Does drinking water flush excess sodium from your body?

NRSPAM

Why are we suddenly offering new advice on a very, very old thread?

Oh just wait. It will be revived again in 2014.

scorpio102987

Revived..

RayRay392

Yes sirree! 100%

MissKarlaJamaica

I came here looking for the answer to this question, so I'm glad it was revived. I also found a useful blurb about it in case someone else came here for the same reason:

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/01/31/will_increased_water_consumption_flush_excess_sodium_from_the_body/

JupeJones

Too much water can be bad, and I've seen it with my own eyes at marathons, where a condition called hyponatremia is not uncommon: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/medical/do-the-salt

BigGuy47

Too much water can be bad, and I've seen it with my own eyes at marathons, where a condition called hyponatremia is not uncommon: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/medical/do-the-salt

If you're not an endurance athlete (marathons and such) you don't need to worry about hyponatremia.
The alarming message, "you can die from drinking too much water" is often overstated on these forums. Death from hyponatremia is extremely rare.

If you are an endurance athlete then spending a little time understanding hyponatremia is a worthwhile endeavor.

HeidiCooksSupper

If you drink to much water it can be harmful

Yes, there is such a thing as water intoxication AKA water poisoning AKA dilutional hyponatremia. It occurs when a person drinks so much water their electrolytes become severely imbalanced. It's a relatively rare occurrence. You can start to learn more about it from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

This just shows that too much of anything is unwise. Seek balance.