Why Drinking Too Much Water Is Dangerous
ethel64
Posts: 91
On January 12, 2007, a 28-year old Californian wife and mother of three children died from drinking too much water. Her body was found in her home shortly after she took part in a water-drinking contest that was sponsored by a local radio show. Entitled "Hold Your Wee For A Wii," the contest promoters promised a free Wii video game machine to the contestant who drank the most water without urinating.
It is estimated that the woman who died drank approximately 2 gallons of water during the contest. When she and other contestants complained of discomfort and showed visible signs of distress, they were laughed at by the promoters and even heckled.
This tragic news story highlights the importance of understanding why drinking too much water can be dangerous to your health.
Whenever you disregard your sense of thirst and strive to ingest several glasses of water a day just because you have been told that doing so is good for your health, you actually put unnecessary strain on your body in two major ways:
1.Ingesting more water than you need can increase your total blood volume. And since your blood volume exists within a closed system - your circulatory system - needlessly increasing your blood volume on a regular basis puts unnecessary burden on your heart and blood vessels.
2.Your kidneys must work overtime to filter excess water out of your circulatory system. Your kidneys are not the equivalent of a pair of plumbing pipes whereby the more water you flush through your kidneys, the cleaner they become; rather, the filtration system that exists in your kidneys is composed in part by a series of specialized capillary beds called glomeruli. Your glomeruli can get damaged by unnecessary wear and tear over time, and drowning your system with large amounts of water is one of many potential causes of said damage.
Putting unnecessary burden on your cardiovascular system and your kidneys by ingesting unnecessary water is a subtle process. For the average person, it is virtually impossible to know that this burden exists, as there are usually no obvious symptoms on a moment-to-moment basis. But make no mistake about it: this burden is real and can hurt your health over the long term.
Forcing your body to accept a large amount of water within a short period of time - say, an hour or two - as several contestants did during the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest can be fatally dangerous to your health. Here's why:
If you force large amounts of water into your system over a short period of time, your kidneys will struggle to eliminate enough water from your system to keep the overall amount at a safe level.
As your circulatory system becomes diluted with excess water, the concentration of electrolytes in your blood will drop relative to the concentration of electrolytes in your cells. In an effort to maintain an equal balance of electrolytes between your blood and your cells, water will seep into your cells from your blood, causing your cells to swell.
If this swelling occurs in your brain, you'll experience increased intracranial pressure i.e. your brain will get squeezed because the flat bones that make up your skull don't provide much give. Depending on how much water your drink in a short period of time, you could experience a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from a mild headache to impaired breathing. And as occurred recently in the tragic water-drinking contest, it is quite possible to die if you drink enough water in a short enough period of time.
This information is particularly important for parents to pass on to their children. Foolish water-drinking contests are not uncommon among high school and university students, especially while playing cards.
So how much water should you drink to best support your health?
The answer to this question depends on your unique circumstances, including your diet, exercise habits, and environment.
If you eat plenty of foods that are naturally rich in water, such as vegetables, fruits, and cooked legumes and whole grains, you may not need to drink much water at all. If you do not use much or any salt and other seasonings, your need for drinking water goes down even further.
Conversely, if you do not eat a lot of plant foods and/or you add substantial salt and spices to your meals, you may need to drink several glasses of water every day.
Regardless of what your diet looks like, if you sweat on a regular basis because of exercise or a warm climate, you will need to supply your body with more water (through food and/or liquids) than someone who does not sweat regularly.
Ultimately, the best guidance I can provide on this issue is to follow your sense of thirst. Some people believe that thirst is not a reliable indicator of how much water you need, since many people suffer with symptoms related to dehydration and don't seem to feel a need to drink water on a regular basis. My experience has been that most people who are chronically dehydrated have learned to ignore a parched mouth. If you ask such people if they are thirsty and would like a piece of fruit or a glass of water, they will almost always realize that they are indeed thirsty.
Some people suggest observing the color of your urine as a way of looking out for dehydration. The idea is that clear urine indicates that you are well hydrated, while yellow urine indicates that you need more water in your system. While this advice is somewhat useful, it is important to remember that some food additives (including some synthetic nutrients) and heavily pigmented foods (like red beets) can add substantial color to your urine. Thumbs down for synthetic nutrients, and thumbs up for red beets and other richly colored vegetables and fruits.
The main idea that I wish to share through this article is to beware of mindlessly drinking several glasses of water per day without considering your diet, exercise habits, climate, and sense of thirst. And when you do find yourself in need of water, remember that you can get it from liquids and/or whole foods.
Please share this article with family and friends, as many people are regularly misinformed on this topic by mainstream media.
It is estimated that the woman who died drank approximately 2 gallons of water during the contest. When she and other contestants complained of discomfort and showed visible signs of distress, they were laughed at by the promoters and even heckled.
This tragic news story highlights the importance of understanding why drinking too much water can be dangerous to your health.
Whenever you disregard your sense of thirst and strive to ingest several glasses of water a day just because you have been told that doing so is good for your health, you actually put unnecessary strain on your body in two major ways:
1.Ingesting more water than you need can increase your total blood volume. And since your blood volume exists within a closed system - your circulatory system - needlessly increasing your blood volume on a regular basis puts unnecessary burden on your heart and blood vessels.
2.Your kidneys must work overtime to filter excess water out of your circulatory system. Your kidneys are not the equivalent of a pair of plumbing pipes whereby the more water you flush through your kidneys, the cleaner they become; rather, the filtration system that exists in your kidneys is composed in part by a series of specialized capillary beds called glomeruli. Your glomeruli can get damaged by unnecessary wear and tear over time, and drowning your system with large amounts of water is one of many potential causes of said damage.
Putting unnecessary burden on your cardiovascular system and your kidneys by ingesting unnecessary water is a subtle process. For the average person, it is virtually impossible to know that this burden exists, as there are usually no obvious symptoms on a moment-to-moment basis. But make no mistake about it: this burden is real and can hurt your health over the long term.
Forcing your body to accept a large amount of water within a short period of time - say, an hour or two - as several contestants did during the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest can be fatally dangerous to your health. Here's why:
If you force large amounts of water into your system over a short period of time, your kidneys will struggle to eliminate enough water from your system to keep the overall amount at a safe level.
As your circulatory system becomes diluted with excess water, the concentration of electrolytes in your blood will drop relative to the concentration of electrolytes in your cells. In an effort to maintain an equal balance of electrolytes between your blood and your cells, water will seep into your cells from your blood, causing your cells to swell.
If this swelling occurs in your brain, you'll experience increased intracranial pressure i.e. your brain will get squeezed because the flat bones that make up your skull don't provide much give. Depending on how much water your drink in a short period of time, you could experience a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from a mild headache to impaired breathing. And as occurred recently in the tragic water-drinking contest, it is quite possible to die if you drink enough water in a short enough period of time.
This information is particularly important for parents to pass on to their children. Foolish water-drinking contests are not uncommon among high school and university students, especially while playing cards.
So how much water should you drink to best support your health?
The answer to this question depends on your unique circumstances, including your diet, exercise habits, and environment.
If you eat plenty of foods that are naturally rich in water, such as vegetables, fruits, and cooked legumes and whole grains, you may not need to drink much water at all. If you do not use much or any salt and other seasonings, your need for drinking water goes down even further.
Conversely, if you do not eat a lot of plant foods and/or you add substantial salt and spices to your meals, you may need to drink several glasses of water every day.
Regardless of what your diet looks like, if you sweat on a regular basis because of exercise or a warm climate, you will need to supply your body with more water (through food and/or liquids) than someone who does not sweat regularly.
Ultimately, the best guidance I can provide on this issue is to follow your sense of thirst. Some people believe that thirst is not a reliable indicator of how much water you need, since many people suffer with symptoms related to dehydration and don't seem to feel a need to drink water on a regular basis. My experience has been that most people who are chronically dehydrated have learned to ignore a parched mouth. If you ask such people if they are thirsty and would like a piece of fruit or a glass of water, they will almost always realize that they are indeed thirsty.
Some people suggest observing the color of your urine as a way of looking out for dehydration. The idea is that clear urine indicates that you are well hydrated, while yellow urine indicates that you need more water in your system. While this advice is somewhat useful, it is important to remember that some food additives (including some synthetic nutrients) and heavily pigmented foods (like red beets) can add substantial color to your urine. Thumbs down for synthetic nutrients, and thumbs up for red beets and other richly colored vegetables and fruits.
The main idea that I wish to share through this article is to beware of mindlessly drinking several glasses of water per day without considering your diet, exercise habits, climate, and sense of thirst. And when you do find yourself in need of water, remember that you can get it from liquids and/or whole foods.
Please share this article with family and friends, as many people are regularly misinformed on this topic by mainstream media.
0
Replies
-
I've read that article and others like it. I really don't know of anyone who is going to consume ridiculously large amounts of water just because they are trying to have a healthy lifestyle. I believe part of the healthy lifestyle is moderation in everything. I drink 8-9 glasses of water a day. My energy level is improved and my skin is much healthier.0
-
2 gallons is an aweful lot of water, a person on an average day would feel too full to drink more. I think it is important to not overdo it(as with everything) but I don't think the casual dieter is at exteme risk.0
-
Good info, and accurate based upon my knowledge on the subject. Would you mind providing the references to your information sources so that the rest of us can more easily to more research on the subject? Thanks!!0
-
I find this type of information more damaging than good. There is nothing wrong with drinking a gallon to a gallon-and-a-half of water throughout the course of the day. MOST people are underhydrated, which causes a myriad of problems. Seeing as how this issue is so common, I don't like warning people away from drinking water, espeically when so many complain that they "can't" drink 8 8 oz glasses at all. People who rely mainly on the water from their food are not getting enough. Thirst is not an accurate indicator of how much water you should consume. Anyone who has taken a Biological Psychology class (and probably some other type Biology courses) understands why.
The only important warning about over-drinking is not to drink 2 gallons over a 4 or 6 hour period. If you are keeping it under 2 gallons a day, there is no way you will have problems. I have a Master of Public Health degree, and this is also one of the topics we discussed, as well as the social and media impacts of encouraging drinking water versus not drinking enough. Pretty much everyone in the field will agree that the more important issue is to get enough water.0 -
*bump*!
It's sad about what happened to the mom. I knew drinking THAT much water in such a short period of time isn't good for you. In addition to that the hosts should've done their homework and nothing would've happened.
Still great info. The part abt eating watery foods make sense. Thanks!!0 -
I find this type of information more damaging than good. There is nothing wrong with drinking a gallon to a gallon-and-a-half of water throughout the course of the day. MOST people are underhydrated, which causes a myriad of problems. Seeing as how this issue is so common, I don't like warning people away from drinking water, espeically when so many complain that they "can't" drink 8 8 oz glasses at all.
The only important warning about over-drinking is not to drink 2 gallons over a 4 or 6 hour period. If you are keeping it under 2 gallons a day, there is no way you will have problems. I have a Master of Public Health degree, and this is also one of the topics we discussed, as well as the social and media impacts of encouraging drinking water versus not drinking enough. Pretty much everyone in the field will agree that the more important issue is to get enough water.
What I gathered from this was that drinkig that amount in a couple of hours is extremely unhealthy. As for throughout the day I didn't feel I shouldn't drink 1-2 gallins of water a day. I usually drink under a gallon a day. I think she was just bringing up several different points is all.0 -
Information like "it overburdens your kidney and circulatory systems" encourages people to not drink enough and to justify their lack of water consumption. It's harmful when people take it out of context, and most people won't focus on the "in 1-2 hours." I see people talk about this case and instances of marathon runners dying ALL the time so they can say drinking water is harmful and it's no big deal if they only drink a glass or so a day. It is a big deal, especially for people who are working out (and most especially for people in the military). One would hope people on here would be smarter than that, but you never know.0
-
I find this type of information more damaging than good. There is nothing wrong with drinking a gallon to a gallon-and-a-half of water throughout the course of the day. MOST people are underhydrated, which causes a myriad of problems. Seeing as how this issue is so common, I don't like warning people away from drinking water, espeically when so many complain that they "can't" drink 8 8 oz glasses at all. People who rely mainly on the water from their food are not getting enough. Thirst is not an accurate indicator of how much water you should consume. Anyone who has taken a Biological Psychology class (and probably some other type Biology courses) understands why.
The only important warning about over-drinking is not to drink 2 gallons over a 4 or 6 hour period. If you are keeping it under 2 gallons a day, there is no way you will have problems. I have a Master of Public Health degree, and this is also one of the topics we discussed, as well as the social and media impacts of encouraging drinking water versus not drinking enough. Pretty much everyone in the field will agree that the more important issue is to get enough water.
Totally agree.
Most people don't need to worry about drinking too much water. Spread your water consumption over the course of the day and you'll be fine, even if you're drinking 1-2 gallons.
According to this article from Scientific American, healthy kidneys at rest can process 800-1000 ml of water an HOUR - this is.21-.26 gallons, or 27-34 oz. As you exercise vigorously, your kidneys' ability to process water decreases, which is why people doing long, strenuous exercise like marathon running have to be particularly careful to balance water consumption with electolyte consumption.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill
Again - MOST people will be perfectly fine drinking as much water as they want... just spread it out over the day, drinking no more than 3-4 cups in an hour on a regular basis.
Edited to add - it's sad that the woman in the article died, but I think the most appropriate conclusion is not to warn everyone that drinking water is dangerous, but to warn people not to do stupid stunts for contests (or other such situations). You can die from too much of almost anything... Common sense would tell most people that drinking 2 gallons in a short amount of time could be bad for us.0 -
The MFP recommendation is only 1/2 gallon of water a day. (64 ounces) I have not heard anything from members pushing for some crazy amount of water to be consummed. Just the standard...don't wait until you are thirsty because you are already dehydrated at that point!0
-
There is a big difference between good normal hydration and some idiot drinking 2 gallons of water in one go for a bet or game. :huh:
The first is common sense. The latter is an acute lack thereof and probably deserves a Darwin Award.0 -
From what I understand, she drank 6 litres in 2-3 hours (so 12 of those little bottles). I don't see many people on here drinking 4-6 bottles an hour. Plus the fact that she was UNABLE TO PEE.
If anything, the article just teaches not to join any water drinking contests that don't allow urination.0 -
Drinking too much in a very short period of time....I usually drink over a gallon a day...sometimes up to 2! You will not die from having that amount in a course of a day!!!!0
-
I drink 4-6 liters in a day. I can't imagine drinking that in an hour or two. I think I would explode!0
-
I find this type of information more damaging than good. There is nothing wrong with drinking a gallon to a gallon-and-a-half of water throughout the course of the day. MOST people are underhydrated, which causes a myriad of problems. Seeing as how this issue is so common, I don't like warning people away from drinking water, espeically when so many complain that they "can't" drink 8 8 oz glasses at all. People who rely mainly on the water from their food are not getting enough. Thirst is not an accurate indicator of how much water you should consume. Anyone who has taken a Biological Psychology class (and probably some other type Biology courses) understands why.
The only important warning about over-drinking is not to drink 2 gallons over a 4 or 6 hour period. If you are keeping it under 2 gallons a day, there is no way you will have problems. I have a Master of Public Health degree, and this is also one of the topics we discussed, as well as the social and media impacts of encouraging drinking water versus not drinking enough. Pretty much everyone in the field will agree that the more important issue is to get enough water.
Thank you. She died because of how much water she ingested during a short amount of time and she wasn't able to offer her body any relief. It was almost like reverse drowning.0 -
That drinking contest happened here in Sacramento. I remember the whole thing quite vividly. The radio station that put the contest on was sued by the family and the jury ruled against the station for a total of $16.5 million. Small solace for a family suffering with the grief of such a horrible loss.0
-
I find this type of information more damaging than good. There is nothing wrong with drinking a gallon to a gallon-and-a-half of water throughout the course of the day. MOST people are underhydrated, which causes a myriad of problems. Seeing as how this issue is so common, I don't like warning people away from drinking water, espeically when so many complain that they "can't" drink 8 8 oz glasses at all. People who rely mainly on the water from their food are not getting enough. Thirst is not an accurate indicator of how much water you should consume. Anyone who has taken a Biological Psychology class (and probably some other type Biology courses) understands why.
The only important warning about over-drinking is not to drink 2 gallons over a 4 or 6 hour period. If you are keeping it under 2 gallons a day, there is no way you will have problems. I have a Master of Public Health degree, and this is also one of the topics we discussed, as well as the social and media impacts of encouraging drinking water versus not drinking enough. Pretty much everyone in the field will agree that the more important issue is to get enough water.
I totally agree.
I drink over a gallon of water every day, but it is spread over the course of 16-18 hours. I also eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I will not die of hyponatremia.0 -
Agreed the objective here is 2 gallons in a short period of time for a contest..this discourages one to think water is good for you ..as well as anything too much of anything at once is bad,but in moderation..I say drink up !!! Does a body good !!There is a big difference between good normal hydration and some idiot drinking 2 gallons of water in one go for a bet or game. :huh:
The first is common sense. The latter is an acute lack thereof and probably deserves a Darwin Award.0 -
I drink pretty close to 2 gallons per day, especially in the summer. On a hot day I can honestly say I may drink double that. I fill a glass and drink, then refill. I don't force it, its just part of what I do. And I don't drink anything else because I simply prefer water. And I eat whole foods. Maybe I'm drowning? IDK, I feel pretty darn good.
I have gotten this email, except when I got it it was a man who died. He dropped dead at the contest. Whether that is acurate on some other contest, I do not know. The point is, it was a forwarded email. As this post contains no verifiable sources, I'm inclined to think that is where this came from?
I'd also like to laughingly point out something else the post said (roughly translated).... Water drinking contests are popular amongst college kids, especially while playing cards. Ummmmmm..... What college is that? LMAO:laugh: Is that what they tell mom when they come home to get their laundry done? "I have a headache because we were drinking water last night."
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:0 -
I've heard of people drowning from drinking too much water.0
-
I drink pretty close to 2 gallons per day, especially in the summer. On a hot day I can honestly say I may drink double that. I fill a glass and drink, then refill. I don't force it, its just part of what I do. And I don't drink anything else because I simply prefer water. And I eat whole foods. Maybe I'm drowning? IDK, I feel pretty darn good.
I have gotten this email, except when I got it it was a man who died. He dropped dead at the contest. Whether that is acurate on some other contest, I do not know. The point is, it was a forwarded email. As this post contains no verifiable sources, I'm inclined to think that is where this came from?
I'd also like to laughingly point out something else the post said (roughly translated).... Water drinking contests are popular amongst college kids, especially while playing cards. Ummmmmm..... What college is that? LMAO:laugh: Is that what they tell mom when they come home to get their laundry done? "I have a headache because we were drinking water last night."
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Although I totally believe most people don't have to worry about dying from drinking too much water, there have been multiple documented cases of this happening. It always occurs either from people drinking ridiculous amounts in a very short time, or people engaging in vigorous exercise who drink too much plain water and dilute their sodium too much (esp. in marathoners). It CAN and HAS happaned, but as multiple people have stated - as long as you spread the water out and don't drink it all at once, you'll be fine. If I had time, I'd look up and post a few news articles about it, but I'm off to a meeting.0 -
Vitamin B-2 turns your pee bright yellow in case anyone's interested.0
-
And asparagus turns it green.0
-
I drink pretty close to 2 gallons per day, especially in the summer. On a hot day I can honestly say I may drink double that. I fill a glass and drink, then refill. I don't force it, its just part of what I do. And I don't drink anything else because I simply prefer water. And I eat whole foods. Maybe I'm drowning? IDK, I feel pretty darn good.
I have gotten this email, except when I got it it was a man who died. He dropped dead at the contest. Whether that is acurate on some other contest, I do not know. The point is, it was a forwarded email. As this post contains no verifiable sources, I'm inclined to think that is where this came from?
I'd also like to laughingly point out something else the post said (roughly translated).... Water drinking contests are popular amongst college kids, especially while playing cards. Ummmmmm..... What college is that? LMAO:laugh: Is that what they tell mom when they come home to get their laundry done? "I have a headache because we were drinking water last night."
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Although I totally believe most people don't have to worry about dying from drinking too much water, there have been multiple documented cases of this happening. It always occurs either from people drinking ridiculous amounts in a very short time, or people engaging in vigorous exercise who drink too much plain water and dilute their sodium too much (esp. in marathoners). It CAN and HAS happaned, but as multiple people have stated - as long as you spread the water out and don't drink it all at once, you'll be fine. If I had time, I'd look up and post a few news articles about it, but I'm off to a meeting.
Meeting got out early... here are some articles about real cases:
http://www.remembercynthia.com/Hyponatremia_BostonGlobe.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-511475/Man-35-drank-death-consuming-water.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/18/national/main2369761.shtml
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=50121540 -
I have gotten this email, except when I got it it was a man who died. He dropped dead at the contest. Whether that is acurate on some other contest, I do not know. The point is, it was a forwarded email. As this post contains no verifiable sources, I'm inclined to think that is where this came from?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16614865/ns/us_news-life/
You can read all about her death in this article if that helps you believe it actually happened. Although I do understand your skepticism regarding forwarded emails.0 -
I drink 4-6 liters in a day. I can't imagine drinking that in an hour or two. I think I would explode!
why do you drink so much water?0 -
I don't doubt that it has ever happened. I'm in the medical field. I get it. I'm just leary on these types of "warnings" because they come in all shapes and sizes and rarely contain any beneficial information. Like people before me have said, water is not dangerous. Drinking large amounts in short periods of time while not allowing your bladder to empty... duh.0
-
I'd also like to laughingly point out something else the post said (roughly translated).... Water drinking contests are popular amongst college kids, especially while playing cards. Ummmmmm..... What college is that? LMAO:laugh: Is that what they tell mom when they come home to get their laundry done? "I have a headache because we were drinking water last night."
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
I also laughed when I read that. Sometimes, frats will do water drinking as an initiation.....BUT usually its a different kind of liquid they are forcing people to see how much they can drink.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 427 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions