It is important to drink enough water every day to avoid dehydration, regulate body temperature, and keep your joints lubricated and cushioned. However, consuming excessive amounts of water can cause a rare condition known as water toxicity or water intoxication.
It is not easy for healthy adults to drink too much water. Water toxicity can be caused by psychiatric and/or neurodevelopmental disorders, other medical conditions, the use of drugs like MDMA (ecstasy or molly), or unusual situations like water drinking competitions or drinking a lot of water quickly.
Water toxicity can happen when someone sweats a lot from exercising and then drinks plain water without adding electrolytes to replace what was lost. This can cause a serious and potentially deadly condition called hyponatremia, where the level of sodium in the blood is too low. Hyponatremia can cause symptoms such as feeling sick and throwing up, feeling tired, having a headache, experiencing muscle cramps, having changes in mental state, feeling restless, having seizures, and even falling into a coma.
What are the Health Benefits of Water?
Water is the main chemical component of your body and makes up approximately 50% to 70% of your body weight. Water is essential for your body to stay alive. Water is necessary for every cell, tissue, and organ in your body to function properly. For instance, let’s consider water:
- Gets rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements
- Keeps your temperature normal
- Lubricates and cushions joints
- Protects sensitive tissues
Not having enough water in your body can cause dehydration, which is when you don’t have enough water to do normal things. Even a slight lack of water in your body can cause you to feel tired and have less energy.
Drinking Too Much Water
Drinking too much water can lead to a condition called hyponatremia, also known as water intoxication, water poisoning, or overhydration. This is the main concern associated with excessive water consumption.
Hyponatremia happens when someone drinks too much water and it causes the electrolytes in their blood to become diluted. This information was shared by Natasha Trentacosta, MD, who is a specialist in pediatric and adult sports medicine and an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles.
“A person who is generally healthy will have kidneys that can regulate the balance of water,” said Eric Adkins, MD, an emergency room physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, in an interview with Health. “However, when the kidneys are unable to remove water efficiently, the concentration of sodium in the body becomes increasingly diluted.” “It is progressive and can be dangerous.”
Sodium is an important electrolyte in the body that helps regulate blood pressure, nerves, and muscles. It also helps to keep the body’s fluids balanced. If the level of sodium in the body drops below 135 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L), it can cause cells to swell due to an increase in water, leading to severe symptoms.
What is Water Toxicity?
Water toxicity is not common, but it can happen, especially during hot summer days. Drinking too much water can cause a dangerous condition called low blood sodium levels, which can be life-threatening. This information comes from Julia Zumpano, a registered dietician at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition. It’s important to drink enough water, but drinking too much can put too much strain on your kidneys.
The amount of water that is considered too much varies depending on several factors such as weight, age, location, overall health, and pregnancy status. As a general guideline, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests not drinking more than 48 ounces of water per hour.
Some Symptoms of Water Toxicity
The Cleveland Clinic states that symptoms of water toxicity, also known as fatal water intoxication, include:
- Muscle cramps or weakness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Lethargy, or low energy
- Headache
- Mental status changes
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, people who have underlying medical conditions or are very active, like athletes, are at risk of water toxicity. This is because they tend to drink a lot of water and lose sodium through sweating. “Women and children are more likely to develop hyponatremia because they have smaller bodies.”
Drinking too much water during exercise can also cause water toxicity. Last month, TikToker Michelle Fairburn was taken to the hospital because she had a severe lack of sodium in her body. This happened because she drank too much water while doing the 75 Hard Challenge. This challenge involves following a strict diet, doing two 45-minute workouts (one of them outside), drinking one gallon of water, reading 10 pages of a book, and taking a picture of her progress each day.
Why is Electrolyte Loss Related To Water Intoxication?
Electrolyte loss is connected to water intoxication because the extra water dilutes the body’s natural supply of salts, including electrolytes. If athletes think they have drunk too much water during exercise, certain mineral waters or sports drinks with high TDS can help them replace electrolytes. A journal article from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation states that if water intoxication has reached an advanced stage, these drinks will not be effective in treating it.
If you have symptoms like confusion or seizures, it’s important to get medical help right away instead of just scheduling a doctor’s appointment. If you have a severe condition called hyponatremia, which is caused by having too little sodium in your body, correcting it too quickly can be dangerous. This condition is sometimes referred to as water toxicity or water poisoning. If you need immediate medical help, please visit or call the nearest Emergency Room. We have doctors, nurses, and staff who are certified by a board to help you get better and provide the right guidance.
We have emergency room locations throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area that are open and available to assist you 24/7 if you or your family experience a medical emergency.
How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day?
The average daily water intake for men is about 15.5 cups, while for women it is about 11.5 cups. This is recommended for healthy individuals. You may only need four to six cups of plain water, depending on other sources of fluids like coffee, tea, juice, fruits, and vegetables.
Some other factors that may indicate a need for more plain water are:
- Activity Level: If you are sweating a lot during exercise and losing water, you should drink more water. People who engage in prolonged physical activity, like marathons, often need to replenish both water and sodium that they lose.
- Outside Temperatures: When it gets really hot outside, you should change the water level. When it’s hot outside, you may become thirsty more quickly.
- Overall Health and Medications: If you have certain health conditions like thyroid disease or kidney, liver, or heart problems, or if you’re taking medications that make you retain water, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opiate pain medications, and some antidepressants, it is possible to consume too much water.
- Age: As people get older, they may not feel thirsty as strongly as they did when they were younger. And that could be a problem if they are taking a medication that can cause them to lose fluids, like a diuretic.
What Happens When You Drink Too Much Water?
If you drink more water than your body needs, it will mostly just make you pee more, especially if you are a healthy adult. However, it is uncommon, but if you drink excessive amounts of water too quickly, it can potentially overload your body. If you drink too much water before your kidneys can remove the extra amount, it can disrupt the balance of fluids in your body. This can make the amount of water inside your cells go up.
When neurons in the central nervous system become swollen, it can cause symptoms like confusion, headache, and drowsiness. Furthermore, when there is increased pressure in the brain, it can lead to a slower heart rate and high blood pressure. If someone doesn’t receive treatment or if their diagnosis is delayed, they may experience seizures, go into a coma, or even die.
Signs You Are Drinking Too Much Water
Your Pee is Pretty Clear
Your urine color and how often you go to the bathroom can tell you if you are hydrated or not, according to Koskinen. The color of urine can vary from light, almost clear to pale yellow. This is due to a pigment called urochrome and the amount of water you drink. If your urine is consistently clear, it may indicate that you are drinking excessive amounts of water in a short period of time or that you are consuming slightly more fluids than necessary. Here’s a word of caution: Certain dietary supplements can make your urine darker, so relying on urine color alone may not always be the most accurate method in those situations.
You’re Peeing Frequently
Are you urinating more frequently than usual? It could mean that you are drinking an excessive amount of water. Drinking caffeine and alcohol can make you need to pee more often. “According to Koskinen, most people urinate 6 to 8 times a day. However, it is considered normal for those who drink a lot of water to urinate up to 10 times a day.” Using the bathroom can be a good way to get some exercise and take a short break from your computer, which can help reduce stress.
You Feel Bloated
“According to Koskinen, the kidneys can only excrete a maximum of 800 to 1,000 milliliters of water per hour.” “Anything that goes beyond that amount essentially makes the body retain too much water.” When the body is unable to get rid of extra water, cells expand to make room for it. If you drink too much water, you may feel swollen and bloated until you reduce your water intake and give your kidneys time to process it. Drinking a lot of water can make some people feel slightly sick.
You Have a Headache or Brain Fog
When the body becomes waterlogged, sodium levels decrease a little, which causes cells to swell. Koskinen explains that because the brain is inside the skull, there is very little space for cells to grow. This can cause pressure, which leads to headaches and even difficulty thinking clearly. There is no specific data on the exact level of sodium in the blood that causes these early symptoms. It likely varies from person to person. Thankfully, for most people, drinking excessive amounts of water usually just means needing to use the bathroom more often.
Conclusion
Drinking enough water is crucial for maintaining body temperature, lubricating joints, and preventing dehydration. However, excessive water consumption can lead to water toxicity or intoxication, a rare condition caused by psychiatric disorders, medical conditions, drug use, or unusual situations. Hyponatremia occurs when the body’s sodium levels are too low, causing symptoms like nausea, vomiting, lethargy, headaches, and mental state changes. Water is essential for the body’s functions, making up 50% to 70% of body weight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends not drinking more than 48 ounces of water per hour. Symptoms of water toxicity include muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, low energy, headaches, and mental state changes.
Electrolyte loss is linked to water intoxication, as excess water dilutes the body’s natural supply of salts, including electrolytes. If athletes believe they have drunk too much water during exercise, certain mineral waters or sports drinks with high TDS can help replace electrolytes. However, if water intoxication has reached an advanced stage, these drinks will not be effective in treating it. If you experience symptoms like confusion or seizures, it is important to get medical help right away. If you have a severe condition called hyponatremia, correcting it too quickly can be dangerous. If you need immediate medical help, visit or call the nearest Emergency Room. The average daily water intake for healthy individuals is about 15.5 cups for men and 11.5 cups for women.
