Is there such a thing as drinking too much water?

battyg13
battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
edited January 26 in Food and Nutrition
Well the topic title is pretty self explanitory.

I drink between 4 and 5 litres a day. is this too much?

Any ideas people?
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Replies

  • mcibty
    mcibty Posts: 1,252 Member
    Simple answer, no.

    There is a situation in which you could poison yourself with water, but you'd have to be lying down while someone poured a swimming pool down your gullet. When I started upping my water intake it made me feel sick, but I soon got used to it!
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication


    Yes, it's called water intoxication. Drinking too much water can kill you. It sometimes happens to marathon runners or people playing other sports who drink a lot of water in too short a time period. I struggle to drink my 8 cups a day and don't where where the too much line starts.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    double post....
  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    i can drink the 4 to 5 litres comfortably. this is over a course of 16 hours so a cup every 45 minutes to an hour.

    Im trying to reduce my bodyfat and wondered if this amount could be hindering me.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,263 Member
    There is such thing as drinking too much water, but if you're very active, that could explain why you drink so much. I tend to drink a lot, but not quite as much as you and am not very active. I know sometimes people with untreated diabetes can start drinking more water than usual. I have no clue what too much is though.

    Obviously this is an extreme case. The case I'm thinking of was in the news around 5-6 years ago when a radio station had a contest to win something like a Play station, and it was sold out in the markets. A Mom really wanted to win it for her child and the challenge was to drink the most water of the group without throwing it up. Instead of throwing it up or winning, she died. Needless to say, that's an extreme case. The radio personnel who came up with this were fired. It was a Sacramento station, not sure which one.
  • viajera99
    viajera99 Posts: 252 Member
    Why do you drink that much water? It serves no purpose at all. Drink what your body requires, which, btw is often less than 8 glasses per day, despite the common mythology.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    I can't think in liters. A cup an hour would be (allowing for 8 hours of sleep) 16 cups or more a day. If you drink too much, you can throw your electrolytes off balance and harm yourself.
  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    i have been told to drink a minimum of 3 litres per day but i find this is too little for me. i will often get through a litre or more at the gym. and the body needs liquid intake to function. it may be because im fairly active. although i have an office job i barely sit still for long periods of time.
  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    it works out to 8 to 10 cups a day so my math is off a bit. :-/
  • juliegrey1
    juliegrey1 Posts: 202 Member
    Dont know about this but from experience my 16 year old Daughter suffers excema is a very healthy eater and drinks only water she was tired and just off form so I took her to the doctor who found her sodium levels were too low suggested she added salt to her diet and cut back on the water!!I was very surprised at this,well she did so and is fine now,she would only have drank about a liter a day! She wouldnt be working out so maybe she was over doing it!I personally thought it was strange!!
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    8 to 10 cups a day is normal. If you are drinking a lot more than that and always thirsty, you should get a health checkup for diabetes or other problems.
  • jennpaulson
    jennpaulson Posts: 850 Member
    2 liters equals a little bit more than 8 cups. I drink at least a liter in the 8 hours at night that I'm at work, sometimes more because a lot of the time I forget to drink the rest of the day.
  • GiddyNZ
    GiddyNZ Posts: 136 Member
    My grandmother was told by her Dr to drink at least 2 litres of water a day.. she became quite ill as it was thinning sown her blood too much :(
  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    i drink half litre cups so it makes it easy to calculate my water intake.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    i can drink the 4 to 5 litres comfortably. this is over a course of 16 hours so a cup every 45 minutes to an hour.

    Im trying to reduce my bodyfat and wondered if this amount could be hindering me.
    well are you thirsty and tdrinking or you just think you need this amount of water?

    if you think this could be hindering your weight loss, then try cutting back for a few days and see what happens.

    Personally - i drink about 3 liter a day . i drink between 0.5-1.5 liter at the gym. and probably another 1.5-2 between work and home. i live in a hot and dry (usually) climate. I was told to make sure your urine is clear or close to clear - i am not sure if this is another one of those 1980s myths we grew up on?
  • kellehbeans
    kellehbeans Posts: 838 Member
    Nope! I drink about 12 pints a day plus about 5-8 more 12oz glasses. :-) If I was to drink that all in one go though however..
  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    i have a cup with my breakfast then about 4-5 cups at work and another 3 to 4 for the work out evening period.

    i dont feel this is too much but i may cut it back and see what happens.
  • Sul3i
    Sul3i Posts: 553 Member
    The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen liters of water a day! You are unlikely to suffer from water intoxication, even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over time as opposed to intaking an enormous volume at one time. As a general guideline, most adults need about three quarts of fluid each day. Much of that water comes from food, so 8-12 eight ounce glasses a day is a common recommended intake. You may need more water if the weather is very warm or very dry, if you are exercising, or if you are taking certain medications. The bottom line is this: it's possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition.


    Copied from website. http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm
  • pennydreadful270
    pennydreadful270 Posts: 266 Member
    Eh, people sometimes kill themselves downing too much water under the influence of drink or drugs.

    I could have done it to myself when I downed 2 litres of water within in an hour at a party, in a stupid attempt to sober myself up. Fortunately my kidneys are obviously good and healthy as I just had to pee every half hour for like six hours. I got hardly any sleep and felt even worse in the morning! Not recommended!
  • trollsb
    trollsb Posts: 35 Member
    Without trawling google for the reference, the study that said we need 8 glasses a day of water. Meant total water intake, from all sources, not literally you must drink 8 glasses of pure water. Water is a major component of most foods, juices, soft drinks it's even in wine and beer!

    If you work out and sweat then you lose more, along with salts so then that needs to be replaced on top of the 8 glasses equivalent from all sources which is what you breathe, sweat and use in metabolism and disposing of mineral wastes (peeing)
  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    I only drink water if that helps?
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    Simple answer, no.

    There is a situation in which you could poison yourself with water, but you'd have to be lying down while someone poured a swimming pool down your gullet. When I started upping my water intake it made me feel sick, but I soon got used to it!
    Untrue. It's called water toxicity and can be very serious. It throws your electrolytes off balance (hyponatremia) and starts with neurological signs and can end in death if untreated.
  • langurmonkey
    langurmonkey Posts: 92
    If you drink a lot of water, particularly while exercising, you are potentially at risk of hyponatremia, which is caused when you dilute your salt levels too much. It typically happens when you sweat a lot, and drink water instead of isotonic drinks.

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

    It can be pretty serious!
  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    im not a fan of isotonic sports drinks. they taste vile to me.
  • langurmonkey
    langurmonkey Posts: 92
    I use tablets dissolved in water, there are a couple of different brands. They are sugar free and just taste vaguely fruity. Another alternative that might be just as convenient is salt tablets washed down with water, or something like orange squash with a few pinches of salt in it.

    You really only have to worry about it if you are doing a lot of endurance sports. We got told to keep an eye on our pee and make sure it's a "chardonnay" colour. If it looks like Irn Bru or is totally colourless you could be in trouble!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    im not a fan of isotonic sports drinks. they taste vile to me.

    You just haven't found the right one yet. I can't stand Gatorade (both the taste and it seems to make me thirstier) but tolerate G2 well.

    You can make your own (the main reason to drink theses is to replenish carbs and electrolytes) with some sugar, salt, orange juice & water at a fraction of the cost of commercially prepared drinks. Google "homemade sports drinks" and you'll find quite a few recipes.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
    I drink 2-3+ litres of water a day, up to 5 litres before weigh in day... so no. BUT it can lead to water intoxication.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    I know two people who've been hospitalised for weeks and nearly died through hyponatremia from drinking too much water and not taking on enough salts during endurance events. It's a very real risk and potentially fatal.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    i have a cup with my breakfast then about 4-5 cups at work and another 3 to 4 for the work out evening period.

    i dont feel this is too much but i may cut it back and see what happens.
    this is not 4-5 LITER.

    depending on the size of the cups, a liter is 4-6 cups.

    so you are having approx 2.5 liter a day which is fine
  • battyg13
    battyg13 Posts: 508 Member
    i have half litre cups MyJourney1960. helps me to keep an accurate track of what i drink
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