too much water

Options
determined99
determined99 Posts: 74
in Health and Weight Loss
is there anything such as too much water?

i sometimes get cramps in my feet and someone once told me don't drink too much water. Too much water is just as bad as not enough water.....any truth in this?

Replies

  • potluck965
    potluck965 Posts: 529 Member
    Options
    Extreme amounts of water can cause water intoxication (poisoning). But you would really have to drink a lot and probably have other metabolic factors coming into play, like extreme dieting or extreme exercise. Death and illness have been attributed to situations like fraternity hazings where someone is forced to drink extreme amounts of water in a short time.


    Most anything like this is a product of extremes. There is truth in the phrase "all things in moderation".
  • ejgreene
    ejgreene Posts: 5
    Options
    Yes but we are talking about gallons of it. Our bodies are pretty effcient of disposing of extra fluids (urinating). Honestly that sounds more like an urban myth.

    More than likely it is the type of shoes you are wearing and what type of support they provide. Most people are under the impression that more support is always best, but depending on the type of arch you have it can cause long term problems such as plantar fascitious. I would recommend hitting a local store specializing in running shoes. They most likely have a foot measuring device to check whether you have high, normal, or fallen arches.

    You can also walk around/work out barefoot. I recently switched to the Vibram 5-finger shoes to help build up the muscles in my feet, ankles, and lower calves. I'm the first to admit I look retarded but it has done wonders for the tone of my leg muscles and strength of my feet.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    Options
    Yes, there is such a thing as too much water. It flushes electrolytes from your system. Those electrolytes are needed for proper muscle contraction, hence the cramps. While it is usually only seen in extreme intakes of water, you may notice it with smaller amounts of water if you aren't consuming enough sodium, potassium, calcium, etc. So, make sure you are getting enough of your minerals and not drinking excessive amounts (a couple gallons for example) of water daily.

Categories