Is it possible to drink TOO much water??

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LouiseDavis65
LouiseDavis65 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
All I drink is water, and green tea (about 3 cups of green tea a day). I have a Brita water bottle (750 ml) and I drink anywhere from 5 to 10 bottles of water a day. Is it possible I'm drinking too much water??

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  • ccarlst
    ccarlst Posts: 14 Member
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    do you feel sick, or are you just wondering?
  • LouiseDavis65
    LouiseDavis65 Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm just wondering. I feel great. My skin looks great. But I've heard and read things this weekend that it's possible I'm drinking too much. I just want to hear some opinions!
  • wanttolose62
    wanttolose62 Posts: 53
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    It is possible to drink too much water. But I can't say for certain how much you are drinking is too much. But if you start to feel sluggish, not thinking clearly for extended periods of time, run down, no energy, etc (you get the idea) you may be drinnking too much.

    http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm

    see the above link for some information.
  • pepgab
    pepgab Posts: 80 Member
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    You are not if you feel good. But you can die from drinking too much water. This usually will only happen in college when you are rushing a frat and they make you drink 3 or 4 gallons of water very quickly. Too much water can mess up the electrolytes in your blood. Again this only happens in rare instant. The amount you are drink is GREAT!! You are drinking it slowly through the day and letting your body get rid of the water you don't need by sweating or peeing.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Yes, it's possible to drink too much water. If you're drinking too much water you can deplete electrolytes (which may actually be somewhat desirable if you regularly consume too much sodium) and, in extreme circumstances, suffer from a potentially fatal condition called hyponatremia.

    How much water is too much? It's hard to say as it varies from individual and is based on factors such as dietary sodium consumption, potassium consumption etc in conjunction with activity levels; sweating also depletes electrolytes hence the use of sports drinks by athletes (along with a certain level of marketing).

    For most people drinking too much water only results in frequent trips to the bathroom, inconvenient but hardly life threatening.
  • laurastrait21
    laurastrait21 Posts: 307 Member
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    It is very rare, but there is such a thing as water intoxication.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication


    If you start feeling dizzy, lightheaded (despite drinking lots of water) or have altered mental status - then I'd cut back on the water.
  • monjacq1964
    monjacq1964 Posts: 291 Member
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    yes, you can drink too much water, and if you do, your sodium and potassium levels can get out of whack, which could cause severe cardiac issues.
    Precise levels of sodium and potassium are necessary to keep your heart beating properly, it has to do with the transmission of electrical impulses.
    water intoxication however, is only usually seen in people with certain mental illnesses, who are driven to drink excessive amounts of fluid. Their weights can fluctuate up to 5, 10, 15 lbs in a day.
  • sati18
    sati18 Posts: 153 Member
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    Absolutely you can drink too much water. If you drink too much water you dilute your electrolytes including sodium and potassium... symptoms include headaches, dizzyness, siezures, heart palpitations and can result in death. just make sure you#re keeping your electrolytes in there too and speak to a doctor if you feel weird or not normal. I have upon occasion had low potassium and for me it translated into a fast and irrgular heartbeat and a panicky restless feeling.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    It's possible....but it would have to be a lot..a LOT of water very quickly. I drink a couple gallons per day in the warmer months...gallon to 1.5 gallons in the winter.
  • LouiseDavis65
    LouiseDavis65 Posts: 30 Member
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    Thanks so much everyone! I definitely don't have symptoms of water intoxication - just frequent washroom visits! lol
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    Yes. You will explode.
    Just kidding. :smile: more water = more betta
  • Kushy8
    Kushy8 Posts: 103 Member
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    From Wikipedia:
    Water intoxication, also known as water poisoning or dilutional hyponatremia, is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside safe limits by over-hydration.

    Under normal circumstances, accidentally consuming too much water is exceptionally rare. Nearly all deaths related to water intoxication in normal individuals have resulted either from water drinking contests in which individuals attempt to consume large amounts of water, or long bouts of intensive exercise during which electrolytes are not properly replenished, yet huge amounts of fluid are still consumed.[1] Moreover, water cure, a method of torture in which the victim is forced to consume excessive amounts of water, can cause water intoxication.

    Water, just like any other substance, can be considered a poison when over-consumed in a specific period of time. Water intoxication mostly occurs when water is being consumed in a high quantity without giving the body the proper nutrients it needs to be healthy.[2]

    Excess of body water may also be a result of a medical condition or improper treatment; see "hyponatremia" for some examples. Water is considered the least toxic chemical compound, with a LD50 of 90 g/kg or more in rats.[3]


    Personally, I've only seen this when people take the street drug ecstasy and feel compelled to drink WAY TOO MUCH water very quickly.
  • Cp731
    Cp731 Posts: 3,195 Member
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    You are not if you feel good. But you can die from drinking too much water. This usually will only happen in college when you are rushing a frat and they make you drink 3 or 4 gallons of water very quickly. Too much water can mess up the electrolytes in your blood. Again this only happens in rare instant. The amount you are drink is GREAT!! You are drinking it slowly through the day and letting your body get rid of the water you don't need by sweating or peeing.

    Drinking 3-4 Gallons of water in one sitting will kill you. So yea you'd be dead if you did that.
    Spreading that out over a day is still too much.
    It washes out impt. nutrients and vitamins
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
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    If you are drinking up to 10x750ml of water a day that's a total of 7.5L directly from water. That's absolutely fine and about the range that I drink, which is anywhere from 5-9L per day.

    So no, it's fine! Keep it up.
  • chanel1twenty
    chanel1twenty Posts: 161 Member
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    Crazy rare, but yes. You can overdose on water. From what I understand overconsumption of water can cause kidney failure (for they're the filters of your body).
  • Bianca42
    Bianca42 Posts: 310 Member
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    You could accidentally pee your pants when you are laughing at work and have to leave early. Umm...not that I know from experience.
  • sati18
    sati18 Posts: 153 Member
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    From Wikipedia:
    Water intoxication, also known as water poisoning or dilutional hyponatremia, is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside safe limits by over-hydration.

    Under normal circumstances, accidentally consuming too much water is exceptionally rare. Nearly all deaths related to water intoxication in normal individuals have resulted either from water drinking contests in which individuals attempt to consume large amounts of water, or long bouts of intensive exercise during which electrolytes are not properly replenished, yet huge amounts of fluid are still consumed.[1] Moreover, water cure, a method of torture in which the victim is forced to consume excessive amounts of water, can cause water intoxication.

    Water, just like any other substance, can be considered a poison when over-consumed in a specific period of time. Water intoxication mostly occurs when water is being consumed in a high quantity without giving the body the proper nutrients it needs to be healthy.[2]

    Excess of body water may also be a result of a medical condition or improper treatment; see "hyponatremia" for some examples. Water is considered the least toxic chemical compound, with a LD50 of 90 g/kg or more in rats.[3]


    Personally, I've only seen this when people take the street drug ecstasy and feel compelled to drink WAY TOO MUCH water very quickly.

    excellent post.

    The people who said no you can't drink too much water need to do some proper research. it might be rare but you shouldn't give carte blanche to someone when you haven't made any mention of the risks, which are in this case very real and can be very fatal.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
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    If you're peeing clear, then you're just wasting water and making your kidneys work for nothing. Like everything else, moderation is key, even for water.

    hydration.png
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,630 Member
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    All I drink is water, and green tea (about 3 cups of green tea a day). I have a Brita water bottle (750 ml) and I drink anywhere from 5 to 10 bottles of water a day. Is it possible I'm drinking too much water??

    There is a very serious medical condition if somebody drinks too much water and that is water intoxication. It makes the body's cells swell and can be life-threatening.

    Drinking too much water can also upset the electrolytes in the body and that, in itself, is also dangerous.

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