Did you know drinking too much water can be fatal?
One of the most given advice about health and wellness is “drink water”, and good enough, in this day and time, heeding that advice has become simpler with the many strategies employed such as manufacturing fancy water bottles with time markings on them so that users are always reminded to drink water hourly.
However, what most people forget is that anything when done excessively can be disadvantageous, including drinking water.
Generally speaking, the adult human is expected to drink approximately between 3 – 4 liters of water daily, anything above this becomes excessive and if it continues becomes water intoxication.
What is Water Intoxication?
Water intoxication could be seen as the opposite of dehydration. It is a condition that can be fatal, that arises when excess water is frequently taken into the body.
You can also call it water poisoning, water toxemia, hyperhydration, or simply just overhydration.
What Happens When I Drink Excess Water?
When you overhydrate, you put more workload on your kidneys because then the water content of your body becomes more than what your kidney can excrete.
Progressively, your body’s electrolytes suffer this as excess water depletes the levels of certain important minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium.
A depletion of these minerals results in electrolyte imbalance which causes your cells to open, allowing excess water to penetrate, filling up your cells and making them swell, including your brain cells.
How Do I Know When I Have Taken Excess Water?
You could experience symptoms such as:
- Muscle weakness, cramping, or spasms
- Nausea
- Headache due to swelling in the brain
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
However, some of these symptoms such as dizziness and fatigue are likened to dehydration (low water intake), therefore, another way to know when you’re near to taking or have taken too much water, is by noticing the colour of your urine.
A dark yellow colour says you need more water, pale yellow says your water intake is ok, and a colourless urine is a good sign to either stop drinking more water or be careful or you become overhydrated.
Are There Any Dangers To Drinking Too Much Water?
In severe cases of water intoxication that leads to excessive swelling of your brain cells, you could have seizures or become unconscious for a while until you’re medically treated.
This is because the swelling in the brain causes the central nervous system to malfunction.
Ultimately but rarely, water intoxication could lead to death.
Solutions
In minor cases, when you notice you’ve had a lot of water, the best thing to do is to stop drinking more.
You could also take some salt to improve the level of sodium in your body.
However, in severe cases, seek immediate medical attention.
Takeaway
As much as drinking water is a great health tip, you want to be careful not to overdo it to prevent harming your health instead.
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