as with any plumbing or filtration system and all other construction in life, excessive wear and tear can put a strain on your system and may even contribute to bringing it to a halt sooner than you might think.

Medically termed as hyponatremia , this condition is associated more with the ratio between salt and water in the body than with a person’s water intake.

Most people don’t really take in the amount of water that their body needs every day. So if you are the kind of person who is conscious about eating a balanced and healthy diet, then you are almost certainly at no risk of developing hyponatremia. This is because a balanced diet should only contain a moderate level of sodium that will not put you at risk for contracting the condition.

If you are also the kind of person who loves eating salty foods, then you could be at risk for other health conditions other than hyponatremia, even if your water intake may be too much. If you eat too much salty food, it would be more normal if you needed to increase your water intake to balance out all the sodium that you take in every day.

Water intoxication specifically causes your cells to swell because the water can no longer be contained in your blood vessels in its normal and helpful form. As your swelled cells move around your body they cause problems in every quadrant. Death can occur when the swelled cells reach either the heart or the brain.

Since your brain is surrounded by bones (unlike the heart which is surrounded by malleable and stretchable muscles, which means you must cause great amounts of damage over a long period of time) nothing moves to make more room for the swelled cells, meaning your brain could literally be “squeezed to death”.

It is worth pointing out that research suggests that for an average adult man, around 40 litres in a 24 hour period is likely to prove fatal. Therefore, the risk to most of us ought to be reassuringly small.

Unfortunately, the worst part about the damage to your system from water intoxication or excessive intake of water is the damage is not immediately noticeable. In fact, most people will never know there’s a problem with a veritable water “overdose” until it is too late.

The most important thing you can do to avoid water intoxication and other damage to your body and internal organs that may come from drinking too much water is to seek proper medical advice to establish what the proper intake of water is for you as an individual. While it may be 8 glasses a day, it could be more or less—and you should stick with what is the recommended intake for you.

Getting the right amount of water each day will:

* Your digestion will not only be improved, but your colon will also be healthier.

* It will help to eliminate the toxins from your system.

* It will promote weight loss and enhance the suppleness and health of your skin.

* Nutrients from food will be efficiently delivered to the cells in your body.

* You will have a urinary system that is healthier.

* Prevent you from feeling any dehydration effects .

Additionally, studies prove that drinking more water helps to reduce body weight. The more water you consume, through either drinking water or eating fruit and vegetables high in water content, the less hungry you are throughout the day and the less likely you are to consume your calories through foods high in carbohydrates, sugar, fats and other undesirable contents that will likely cause you to gain weight and reduce your overall health.

Lower total body weight and reduced amounts of fat can help to prevent many ailments including lowering blood pressure and diabetes.

On a slightly more fun note, we very much like red party cups as a fun enhancement to drinking water and other things...