You’ve probably heard about it so many times about how drinking water can help your health. However, there are some claims that too much of this good thing can be dangerous. In fact, it is more unsafe than not drinking at all. How is this possible when water is recommended for better health?
According to medical experts, drinking too much water during a very short span of time can put you at risk. This is because the salt levels in your blood can go very low, a very dangerous condition. For some people, this is known as overhydration. Professionals in the medical field call this hyponatremia, which is a serious condition that can result to death. Sometimes, this is also known as water intoxication.
How Much is Too Much?
It is a well-known recommendation to drink eight glasses of water every day. Some people don’t get enough, while others drink more than eight. But how much water is treated as excessive? The answer to this is gallons and gallons of water. Of course, it is an extremely rare case where people drink several gallons of water, but it doesn’t mean it never happened.
Overhydration or Water Intoxication
When you exercise or you live in a place with a warm weather, you may have the urge to drink more water than usual. This is acceptable and you will not risk your health. The problem lies in drinking so much water very fast.
It is quite uncommon for young and healthy people to be overhydrated, but if they drink several liters of water at once, this can get them in trouble. The reason behind this is that the kidneys cannot expel more than half a liter of water in an hour or less. If a person goes beyond what the kidneys can flush out, it can become a medical emergency because you are drinking more than your kidneys can handle.
Stay Hydrated, But Stay Safe
The problem with drinking too much water boils down to the level of sodium you have in your body. Sodium’s job is to stabilize the fluids in the cells. When you drink too much water, this causes imbalance and often results to liquid moving inside your cells. Your cells swell and this can affect your brain.
Water is essential, but always stay on the safe side and don’t drink more than you should. If you are dehydrated, drink water, but do not drink too much and too fast at a short period of time.