Am I drinking too much water?

lavapixie

Hey there, I was just wondering, is drinking 3-4 liters of water everyday bad for me? I used to drink just 2 liters, but in the evenings I have found myself getting thirsty and filling my 2l water-bottle again. Does it flush out any vitamins and minerals I get from my diet perhaps, and is it normal that I get so thirsty in the evening?

I don't think it's dangerous for me to drink that much over the whole day, but I wonder why I'm always so thirsty late at night and if it does more harm than good. According to my aunt, I am putting a strain on my kidneys but I doubt that.

I am 21 years old, female, I'm currently 75.4 kg (about 166 lbs) and I'm 170 cm (5'7 I think) tall. Is this a symptom of diabetes maybe? I have always been paranoid about having diabetes because I used to be pretty heavy and my diet was pretty high in sugar before I changed it. I sure hope it's just normal and I'm kicking up a fuss over nothing.

Thanks in advance!

endermako

From the internets as long as you don't drink more than 1L per hour you are fine. anything more than 1L per hour can hurt your kidneys and possible kill you.

MegaMooseEsq

If your pee is clear, you might be drinking too much water. Light yellow you're probably fine. But if you're concerned about diabetes you should really see a doctor - they've got much better tools to judge that kind of thing than anyone here. 3-4 liters is more than the daily recommendation from Mayo, but not by all that much. See https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256.

YvetteK2015

There are people who drink more than a gallon of water over the course of the day. As the first person said, as long as it's not more than 1L per hour, your kidneys are fine. If you find your thirst become unquenchable....then I would perhaps consult a doctor.

concordancia

If you are drinking too much your pee will be clear and you will start getting headaches from the electrolyte depletion.

If it were diabetes it would probably involve more thirst and urination throughout the day, not just in the evenings. However, that is just a guess, when was your last annual physical? Were your glucose levels checked at that time?

Did your diet or exercise routine change near the time that you started noticing that you are more thirsty at night?

elsayegh25

firecat1987 wrote: »

From the internets as long as you don't drink more than 1L per hour you are fine. anything more than 1L per hour can hurt your kidneys and possible kill you.

are you serious about that? how come? i do drink up to 7 liters and the only thing is that i use the toilet a lot. thought it's good for the kidney

L1zardQueen

Drinking too much water is bad too!

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373711

taziarj

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

Drinking too much water is bad too!

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373711

It would take a lot of water as well as sustained exercise for this to be an issue for most people.

L1zardQueen

taziarj wrote: »

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

Drinking too much water is bad too!

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373711

It would take a lot of water as well as sustained exercise for this to be an issue for most people.

Just the same, one does not need to drink copious amounts of water.

https://www.livescience.com/61353-how-much-water-you-really-need-drink.html

1houndgal

You can wash the sodium out of your blood if you drink too much water.

1houndgal

1houndgal wrote: »

You can wash the sodium out of your blood if you drink too much water.

http://topics.webmd.com/topic/1/Hyponatremia+Signs?utm_campaign=30H274t&utm_term=hyponatremia&utm_source=&utm_medium=e&utm_content=194077580324&g_tg=&g_ti=kwd-299128278861&g_de=m&g_dm=&g_ap=1t1&g_nw=g&g_ci=821739356&g_ai=41717535989&g_lp=9033455&g_li=&gclid=CjwKCAiA_ojVBRAlEiwAOLRxI1JUKm6ayG0IvWQIRNy5cD1c5_TjlCdbxNN1bk6u0vP1t1F-OwbIOhoCP4UQAvD_BwE

Kst76

I mean, I have read a couple of cases where people died drinking too much in a short period of time.

Froggyh

I'd question why you're so thirsty in the evenings only. It could be something as simple as the air in your apartment is dry, in which case a humidifier might be more helpful than drinking a lot.

CowboySar

Firstly I DO NOT recommend trying this however I cut water this past week for some photos today. That involved drinking 3 gallons (12 liters) a day for 3 days then 4 gallons(16 liters) the fourth day. Then cut water half way through 5th day. I am still alive and never had any adverse reactions to it other than constant trips to the bathroom including through out the night. Again DO NO DO THIS.

My two cents to the OP is drink as much as you think you need. If your pee is clear you have more than enough, but if thirsty drink. 4 or more liters per day will not be an issue.