Too much water is deadly?

FiercelyBeautiful

So I have been drinking a LOT of water lately, it is in the 100's here and I work out pretty vigorously and spend an hour or more out in the heat each day. Today I maxed out at 15 cups of pure water (no other beverages aside from milk and silk, 16oz total) but now have a terrible headache. I didnt drink just to drink, I was genuinely thirsty. However, I just looked it up and everything I have read thus far is conflicting. Some sites say women should drink 9 cups a day max, some say to drink half of your body weight which for me is 11 cups and that does not include extra for vigorous activity or extreme temperatures. So I am turning to my fellow MFP neighbors to figure out what it is you drink daily and how much you know to be too much.

Thank You!

LesterBlackstone

I wouldn't worry about it. I drink that much every day. If it's been hot, and you've been sweating a lot, it may help to have something salty.

But your water intake is by no means excessive.

taeliesyn

When in the office I can quite easily get up to 24 cups of water a day, plus other drinks. If you were feeling thirsty you may have been getting dehydrated because of the temp, thus you could still be dehydrated causing the headache.

It is possible to drink too much water, but not that easy.

FiercelyBeautiful

I wouldn't worry about it. I drink that much every day. If it's been hot, and you've been sweating a lot, it may help to have something salty.

But your water intake is by no means excessive.

Thanks, that was my main concern. I went over on my sodium for the day by quite a bit but maybe I should add a little more? If you can check out my diary and see what you think Thanks! xoxo

impyimpyaj

Even if you had drank enough water to kill you, you'd know it. But you didn't. You probably have a headache from being so hot, and as someone said, you may need more sodium. The more water you drink, the more you flush sodium out of your system, which is why extreme over-hydration can kill you. You need sodium in your body.

bravowr

Never underestimate your body's need for electrolytes on a hot day either. Salt isn't the only thing you lose when you sweat, nor is pure water the only thing that needs replenished when you get rehydrated. Consider fruit juices and/or a healthy vitamin water in addition to water and salt. And never forget God's natural rehydraters that are packed with electrolytes as well -- melons, especially watermelon!

lyttlewon

15 cups is less than a gallon, just for perspective.

FiercelyBeautiful

I feel kinda stupid for posting this but what I was finding online was really conflicting, I never thought I drank enough to die literally just was concerned that maybe since im drinking more water now than ever before that it was a bit too much. I will try something salty and see if it helps and I wont worry about drinking more water today because I am still thirsty

impyimpyaj

I feel kinda stupid for posting this but what I was finding online was really conflicting, I never thought I drank enough to die literally just was concerned that maybe since im drinking more water now than ever before that it was a bit too much. I will try something salty and see if it helps and I wont worry about drinking more water today because I am still thirsty

Don't feel stupid! It's hard filtering all the information out there. Bravowr is right on about the electrolytes.

shaynak112

I drink when I'm thirsty. I don't drink when my stomach hurts from drinking too much.

sarah44254

Temperature, elevation, activity level determine how much is required for a body. If you live in a hot area, do any sort of vigorous activities, or are in a high elevation area, you will need more than 8 cups to stay hydrated.

15 cups is not excessive, even if you were not active and in mild temperatures.

As long as you pee when you need to, you should be fine to drink as much water as you'd like.

nessa786

It is, but you have to drink alot in a short period of time. As long as your electrolytes are balanced you are ok. The more you sweat or urinate, the more you can drink.

samntha14

You would feel amazingly sick before you reached the point of over-hydration. If you are sweating vigorously, you need to replace those electrolytes (AKA sports drinks, or you can even use electrolyte tablets.) My Dr. recommended 12 cups a day to START knowing my regime. I average 9 and heavy WO days may do as many as 15. I don't have AC at work. So may drink as many as 8 in 8 hours.

Christine1110

I drink water all day long! Glasses, and glasses.....I only drink it nothing else. I don't just drink tons down straight....I think that could cause a problem.

mjterp

If it is that hot and you are sweating...you could be dehydrated and that is what is causing the headache.
You really have to work to drink enough to "drown." There is an illness that can make people be that thirsty...we are talking psych unit with locked bathrooms because the patients feel so thirsty they will drink the toilet water! Like...down gallons in a short period of time. GENERAL rule of thumb, if you are HEALTHY and thirsty you are fine to drink. If your urine is pale yellow (or "gin pure") you are hydrating well...if it is concentrated yellow, you are dehydrated.

As always, if you are concerned...ask your doctor.

hooperkay

Yes you can drink too much water. If you have kidney problems, then follow your doctors recommendations. Most people probably 8-10 cups a day. If you are sweating alot then you need to replace electrolytes. Like zero powerades. Your body is losing them so you need to replace. Too much water can dilute you even more. If you notice you are swelling up then cut back on your water. You can go into overload and practically drown yourself.

katkins3

I feel kinda stupid for posting this but what I was finding online was really conflicting, I never thought I drank enough to die literally just was concerned that maybe since im drinking more water now than ever before that it was a bit too much. I will try something salty and see if it helps and I wont worry about drinking more water today because I am still thirsty

Don't feel stupid! It's hard filtering all the information out there. Bravowr is right on about the electrolytes.

Your question is a good one!
My husband actually did wind up in the hospital from drinking too much water, causing an irregular heart beat. The doctors told him to drink a sports drink if he exercised vigorously for an hour or more, but plain water most of the time.

rextcat

the amout you would have to drink to kill your self is staggering, dont worry your nowhere near it:smokin:

xstarburrst

You can die of water intoxication because you screw up your electrolyte levels (namely your sodium) which can lead to cardiac dysrythmias, etc.

However, you'd need to drink multiple gallons of water for that to happen which is honestly probably more than you could ever consume without actively trying. And even if you tried, I'd doubt you could physically make yourself consume that much. Keep in mind that a gallon of water is 128 oz or 16 cups, which is a lot. Imagine trying to drink more than that!
Also, if you're thirsty, its a sign you need to drink, so don't stress!

Marigenous

Never underestimate your body's need for electrolytes on a hot day either. Salt isn't the only thing you lose when you sweat, nor is pure water the only thing that needs replenished when you get rehydrated. Consider fruit juices and/or a healthy vitamin water in addition to water and salt. And never forget God's natural rehydraters that are packed with electrolytes as well -- melons, especially watermelon!

Good points! I used to work at a summer camp for little kids and melons are a great way to hydrate on hot days.
According to wikipedia (not the most reliable source I know...) says that healthy kidneys should be able to process about 4 cups of water per hour. So, by that, you're definitely fine. Most known cases of water-intoxication have happened to people participating is a water-drinking contest or people with medical conditions such as mental illnesses where they can't control their water consumption.

adbohls

Too much of anything it not good for you, even water. However, excessive thirst can mean an underlying medical issue. The big one is diabetes. It could also be a side effect to medication. If you are taking any, check online for the full medication fact sheet. They are long and boring, but also contain information on the side effects that users have reported while taking the medication.

If increasing your sodium does not work, you might want to consult a physician just to make sure nothing else is going on medically.

belinus

The rule of thumb is take you body weight, divide it by 2, and then take the resulting number and divide it by the number of hours your are generally awake and that is how many ounces an hour you should drink on average.

So if you weight 256 pounds, half that is 128. And you're away for 16 hours which means you should have 8oz of water an hour.

That has diminishing returns though so if you're rally up there you don't really need to drink 1.5-2 gallons a day

(this does not compensate for water loss due to activity)

dayone987

Never underestimate your body's need for electrolytes on a hot day either. Salt isn't the only thing you lose when you sweat, nor is pure water the only thing that needs replenished when you get rehydrated. Consider fruit juices and/or a healthy vitamin water in addition to water and salt. And never forget God's natural rehydraters that are packed with electrolytes as well -- melons, especially watermelon!

Good points! I used to work at a summer camp for little kids and melons are a great way to hydrate on hot days.
According to wikipedia (not the most reliable source I know...) says that healthy kidneys should be able to process about 4 cups of water per hour. So, by that, you're definitely fine. Most known cases of water-intoxication have happened to people participating is a water-drinking contest or people with medical conditions such as mental illnesses where they can't control their water consumption.

4 cups an hour x 16 hours would be 64 cups a day (waking hours) I think that's a little excessive no?

belinus

4 cups an hour x 16 hours would be 64 cups a day (waking hours) I think that's a little excessive no?

That's where diminishing returns would come in. I'd say you were fine with 128-160oz of water.

FiercelyBeautiful

I have never weighed 250lbs but I understand the math. I think im pretty convinced I am fine. I am not taking any medication for anything not even birth control, I have no physical conditions my blood pressure, et cetera are all perfect. I just drank a lot more than usual today and got a bad headache and started reading thats all. I always had issues of dehydtrating easily as a kid and as an adult I have been hospitalized for it several times. Thus, why I drink so much since I am exercising. My pee is clear like gin as a previous poster said. I just wanted to be sure I wasnt going overboard or anything Thanks for all of the imput!

pants77

You can screw up your kidneys drinking too much water but I have no idea what amount you'd need to drink. It would vary based on your size and whether you have any underlying kidney issues.

yarwell

When a girl died from drinking too much water (induced by recreational drugs) one of the doctors said that taking a teaspoon of salt in each bottle of water would have avoided it. It's all about the balance of water, sodium and potassium, not just water - rehydration salts for the 3rd world or for diarrhoea are salts, not water !

justjenn1977

in school (I'm a nurse) we were taught 1oz per # of body weight... I am 265 so I should drink 265 oz per day (slightly more than 7L) ... we were also taught that those in inclement weather (both very hot and very cold) and those who are actively trying to loose weight and those who are actively exercising should drink about 1.5 oz per pound of body weight... for me that would be 397... 397 oz is slightly over 10 L...

I personally drink about 6 L per day of straight water (or flavored water) among other beverages... or between 7 and 8L per day total...

you do have to replace electrolytes... but most people get enough sodium and potasium through their diet and only have to worry about it if they are actively working out hard...

generally you want to drink enough so that your urine is very light yellow... if it is clear (doesn't discolor the bowl at all when you go) then you MAY be drinking too much... I wouldn't worry about it though unless you CONSISTENTLY drink that much...

if this excessive thirst is a new thing you should get it checked out especially if it continues... it could be a sign of many things that wouldn't be good

NelehY

I'm Australian and was always taught that there needs to be a balance between your water
and salt intake when you are sweating alot.

http://suite101.com/article/drinking-too-much-water-can-be-badoverhydration-a169892

...for what it's worth!

Di3012

So I have been drinking a LOT of water lately, it is in the 100's here and I work out pretty vigorously and spend an hour or more out in the heat each day. Today I maxed out at 15 cups of pure water (no other beverages aside from milk and silk, 16oz total) but now have a terrible headache. I didnt drink just to drink, I was genuinely thirsty. However, I just looked it up and everything I have read thus far is conflicting. Some sites say women should drink 9 cups a day max, some say to drink half of your body weight which for me is 11 cups and that does not include extra for vigorous activity or extreme temperatures. So I am turning to my fellow MFP neighbors to figure out what it is you drink daily and how much you know to be too much.

Thank You!

Contrary to what some people who advocate drinking water all day long and lots of it, too much is extremely dangerous.

It will mess up your electrolytes and you can end up with water intoxication - your cells swell up and it can be fatal. It dilutes all the salt in your body.

Pop along to your doctor, explain how you have explained here. That headache is not a good sign.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/water-intoxication-symptoms.html

It is a very real danger, do not brush it off as just one of those things. :flowerforyou:

BerryH

My friend's super-fit son was in a coma for weeks with hyponatraemia from sweating during a race then drinking too much water without replacing electrolytes. It can be fatal. It's rare among people not participating in hardcore athletic events, but should be taken seriously.