Is it possible to drink too much water?

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Cassi_Eats_Apples
Cassi_Eats_Apples Posts: 235
in Food and Nutrition
One of my friends told me I should put back on my water intake, I have a 16oz cup and I refill it about 7-8 times a day because I seem to always be thirsty. Can it be harmful to drink that much water? I feel fine, but I don't want to get sick because I wasn't informed.

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  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,829 Member
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    While it IS possible to drink too much water, if your body is signaling to you that you are thirsty, drink water. The "rule of thumb" is to drink as many ounces as half of your body weight in lbs (I weigh 161, so I should be drinking 80.5 ounces daily). I usually go over that much by around 10-20 ounces because #1 I don't drink anything else and #2 I take a medication that makes me really thirsty. Plus I'm likely to drink an entire bottle of water when I'm working out. It can deplete your sodium levels and affect brain function, but typically you will feel symptoms of light headedness and fatigue if that is the case.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,522 Member
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    Possible, but it's not going to happen unless you're doing something stupid.
  • Luthorcrow
    Luthorcrow Posts: 193
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    I think your friend is referring to water intoxication or hyponatremia. Generally that is an issue with babies, endurance sports or people high on ecstasy. I am no expert on the topic but my understand is for an adult it would take an extreme amount of water. Here is a Scientific American article on the subject and a reference guide from the Mayo Clinic:

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hyponatremia/DS00974

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