Too much water?

focusedonfitness2015
focusedonfitness2015 Posts: 240 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am concerned about how much water I drink per day....I literally drink 4-16.9 oz bottles while at work and if I go to the gym, will drink another 2 bottles each day. This does not include water I drink while I am at home (from our ice mountain water cooler.) This has been pretty much as long as I can remember, not something new I have started. I literally drink coffee, water and wine...and not much of anything else. (Wine on occasion :wink: )

My concern is that after the 2nd or 3rd bottle, I have an insatiable thirst and can't quench it so I keep drinking and end up with 5-6 bottles a day. My other big concern is that perhaps I am pre-diabetic. When I was pregnant with my last child (age 37) I had gestational diabetes and was told that I would be more susceptible to having diabetes as I got older, but to monitor it and watch my weight. I'm going to have it checked once I get to the dr. One of the warning signs of diabetes is excessive thirst. I eat very little sugar (have never been a fan) and try to eat healthy. I am not overweight but am trying to lose a few vanity pounds. (44 years old, weigh 139, 5'4")

My question is... can you drink too much water? Can too much be bad for you or mess something up? Or is there something missing from my diet, etc that can be causing me to drink so much?

This is a serious question that I am genuinally concerned about. Please no sarcastic comments.

Replies

  • JSHamm
    JSHamm Posts: 12 Member
    I've read a half oz to one oz of water per lb of body weight so you're 6 - 16.9 oz per day are within range. dare i say have another?
  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
    As for the diabetes, excessive thirst is definitely a symptom of uncontrolled diabetes but you should talk to your doctor about that...all we can do is speculate

    Pee test for hydration:
    hydration-color.png

    I fill up my 30oz bottle of water 8-10 times per day...and at 6ft 200lbs i am not even close to concerned.
  • focusedonfitness2015
    focusedonfitness2015 Posts: 240 Member
    You may dare...:wink:

    Thank you for the info. I have never heard this before. Think I'll have another bottle right now
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    Technically, there is such a thing as water poisoning. But you would have been rushed to the hospital so I don't think that's the case. I agree. 0.5 oz/ lb body weight not including replenishing after exercise is just fine (around 70 oz for you). Try weighing yourself before and after exercise to see how much water you lost through sweat and drink an additional oz for each pound.

    (Edit - wait... the oz per pound doesn't seem right for exercise. 8 oz maybe? Can someone fill me in here?)

    I don't know the science behind any of this but it doesn't sound like your water consumption is out of whack based on the above (which I've read from these forums).

    You should be able to look up the amount it would take to get water poisoning on a medical website or ask your doctor.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Well- you already have one answer- constant thirst is often a sign needing to get thee to the physician quickly.

    But- in other news- you can die from drinking to much water- but typically it's a significant amount all at once- rather than just hydrating through the course of the day. water poisoning/water intoxication or hyperatremia, it's extremely rare and is typically only seen in two circumstances- water drinking contests or bouts of extremely long exercise sessions. It is mostly to do with the extreme imbalance of the electrolytes. So- if you're drinking throughout the day and you are getting your electrolytes- you're more than likely just fine- but it's never a bad idea if you're really worried to see a doctor.

    15$ co-pay is worth the peace of mind- life's to short to stress over things if can answer the question quickly.
  • acollis1
    acollis1 Posts: 167 Member
    I drink at least 120oz of water a day! As long as you are peeing it out you are fine, holding it in is what causes water poisoning. The general rule is half your body weight in ounces!
    If you think you are at risk for diabetes talk to your doctor :)
  • focusedonfitness2015
    focusedonfitness2015 Posts: 240 Member
    I drink at least 120oz of water a day! As long as you are peeing it out you are fine, holding it in is what causes water poisoning. The general rule is half your body weight in ounces!
    If you think you are at risk for diabetes talk to your doctor :)
    I swear if I spend one more minute in the bathroom, I'm gonna scream. They're gonna start asking me to help pay the water bill here!
  • acollis1
    acollis1 Posts: 167 Member
    haha, me too!!!
  • fatboyliz
    fatboyliz Posts: 515 Member
    Water poisoning occurs when you drink too much too fast. On average, our kidneys can excrete up to 1 litre an hour (different with diabetes), so as long as you aren't necking it you will be fine. Most deaths from water poisoning happen in water drinking contests :(
  • flame_retardant
    flame_retardant Posts: 49 Member
    There's a few medical problems that can cause excessive thirst. If patient has no underlying physical problems, it can be psychogenic polydipsia (typically effects psychiatric-patients). Diabetes insipidus, or diabetes mellitus both present with polydipsia (wanting to drink too much water). Are you wanting to get up in the middle of the night to urinate? (Nocturia/polyuria is another sign of diabetes). Thyroid disorders can present as excess thirst and so can certain types of cancers.

    I would go and have a set of blood tests done just to make sure you haven't developed some underlying problem.
  • focusedonfitness2015
    focusedonfitness2015 Posts: 240 Member
    There's a few medical problems that can cause excessive thirst. If patient has no underlying physical problems, it can be psychogenic polydipsia (typically effects psychiatric-patients). Diabetes insipidus, or diabetes mellitus both present with polydipsia (wanting to drink too much water). Are you wanting to get up in the middle of the night to urinate? (Nocturia/polyuria is another sign of diabetes). Thyroid disorders can present as excess thirst and so can certain types of cancers.

    I would go and have a set of blood tests done just to make sure you haven't developed some underlying problem.

    I rarely get up at night to drink or use the bathroom. The thirst is usually during the day, while I am drinking. And I guess it's really not excessive either. It's not like I just ran 10 miles and am dying to drink something. More like...wow, I'd sure like a sip of water right now. And the 4 bottles I drink is typically within an 8 hour range. I guess I shouldn't worry about something that isn't excessive and my real only concern is being diabetic, due to my last pregnancy. I think I've had my thyroid tested recently, within the past year but perhaps its time for a check-up. Thanks for your help!
  • Kevlar50
    Kevlar50 Posts: 2 Member
    Indeed, you may die from drinking too much water and not having the right amount of salts and other essential elements that drinking too much water will flush from your system. Marathon runners have died from kidney failure that plays a huge role in filtering water, so runners who hydrate too much, as well as those that do not enough are at risk. College frats have hazed students by making them drink excessive water and these students have died. The rule is 64 oz a day and for distance runners another 8 oz for each 30-60 minutes of running, but also salt tablets or somethig that replaces salts. Gatorade (rich in salt) was designed specifically to replenish salts and water for athletes. Read the following site for more information; http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill/
  • Kevlar50
    Kevlar50 Posts: 2 Member
    Additionally, the government's take on use of salt is also been under attack. Finland by far has had the best studies on Salt intake and essentially have determined that intake amounts vary between different ethnic groups and is many time based more on genetics that anything else.

    As with anything else, each individual (with your doctor if you have concerns) must determine their correct levels based on their own set on conditions. Certainly, before you run a Marathon, you need to understand your body's use of water and salt through your training. When I trained for my first marathon, I did not hydrate enough and it brought about injury, then I hydrated too much and experienced dizziness and it sounded like I was in a tunnel all the time. The brain (what a surprise) can also be affected by an other abundance of water, making many of the symtoms come about. As a lab tech, we learned about the proper levels of K, NA, CL, CA and their affect on osmosis and kidney processing fluids, etc.. Most runners suffer from a lack of K (potassium) and this element is difficult to replenish. Bananas are by far one of the most used methods, but even with that, K levels still are not optimum. Now once you deplete NA (salt) and over do H2O, osmosis and water management systems like the kidney begin to suffer greatly.

    Proper hydration is much more than just drinking water. Get salt and potassium into your system at the very least. Manage your diet and hydration over time to find out what works for you and what does not. Checking your blood pressure helps you make sure you are not getting too much salt along the way, then watch your conditions before durring and after excessive exercise.

    http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Is-population-wide-salt-reduction-necessary
  • gypsyrose85
    gypsyrose85 Posts: 206 Member
    the "water your body" app will give you a good idea on how much to drink per your body weight. A larger person needs to drink more than a smaller person.

Categories