How much water is too much?

bethad5
bethad5 Posts: 176 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm trying to give up diet soda so I've started drinking water like crazy. I have a Camelbak water bottle that's 750ml, so just over 24 ounces. I've filled it up probably 5 or 6 times today - which is over 15 to 18 cups of water. Is this too much? I didn't think it was an issue, but my boyfriend noticed me refilling the water pitcher over and over and told me that I shouldn't be drinking this much. And now I'm googling symptoms of water intoxication and am super paranoid!!

Anyone have any thoughts?

Replies

  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    I drink double that. Maybe you should look more into whether water intoxication is relevant.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    I drink a lot more than that. How much you should drink depends on your weight, and your activity level. There are calculators you can use. However, as a rule of thumb... drink water when you're thirsty. Learn to recognise the feeling of thirst.
  • RenovatingSuzanne
    RenovatingSuzanne Posts: 56
    Water Intoxication is rare so I wouldn't be too worried about that. Kidneys can filter about 1L (4cups) of water an hour. The key is to drink water but not massive quantities at once.

    If you are working out a lot, sweating a lot or the weather is hot / humid you're bound to go through more water. If you're thirst is excessive then I'd consider contacting a dr. A sign of diabetes is increased thirst. Not to get all worried about it, just an fyi.

    I drink like a camel! I can easily drink 3 -5 L of water a day but as my husband says, I sweat like a man...not exactly appealing :-)
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    If I only drink 3 litres, my lips start to crack. I actually usually have 7 or so. I should probably ask a Dr., but I have no other symptoms.
  • fay_pigu
    fay_pigu Posts: 125 Member
    Excessive water consumption can be a (just one of many, doesn't mean anything for sure) symptom (not diagnosis) of diabetes. Just a heads up.
  • electricmeow
    electricmeow Posts: 68 Member
    If you are used to drinking that much water, you may feel dehydrated if you drink any less. But I have found there's an optimum amount of water to drink, personally. I was drinking 150oz of water a day for a year or so. I felt fine because it was normal for me. But when I stopped drinking so much water, I felt better. I can't describe it. Like I wasn't so slow. I drink maybe 90oz now? I've been reading up on ayurveda information, and it talks about how too much water dilutes your digestive juices, making it more difficult for food to break down and completely exit the body.

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