How much water is safe?
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callumwalker1995
Posts: 389 Member
I typically drink 6 litres (imperial) a day, coupled with low sodium intake (about 2000mg) is this unsafe? I have been experiencing dizziness and disorientation typically at the times I've chugged some water
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Replies
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I forgot to add I train 2.5 hours a day 6 x a week and I typically lose 0.5kg a session0
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Drink a lot less water. If you are dizzy you might be messing up electrolytes.
http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=2047
http://drbenkim.com/drink-too-much-water-dangerous.html
Eat some salt.0 -
Yes, high water + low sodium + high exercise is a recipe for hyponatremia, and the symptoms you describe can definitely be caused by that.
Higher amounts of water are safe, but you need higher electrolytes too. If you're working out 2.5 hours a day you probably shouldn't be low sodium unless you've discussed that with a physician first.
Low blood sodium is much more dangerous than high blood sodium. High blood sodium is only a problem for a fairly small set of people - a portion of people who have kidney or blood pressure issues will need to reduce sodium. Even in those individuals, they still need some sodium, and if they work out a lot, they need more than if they don't. Low blood sodium is extremely dangerous, and can lead to brain damage, coma, seizure, or death.2 -
amyrebeccah wrote: »Please see your prior thread on the subject.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/37015876#Comment_37015876
I was wondering why this sounded so familiar. .
OP I get the same symptoms as you if i drink too much water. 6L is a massive amount! If you're going to drink that much then you are going to have to up your salt intake. By how much, i do not know.. It would be easier to reduce all that water you're drinking, 3L seems to be enough for most people.
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Christine_72 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »Please see your prior thread on the subject.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/37015876#Comment_37015876
I was wondering why this sounded so familiar. .
OP I get the same symptoms as you if i drink too much water. 6L is a massive amount! If you're going to drink that much then you are going to have to up your salt intake. By how much, i do not know.. It would be easier to reduce all that water you're drinking, 3L seems to be enough for most people.
I really only drink that much because I'm thirsty, I feel I need it.0 -
That seems like an excessive amount to be drinking (unless you are outside in heat/humidity a lot in which case you definitely need to be looking at your electrolyte balance).
If you are thirsty enough to be drinking 6 litres of water a day under normal circumstances, I'd suggest you should be discussing this with your doctor, not random strangers on the internet. Especially as you have been experiencing symptoms that are worrying you.0 -
I'm sedentary during the day as I'm a student and I've finished for the summer. I have already been to the doctors who took blood tests which haven't come back yet but she thought I wasn't eating enough for the strenuous exercise I was doing rather than low sodium or too much water0
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callumwalker1995 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »Please see your prior thread on the subject.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/37015876#Comment_37015876
I was wondering why this sounded so familiar. .
OP I get the same symptoms as you if i drink too much water. 6L is a massive amount! If you're going to drink that much then you are going to have to up your salt intake. By how much, i do not know.. It would be easier to reduce all that water you're drinking, 3L seems to be enough for most people.
I really only drink that much because I'm thirsty, I feel I need it.
Can't thirst be a sign of diabetes? Why don't you go to the Doctor about this?0 -
callumwalker1995 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »Please see your prior thread on the subject.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/37015876#Comment_37015876
I was wondering why this sounded so familiar. .
OP I get the same symptoms as you if i drink too much water. 6L is a massive amount! If you're going to drink that much then you are going to have to up your salt intake. By how much, i do not know.. It would be easier to reduce all that water you're drinking, 3L seems to be enough for most people.
I really only drink that much because I'm thirsty, I feel I need it.
Can't thirst be a sign of diabetes? Why don't you go to the Doctor about this?
I have done she took some blood tests and results come back Tuesday. She thinks it's because I'm not eating enough for the amount of exercise I'm doing and doesn't think it's water/sodium issues0 -
callumwalker1995 wrote: »callumwalker1995 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »Please see your prior thread on the subject.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/37015876#Comment_37015876
I was wondering why this sounded so familiar. .
OP I get the same symptoms as you if i drink too much water. 6L is a massive amount! If you're going to drink that much then you are going to have to up your salt intake. By how much, i do not know.. It would be easier to reduce all that water you're drinking, 3L seems to be enough for most people.
I really only drink that much because I'm thirsty, I feel I need it.
Can't thirst be a sign of diabetes? Why don't you go to the Doctor about this?
I have done she took some blood tests and results come back Tuesday. She thinks it's because I'm not eating enough for the amount of exercise I'm doing and doesn't think it's water/sodium issues
Then, perhaps you should try listening to your doctor and either cut back on exercise or eat more.1 -
callumwalker1995 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »Please see your prior thread on the subject.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/37015876#Comment_37015876
I was wondering why this sounded so familiar. .
OP I get the same symptoms as you if i drink too much water. 6L is a massive amount! If you're going to drink that much then you are going to have to up your salt intake. By how much, i do not know.. It would be easier to reduce all that water you're drinking, 3L seems to be enough for most people.
I really only drink that much because I'm thirsty, I feel I need it.
You are thirty because you are dehydrated. You are dehydrated because you don't have adequate electrolyte balance. Think about it, when you go to a hospital, what is the first thing they do? The give you a bag of sodium chloride to rehydrate you. Excessive water dilutes electrolyte balance, which causes all those issues.
Also, as a male, how many calories are you eating that you only get 2000mg of sodium? I frequently get 4000-5000 and that is without added salt.1 -
callumwalker1995 wrote: »callumwalker1995 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »Please see your prior thread on the subject.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/37015876#Comment_37015876
I was wondering why this sounded so familiar. .
OP I get the same symptoms as you if i drink too much water. 6L is a massive amount! If you're going to drink that much then you are going to have to up your salt intake. By how much, i do not know.. It would be easier to reduce all that water you're drinking, 3L seems to be enough for most people.
I really only drink that much because I'm thirsty, I feel I need it.
Can't thirst be a sign of diabetes? Why don't you go to the Doctor about this?
I have done she took some blood tests and results come back Tuesday. She thinks it's because I'm not eating enough for the amount of exercise I'm doing and doesn't think it's water/sodium issues
Then, perhaps you should try listening to your doctor and either cut back on exercise or eat more.
this0 -
callumwalker1995 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »Please see your prior thread on the subject.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/37015876#Comment_37015876
I was wondering why this sounded so familiar. .
OP I get the same symptoms as you if i drink too much water. 6L is a massive amount! If you're going to drink that much then you are going to have to up your salt intake. By how much, i do not know.. It would be easier to reduce all that water you're drinking, 3L seems to be enough for most people.
I really only drink that much because I'm thirsty, I feel I need it.
You are thirty because you are dehydrated. You are dehydrated because you don't have adequate electrolyte balance. Think about it, when you go to a hospital, what is the first thing they do? The give you a bag of sodium chloride to rehydrate you. Excessive water dilutes electrolyte balance, which causes all those issues.
Also, as a male, how many calories are you eating that you only get 2000mg of sodium? I frequently get 4000-5000 and that is without added salt.
3100 calories I eat chicken white rice etc that has little if no salt in it0 -
callumwalker1995 wrote: »callumwalker1995 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »Please see your prior thread on the subject.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/37015876#Comment_37015876
I was wondering why this sounded so familiar. .
OP I get the same symptoms as you if i drink too much water. 6L is a massive amount! If you're going to drink that much then you are going to have to up your salt intake. By how much, i do not know.. It would be easier to reduce all that water you're drinking, 3L seems to be enough for most people.
I really only drink that much because I'm thirsty, I feel I need it.
You are thirty because you are dehydrated. You are dehydrated because you don't have adequate electrolyte balance. Think about it, when you go to a hospital, what is the first thing they do? The give you a bag of sodium chloride to rehydrate you. Excessive water dilutes electrolyte balance, which causes all those issues.
Also, as a male, how many calories are you eating that you only get 2000mg of sodium? I frequently get 4000-5000 and that is without added salt.
3100 calories I eat chicken white rice etc that has little if no salt in it
Get some variety. Chicken and rice is old school body building nonsense. And start adding salt to things. Eat eggs, dairy, and start to use seasoning.0 -
If you're drinking that much water and training you need to replenish electrolytes...sodium is an essential electrolyte...I believe this was all addressed in your previous thread.
I drink a lot of water...I train hard and have to stay hydrated...but I also understand that I need more than just water...after a long sweaty ride I've been known to drink pickle juice just as an example.
Also, dump the bro chicken and rice crap and add more variety to your diet.0 -
6 liters??!! Wow, that is a lot. If you are training I would go with Gatorade or something with electrolytes because you are sweating out more than just water.0
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rachelelser wrote: »6 liters??!! Wow, that is a lot. If you are training I would go with Gatorade or something with electrolytes because you are sweating out more than just water.cwolfman13 wrote: »If you're drinking that much water and training you need to replenish electrolytes...sodium is an essential electrolyte...I believe this was all addressed in your previous thread.
I drink a lot of water...I train hard and have to stay hydrated...but I also understand that I need more than just water...after a long sweaty ride I've been known to drink pickle juice just as an example.
Also, dump the bro chicken and rice crap and add more variety to your diet.
Only reason why I don't use sports drinks is because I am allergic to sweeteners which all (if im correct) sports drinks have0 -
callumwalker1995 wrote: »callumwalker1995 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »Please see your prior thread on the subject.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/37015876#Comment_37015876
I was wondering why this sounded so familiar. .
OP I get the same symptoms as you if i drink too much water. 6L is a massive amount! If you're going to drink that much then you are going to have to up your salt intake. By how much, i do not know.. It would be easier to reduce all that water you're drinking, 3L seems to be enough for most people.
I really only drink that much because I'm thirsty, I feel I need it.
You are thirty because you are dehydrated. You are dehydrated because you don't have adequate electrolyte balance. Think about it, when you go to a hospital, what is the first thing they do? The give you a bag of sodium chloride to rehydrate you. Excessive water dilutes electrolyte balance, which causes all those issues.
Also, as a male, how many calories are you eating that you only get 2000mg of sodium? I frequently get 4000-5000 and that is without added salt.
3100 calories I eat chicken white rice etc that has little if no salt in it
Get some variety. Chicken and rice is old school body building nonsense. And start adding salt to things. Eat eggs, dairy, and start to use seasoning.
I do eat eggs and cottage cheese and milk and yoghurt0 -
I drink about 5 litres of water a day and always have, also my diet is low in sodium. I've never had the symptoms you've described but then I've never felt the need to 'chug water' either. It sounds like you drink a lot more than you need to, are you mistaking thirst for something else, eg is your mouth unusually dry or are you feeling hotter than normal? Either way you need to go to the doctor and more importantly describe the issues you have in detail.0
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callumwalker1995 wrote: »rachelelser wrote: »6 liters??!! Wow, that is a lot. If you are training I would go with Gatorade or something with electrolytes because you are sweating out more than just water.cwolfman13 wrote: »If you're drinking that much water and training you need to replenish electrolytes...sodium is an essential electrolyte...I believe this was all addressed in your previous thread.
I drink a lot of water...I train hard and have to stay hydrated...but I also understand that I need more than just water...after a long sweaty ride I've been known to drink pickle juice just as an example.
Also, dump the bro chicken and rice crap and add more variety to your diet.
Only reason why I don't use sports drinks is because I am allergic to sweeteners which all (if im correct) sports drinks have
Then make your own.0
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