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How is it possible to drink too much water? -

Water is essential to our survival and bodily functions. However, consuming too much in too short a period can actually result in water poisoning.

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Water poisoning -

There have been a few documented cases, usually in water drinking competitions, wherein the excessive water intake pushes the normal balance of electrolytes off-kilter, which can lead to things like muscle spasms, as well as a potentially fatal disturbance in brain function.

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Hyponatremia -

Hyponatremia is what occurs when the sodium levels in your body become too diluted (by excessive water intake) and your cells begin to swell. The swelling can cause many health problems, from milder symptoms to potentially fatal ones—particularly when your brain begins to swell—like seizures and coma.

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Potentially fatal -

“Your brain can only swell about eight to 10 percent before it reaches the skull and it pushes your brain stem out,” Tamara Hew-Butler, an exercise science professor at Oakland University, told RD's The Healthy.

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The truth about 8 cups a day -

You’ve likely heard the old rule of thumb to drink eight to 10 cups of water per day. However, experts say that rule is painting with too broad of a brush.

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How much you actually need -

The amount of water you need to drink per day actually depends on various factors, including your height, weight, age, activity, health status, the weather, etc.

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Signs you might be drinking too much water -

Fortunately, there are some signs that can indicate potential overhydration. They are as follows...

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You get throbbing headaches often -

Most people don’t know that headaches can come from both dehydration and overhydration. When the salt concentration in your blood reduces, the cells swell—including the cells in your brain, which actually causes it to press against the skull.

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Your urine is clear -

It’s a myth that clear urine means you’re properly hydrated. In fact, colorless urine is a clear sign that you’re drinking too much water, as Jennifer Caudle, a board-certified family medicine physician and associate professor at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine in New Jersey, told The Healthy. The true color that indicates health is reportedly from straw-colored to transparent yellow.

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You always have a bottle in hand -

If you never leave the house without a water bottle and you're always sipping and refilling it, you might be diluting the sodium levels in your blood, and too-low sodium can cause the cells of your body to swell.

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Your hands, lips, and feet swell or discolor -

With hyponatremia specifically, many people will notice swelling or discoloration in their hands, lips, and feet, since the cells are swelling due to low sodium levels. This can be as mild as looking swollen or bloated as well.

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Sudden weight gain -

You may also notice that with the swelling in your hands, lips, and feet, you also experience a sudden weight gain. That’s due to the excess water in the bloodstream.

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You lose touch with the natural urge to urinate -

We all learn how to control urination during “potty training,” but if you constantly overfill your bladder or hold your urine in too long, you can lose that important signal, which makes it hard for you to feel when you need to urinate or even makes you feel like you have to when when you don’t.

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You drink water even when you’re not thirsty -

With the constant modern reminders to drink more water, sometimes we drink water because we think we should instead of because our bodies are asking for it. It’s important to listen to the finely tuned mechanism of your body, which conveniently tells you what it needs, if and when it needs it—you only have to pay attention.

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You need to urinate often -

The average person will urinate between six and 10 times daily, as Austin DeRosa, urologist with UCHealth Cancer Center in Colorado, told The Healthy. So if you’re going more than 10 times, you might be drinking more water than your body needs.

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You get up to pee during the night -

If you’re waking up more than once during the night to urinate, and you don't have another issue that causes frequent urination, that’s another sign that you might be overhydrating.

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You experience leakage -

The average bladder can hold 20 to 30 ounces of liquid before needing to release it, but stretching it out to the max isn’t healthy and can wear on the muscles. Most people who overhydrate will also try to “hold it” longer (so as not to be running to the toilet all the time), but holding too much in your bladder can lead to leakage.

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You experience diarrhea or nausea and vomiting -

Because your kidneys reach a point in overhydration where they cannot get rid of the excess liquid, your body reacts to the excess water with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

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Your muscles feel weak and tend to cramp easily -

Since drinking too much water results in your electrolyte levels dropping, that can cause symptoms like muscle spasms and frequent cramping.

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You feel fatigued -

Since your kidneys are responsible for filtering your water intake and making sure the fluid levels in your bloodstream stay balanced, overloading them with too much water stresses them out and releases hormones that cause your body to feel stressed and fatigued.

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What can you do? -

Beyond just drinking less water and paying attention to your natural thirst cues, you can replace a couple glasses of water each day with coconut water, which is loaded with electrolytes and is completely natural.

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Hydration is still important -

Staying hydrated is vital for numerous physiological functions. Water helps carry nutrients and oxygen to your cells, flush bacteria out of your bladder, aid in digestion, regulate blood pressure and body temperature, and protect organs and tissues. It also improves cognitive performance, fatigue, and anxiety.

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The recommended fluid intake -

The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine says the adequate daily fluid intake should be 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) for women. But only 35% to 54% of your daily fluid intake should reportedly be coming from water.

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Doing the math -

Though there actually isn’t a set recommended dietary allowance for daily water intake, if you do the calculation, that’s around four to six cups of water for women, and five to eight cups of water for men.

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Important clarification -

When considering the recommended adequate “fluid intake,” it’s important to note that includes other beverages and even hydrating foods. About 20% of our fluid intake actually comes from the food we eat, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

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Unaccounted for hydration -

You might be overdoing hydration when you consider that you are drinking the recommended intake in water on top of drinking things like tea, coffee, and eating water-rich foods like lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, summer squash, celery, berries, melons, etc.

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The caffeine myth -

If you thought you were balancing out your water intake with dehydrating drinks like coffee, you’re actually just doubling the hydration! Studies have shown that caffeine, contrary to popular belief, doesn’t actually dehydrate you, and doesn’t increase urine output compared to other beverages. Because coffee and tea are made from a water base, they still contribute to your daily water intake goal.

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Other drinks that count -

Drinks with beneficial macro- and micronutrients can also contribute to fluid intake, like milk (for protein and calcium) and pure fruit juices (for vitamin C), according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Your water intake will vary -

If you haven’t been eating vegetables, or if you’ve been active, or it’s a hot day, you’ll need to drink more water. If you’re having a slow day in cool temperatures and enjoying a big bowl of fruit, you’ll need less water. Ultimately, the idea is to listen to your body.

Sources: (The Healthy 1 and 2) (Mayo Clinic) (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine)

See also: Easy ways to hydrate without drinking water

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