Is there such a thing as drinking too much water?

Options
2»

Replies

  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    Options
    I only drink water if that helps?
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    Options
    Simple answer, no.

    There is a situation in which you could poison yourself with water, but you'd have to be lying down while someone poured a swimming pool down your gullet. When I started upping my water intake it made me feel sick, but I soon got used to it!
    Untrue. It's called water toxicity and can be very serious. It throws your electrolytes off balance (hyponatremia) and starts with neurological signs and can end in death if untreated.
  • langurmonkey
    langurmonkey Posts: 92
    Options
    If you drink a lot of water, particularly while exercising, you are potentially at risk of hyponatremia, which is caused when you dilute your salt levels too much. It typically happens when you sweat a lot, and drink water instead of isotonic drinks.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia

    It can be pretty serious!
  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    Options
    im not a fan of isotonic sports drinks. they taste vile to me.
  • langurmonkey
    langurmonkey Posts: 92
    Options
    I use tablets dissolved in water, there are a couple of different brands. They are sugar free and just taste vaguely fruity. Another alternative that might be just as convenient is salt tablets washed down with water, or something like orange squash with a few pinches of salt in it.

    You really only have to worry about it if you are doing a lot of endurance sports. We got told to keep an eye on our pee and make sure it's a "chardonnay" colour. If it looks like Irn Bru or is totally colourless you could be in trouble!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Options
    im not a fan of isotonic sports drinks. they taste vile to me.

    You just haven't found the right one yet. I can't stand Gatorade (both the taste and it seems to make me thirstier) but tolerate G2 well.

    You can make your own (the main reason to drink theses is to replenish carbs and electrolytes) with some sugar, salt, orange juice & water at a fraction of the cost of commercially prepared drinks. Google "homemade sports drinks" and you'll find quite a few recipes.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
    Options
    I drink 2-3+ litres of water a day, up to 5 litres before weigh in day... so no. BUT it can lead to water intoxication.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Options
    I know two people who've been hospitalised for weeks and nearly died through hyponatremia from drinking too much water and not taking on enough salts during endurance events. It's a very real risk and potentially fatal.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Options
    i have a cup with my breakfast then about 4-5 cups at work and another 3 to 4 for the work out evening period.

    i dont feel this is too much but i may cut it back and see what happens.
    this is not 4-5 LITER.

    depending on the size of the cups, a liter is 4-6 cups.

    so you are having approx 2.5 liter a day which is fine
  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    Options
    i have half litre cups MyJourney1960. helps me to keep an accurate track of what i drink
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    Options
    you piss out minerals, so you can do more harm than good by going way over the normal amount.

    if you're actually thirsty for way over the normal amount then you should get checked out because there are health issues which can cause that.

    personally, i just go by the colour of the pee. you're aiming for a pale yellow.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Options
    i have half litre cups MyJourney1960. helps me to keep an accurate track of what i drink
    oh right. sorry.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    Options
    you piss out minerals, so you can do more harm than good by going way over the normal amount.

    if you're actually thirsty for way over the normal amount then you should get checked out because there are health issues which can cause that.

    personally, i just go by the colour of the pee. you're aiming for a pale yellow.

    define "way over the normal"

    Many professionals (dietitians, doctors, nutritionists, trainers) recommend drinking half your body weight in ounces of water per day. Personally I drink over a gallon. Due to a completely unrelated medical condition I have blood work done every ~6 months - my kidneys are healthy and I do not have diabetes or any other conditions that could underly a reason I drink so much. The only possible contributor is the lithium that I take daily but even then I've been on it 9 years and only drinking this much for about 4 yrs since the last time I determined to lose weight and was told the "half your body weight" thing.
  • KoRnKraZy
    KoRnKraZy Posts: 69 Member
    Options
    I drink 3-4 1.5L bottles of water a day so that is 5-6L

    Have been doing this for 1 year and have had no problems.
  • runner2runner
    runner2runner Posts: 1,937 Member
    Options
    Apparently yes! And it can be fatal!
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    Options
    What's not important is the exact amount of water you drink. What's important is your salt/water balance. If you have a low-sodium diet (which most people don't) you need less water than a person who has a high-sodium diet. If you're a marathon runner or other athlete that sweats a significant amount of the day, you need to make sure you're replacing salt as well as water because both are lost through sweat. If you were to consume just water, it would upset the salt/water balance and can make you sick.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    Options
    the standard, blanket advice is 8 x 250 ml glasses/day, which is 2 litres,
    which, for my weight, is pretty much bang on the 1/2 in oz calculation.

    way over? if i use my google fu i get this:

    http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm

    seems that up to 15 litres a day is ok if it's spread out evenly. other than that, the major risks are to infants & endurance athletes.i think i'd vom if i drank that much.

    >15 litres = way over

Categories