Yes, there is such a thing as drinking too much water

Rorofitgirl · January 2012

I would just like to say that everyone should be carefull with how much water they drink. I know water is key to weight loss and being healthy but just like anything else it needs to be consumed in moderation. Too much water can wash out the vitamins your body stores and uses to function. Don't make it a game to see how much water you can drink. I've seen some diaries where over 35 glasses of water were consumed in a day. Eight 8oz glasses of water a day is what you want to aim for (that is eual to one gallon).....a little over...no harm done. But if you take drinking water to an EXTREME you could be wasting a lot of the great nutrients that come in the healthy food we are all trying to keep apart of our bodies.

Grokette · January 2012

Its not really about how much you drink, but how fast you drink it. The kidneys can filter up to 15 liters per day, which is 495 ounces or about 61 cups of water per day.

Rorofitgirl · January 2012

Agreed. Those cups need to be properly spaced out during the day. 32 oz every 90 min is a great and efficient pace to keep. I'm positive if someone is working to keep a healthy lifestyle they're getting enough sleep also so there just wouldn't be enough time in their day to drink that amount of water. That's my point. It looks like people are trying to cram in massive amounts of water....it's not that it's going to cause major damage but they are losing vitamins that their body needs.

Trail_Addict · January 2012

16 CUPS = 1 GALLON, not 8.

You would have to drink excessive water nonstop, without taking in solid food for it to be an issue. i don't know of anyone that does that, as it would be extremely stupid.

Depending on where you live and how much you workout, 1 gallon per day may not even be enough.

mommamindi · January 2012

We drink when we are thirsty....my husband has consumed as much as 200 ounces of water even when not doing much of all. He goes through a 5 gallon jug of water every two days by himself. His doctor is fully supportive of his intake. It depends on who you are and why you need the water.

Stutz77 · January 2012

Drinking to much water to fast can acctually cause death. While I was at basic traning we had someone who died due to this. There have been a few other cases with Marines also. Moderation is the key and if your body dosen't want anymore it will tell you.

Artemis_Acorn · January 2012

The typical formula I've heard is to take your body weight and divide the number in half to come up with total ounces of water per day one should drink. So (to make the math easy) a 200 pound person should aim for 100 ounces of water, or 12.5 cups. As noted, if someone is working out / sweating a lot, that number could go up.

Thulpa · January 2012

Just like tress, we lose a ton of moisture through our skin, or leaves in terms of trees. 8 Glasses is enough to stave off dehydration, though it may not be enough for you. If you live in a very dry area, you need more water to keep your cells hydrated, in fact if you are using lotion on your skin, you are not getting enough water. Dry skin is easily curable if you drink enough liquid.

I would shoot for a gallon in very dry areas or times of year. Chicago, I need about a gallon of liquid so that I do not dry out, 1/2 gallon at work, because it is super dry there, and the other 1/2 gallon during the rest of my day.

You can hit hyper hydration if you drink a half gallon to gallon of water in a hour, with out proper expulsion. Basically making yourself super sick, (this is what happens when you try to drink a gallon of milk).

Rorofitgirl · January 2012

16 CUPS = 1 GALLON, not 8.

You would have to drink excessive water nonstop, without taking in solid food for it to be an issue. i don't know of anyone that does that, as it would be extremely stupid.

Depending on where you live and how much you workout, 1 gallon per day may not even be enough.

Woops! Yes! My mistake

Maybe I'm just very maticulous about these things....I'm saying that drinking water at a "too-fast" pace could cause you to come up short. I firmly believe it's the little things like this that make a difference in the long run and it's a part of the big picture.

heybales · January 2012

It is called hyponatremia, and it is very real and can happen.

It is usually associated with exercise of long duration or in great heat.

You drink a lot of water while you have been sweating out salts, and an imbalance occurs.

It happens more than you might think in marathons and century rides where ones over do it, and have been cutting down on their sodium.

So you may never have an issue with it, but then again you may have been cutting down on your sodium, exercise a lot, and drink tons of water during that time.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000394.htm

Rorofitgirl · January 2012

Drinking to much water to fast can acctually cause death. While I was at basic traning we had someone who died due to this. There have been a few other cases with Marines also. Moderation is the key and if your body dosen't want anymore it will tell you.

This is exactly my point. I think that people really need to be aware of how much and how fast they are drinking water because all you hear advertised is DRINK AS MUCH WATER AS YOU CAN, CHUG CHUG CHUG! ......but it is very important to see ALL sides of the water story.

heybales · January 2012

Really glad this came up.

Reviewing the symptoms again, I notice lack of appetite.

Now I'm wondering about all those 1200 cal dieters that say they work out a lot, drink a ton of water, and just can't barely eat their 1200 calories for the day, despite having burned 500 or more exercising.
Most of them claim to be eating very healthy too (good), but commenting on low sodium since higher sodium can retain water too.

Huh, perhaps a reason why now.

Yes, there is such a thing as drinking too much water

Replies

Categories