Water is one of the most important things that our body needs to function well. Almost 60% of the body is made up of water, and around 71% of the surface of Earth is covered by water. It helps to lubricate the joints in our body, deliver the oxygen throughout the body, prevent the kidney from getting damaged and much more. But not knowing how much water is too much to drink and drinking in excess can also result in serious health problems.
It is very difficult to drink too much by mistake, but it can of course happen due to some due to a lot of reasons, usually as a result of overhydration during intense training or sporting events.
The signs and symptoms of water intoxication are quite general, which includes disorientation, vomiting, nausea and confusion. And in some rare and serious cases, this can also lead to swelling in the cells of the brain and become fatal. And so it is very important to understand certain things related to water, for which we got you covered through this article.
As you scroll down, you will find out complete details about water intoxication, such as what exactly it is, how much water is considered to be over consumption, what are the dangers associated with it, its causes and much more. So just continue to read below to check out all the info.
What exactly is Water Intoxication?
So before we get onto finding how much water is too much to drink, it is important to understand what exactly is water intoxication. So water poisoning or toxication is basically a disruption of the brain functions which is caused by drinking excess water, as it increases the water amount in the blood. This can further dilute the electrolytes, mainly sodium in the blood. And when the levels of sodium fall below 135 millimoles per litre, then doctors generally refer to this issue as hyponatremia.
Sodium basically helps to maintain the balance of the fluids which are present outside and inside of cells. And so when the levels of sodium drop because of over consumption of water, the fluids travel from outside to inside the brain cells, which cause them to get swelled up. And when this happens, it can be very much dangerous and even a threat to life in some cases.
How much water is too much to drink?
Water intoxication and Overhydration can happen when a person drinks more water than the kidney requires and can get rid of it through urine. Not only the amount of water is a big factor, but time also plays a big role. According to some reports and studies done in 2015, it is known that kidneys can only eliminate around 20 to 28 litres of water per day, and can only remove 0.8 to 1 lote of water each hour and not more than that. And so in order to avoid hyponatremia, it is very vital not to outload kidneys by drinking excess or over water than it can actually eliminate.
Many experts report that the symptoms of hyponatremia can develop in a body if a person drinks 3 to 4 litres of water in a very short period of time, though no specific time estimation is given by them.
Some other studies and reports also describe the development of hyponatremia after consuming excess water, mainly more than 5 litres in a few hours only.
Thus, the bottom line to the question- how much water is too much to drink is that the kidneys of humans can only remove 20 to 28 litres in a day, while they cannot eliminate more than 0.8 to 1 litres of water per hour. So drinking more than this number can be very harmful for you, details of which are provided below in detail.
What are the dangers of drinking too much water?
When a person has taken or consumed an excessive amount of water, which has resulted the brain cells to swell up, the pressure inside the skull increases, which causes the very first symptoms of water intoxication, which are as follows-
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Headaches
Those who are in serious conditions due to water intoxication can produce even more serious symptoms, such as-
- Confusion
- Difficulty in breathing
- Having double vision
- Drowsiness
- Increase in blood pressure levels
- Cramping or weakness in muscles
Also, a buildup in the fluids of the brain is referred to as cerebral edema, which can affect the stem of the brain and cause the dysfunction of the central nervous system. Also, in serious cases, not knowing how much water is too much to drink and so doing over consumption can cause seizures, a coma, brain damage and even sometimes death. So the bottom line is that drinking too much or excess water can increase the pressure inside your skull, which can result in various symptoms and signs, which might even become fatal.
What are the possible causes of Water Intoxication?
- Mental Health Conditions- Compulsive drinking of water, also called psychogenic polydipsia, can be a big symptom to a number of conditions related to mental health. It is also very common in people who have schizophrenia. And so intoxication of water can be a threat to life, which is most common to soldiers who are in training phase, and people who have schizophrenia.
- Sporting Events– Water intoxication is very common among endurance athletes. It can definitely happen if a person is drinking a lot of water without rightly accounting for the loss of electrolytes. And for this specific reason, the condition of hyponatremia often happens during the major and big sporting events. And such instances of water intoxication at these sports events have resulted in death as well. There was a case which involved a runner collapsing after completing a marathon.
And thus, these are complete details on how much water is too much to drink, its most common causes and dangers associated with it. So read the article carefully and try to not consume excess water to avoid any serious problem!
