Everyone knows water’s important position in bodily well-being—from giving your pores and skin its glowing complexion to boosting your power ranges. And it’s no secret that staying hydrated is important for optimum well being and a number of other bodily features, like supporting digestion, regulating physique temperature, and facilitating nutrient transport.
However scrolling via social media, you is likely to be flooded with well being messaging suggesting different supposed miracles of ingesting plenty of water, resembling flushing your system of “toxins.” However can ingesting an excessive amount of water really be unhealthy for you?
To reply this compelling query, we spoke with consultants who reveal the unintended effects, signs and dangers of overhydrating, in addition to share recommendation for treating and stopping them. Learn on to study extra.
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What Is Water Intoxication?
Water intoxication, also called water poisoning, is a situation that arises while you devour an extreme quantity of water in a brief interval, exceeding your kidneys’ means to remove water, per StatPearls. Flooding your system with water past what your kidneys can excrete dilutes the electrolytes in your blood, notably sodium. This imbalance disrupts the conventional functioning of cells, resulting in swelling and potential issues.
“Hyponatremia may cause your blood sodium stage to drop too low,” cautions Semiya Aziz, M.B.B.S., MRCGP, DFSRH, BSLM/IBLM, a basic practitioner in North London, UK, and founding father of Say GP. “Sodium is a crucial electrolyte that helps regulate the water stability and the operate of the nerves and muscle mass within the physique. Water intoxication is uncommon and normally occurs when somebody drinks greater than 1 liter of water per hour for a number of hours with out changing misplaced electrolytes.”
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How A lot Water Is Too A lot Water?
The quantity thought of “an excessive amount of” varies extensively primarily based on components resembling age, weight, exercise stage and local weather. That stated, a 2021 examine in BMJ Open suggests, on common, ingesting 5.3 liters (1.4 gallons) of water over a four-hour interval can result in water intoxication. Nonetheless, this may increasingly differ for every particular person.
Signs and Indicators
In accordance with MedlinePlus, ingesting an excessive amount of water, or water intoxication, can result in numerous signs because of electrolyte imbalance. Preliminary indicators might embrace drowsiness, muscle weak spot or cramping, elevated blood stress and double imaginative and prescient, however signs might grow to be extra extreme because the situation progresses. Right here’s a breakdown of potential signs:
- Fatigue
- Confusion
- Complications
- Drowsiness
- Double imaginative and prescient
- Decreased urination
- Nausea and vomiting
- Elevated blood stress
- Muscle weak spot or cramping
- Lack of ability to establish sensory stimuli
Results of Consuming Too A lot Water
Trista Finest, RD, a registered dietitian with Stability One Dietary supplements, tells EatingWell, “Extra water consumption causes a dilution of sodium ranges within the blood, resulting in signs resembling nausea, headache, confusion, seizures and, in excessive instances, coma or loss of life. The swelling of cells, particularly within the mind, on account of low sodium focus may end up in elevated intracranial stress, which can manifest as signs starting from gentle discomfort to extreme neurological points.”
Dilution of Sodium Ranges
Sodium is essential in sustaining correct fluid stability inside and round your cells. A 2016 assessment within the Journal of Medical Neurology famous that diluting sodium ranges within the blood can result in signs starting from gentle nausea to seizures and may be life-threatening in extreme instances.
Swelling of Cells
Whereas cells can sometimes regulate their water content material, overwhelming them with an excessive amount of water can disrupt this stability. Mobile swelling might lead to numerous points, together with impaired mobile operate and elevated stress inside tissues, which analysis, resembling a 2019 assessment in Vitamins, factors out may be deadly if it causes mind swelling past 5% to eight% of your cranium’s capability.
Impaired Kidney Operate
Your kidneys play an important position in sustaining your physique’s fluid stability. Nonetheless, water intoxication can pressure these important organs. Consuming an excessive amount of water in a brief interval can overwhelm your kidneys’ means to excrete extra water and impression their means to operate correctly, states the British Diet Basis.
Dangers and Problems
Though water intoxication is unusual, it could actually pose critical well being dangers and issues. In addition to the adversarial results described above, Finest says, “Extreme water consumption can overload the circulatory system, resulting in edema (fluid retention) and placing further stress on the center, probably inflicting cardiovascular points. Moreover, overhydration can disrupt the stability of different important electrolytes moreover sodium, resembling potassium, magnesium and chloride, impacting numerous bodily features.”
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Therapy and Prevention
Whereas the kind of therapy might range relying on dangers and issues, there are some sensible measures you’ll be able to take to assist forestall and deal with water intoxication:
- Monitor water consumption: Keep away from ingesting greater than 0.8 to 1 liter of water per hour, and drink in accordance with your thirst and bodily exercise stage.
- Stability electrolytes: Fastidiously devour electrolyte-rich fluids or meals, particularly if you happen to sweat so much or train for a very long time. This observe can assist forestall the dilution of sodium in your blood. Test together with your well being care supplier to seek out out if electrolyte drinks are an excellent choice for you.
- Search medical consideration if signs happen: For those who expertise any indicators of water intoxication, resembling nausea, headache, confusion or seizures, search fast medical assist. You could want intravenous fluids containing sodium, numerous medicines or different remedies to revive your sodium stage and cut back the swelling of your cells.
“Water intoxication is a uncommon however critical situation that may be deadly if not handled promptly,” says Aziz. “Subsequently, it’s essential to pay attention to the dangers and prevention suggestions and to behave shortly if you happen to suspect you or another person has water intoxication.”
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How A lot Water Do You Want Each Day?
Like something nutrition-related, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy to water consumption. In accordance with the Institute of Drugs of the Nationwide Academies, the advice is 3.7 liters per day for males ages 19 to 30 and a pair of.7 liters per day for girls in the identical age vary. Nonetheless, particular person necessities range primarily based on age, weight, weight loss program, exercise stage and local weather, so adjusting this primarily based on particular person wants is important. For those who’re bodily energetic, dwell in a sizzling local weather or are pregnant, chances are you’ll want extra water than the common particular person. Simply be conscious of the dangers of overhydration.
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Continuously Requested Questions
How a lot water is required for intoxication?
Water intoxication happens while you drink an extreme quantity of water, typically past what your kidneys can excrete. The precise amount varies amongst people, however it’s typically linked to consuming a number of liters of water in a brief span with out consuming electrolytes, resulting in electrolyte imbalance.
How a lot water causes overhydration?
Overhydration, or water toxicity, may end up from consuming an quantity of water that surpasses your kidneys’ means to remove it. This situation can happen while you excessively and quickly drink extra water than your physique can safely course of.
Is 4 liters of water a day an excessive amount of?
The final guideline is round eight (8-ounce) glasses per day. That stated, the quantity of water is as essential because the time frame by which one drinks it. Moreover, particular person wants differ, so remember to verify together with your well being care supplier to find out the correct quantity of water for you primarily based on components like local weather, weight loss program and bodily exercise to be sure to’re staying hydrated.
Can water intoxication be deadly?
In excessive instances, water intoxication can result in hyponatremia. On this situation, low sodium ranges within the blood may cause swelling of the mind, resulting in seizures, coma and probably loss of life.
The Backside Line
Whereas ingesting water is undeniably important for good general well being and supporting optimum bodily features, it’s important to strike a wholesome stability in your water consumption to stop the potential dangers of overhydration. Signs of water intoxication vary from fatigue to confusion, swelling of cells and impaired kidney operate. The beneficial quantity of each day water consumption varies primarily based on particular person components however ought to nonetheless be thought of when staying hydrated. To assist forestall the well being dangers related to ingesting an excessive amount of water, observe moderation, preserve electrolyte stability and search medical consideration when wanted.
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