You can drink too much water

Question

Drinking water can cause overhydration which can affect your brain, muscles, and heart.

Comments

Yes, you can drink too much water. Consuming excessive amounts in a short period can dilute the sodium in your blood, leading to water intoxication or hyponatremia. This condition causes your cells to swell, potentially leading to symptoms like nausea, confusion, seizures, and even fatal outcomes in severe cases. It's rare for healthy individuals but is a risk for athletes, those with certain medical conditions, or individuals overhydrating rapidly. It's best to drink when thirsty and avoid forcing water beyond quenching thirst. For details, refer to the [Cleveland Clinic article](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/water-intoxication).

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The claim “You can drink too much water” is true. When doing further research, I learned the negative effects of consuming too much of this beverage. For example, this can result in a dangerous condition, hyponatremia. This is where levels in the blood become diluted, which can ultimatlrylead to life-threatening situations (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2022). Other external sources also state other negative effects of through over consumption. These include, including headaches, nausea, swelling of some body parts, confusion, etc. Many of sources on the other hand can provide strong amounts of information for healthy consumption of water. The previosuly introduced MayoClinic Article states that 15.5 cups of fluids per day, while women should be trying  for around 11.5 cups per day (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2022). It is importnat to research different parts/sides to information, in this case, the healthy and unhealthy situations of water consumption.
Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256#:~:text=When%20you%20drink%20too%20much,it%20can%20be%20life%2Dthreatening.
https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-too-much-water-intake

Answer 1

You can, in fact, drink too much water. According to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the average adult living in a temperate climate needs around 15.5 cups of fluids a day for men and 11.5 cups of fluids a day for women. 

When too much water is consumed, the electrolyte balance in your body is disturbed, leading to hyponatremia (a lack of sodium in the bloodstream) and possibly death. An excess of water consumed is referred to as “water intoxication”. Symptoms of water intoxication can include nausea, vomiting,  headache, fatigue, confusion, muscle cramping, weakness, seizures, and loss of consciousness.

Sources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256#:~:text=Athletes%20occasionally%20may%20drink%20too,it%20can%20be%20life%2Dthreatening.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/water-intoxication

https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2024/01/can-you-drink-too-much-water

Answer 2

Yes, although water is essential in our daily diet, drinking too much can lead to various health problems and concerns.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256#:~:text=Athletes%20occasionally%20may%20drink%20too,it%20can%20be%20life%2Dthreatening.

Answer 3

Yes it is possible to drink too much water. Drinking water is crucial to human health. Still, it is true that excessive hydration can lead to symptom such as nausea, disorientation, vomiting, seizures, headaches, confusion, muscle cramps, and in some severe cases, death. These are symptoms of hyponatremia, which is when sodium in the body is too low causing an imbalance. One of the ways hyponatremia is caused is through over hydration. Drinking excessive amounts of water does not directly affect your brain or your heart though you may feel cramps in your muscles as a symptom to hyponatremina.

In conclusion, yes, you can drink too much water causing hyponatremina. Though it will not directly affect your brain and heart, you can still get muscle cramps as a symptom to the condition.

The WebMD article that you linked was originally written by Tammy Worth, a self proclaimed freelance health journalist. Though her credentials are lacking, we are able to confirm your claim of drinking excess water is potentially dangerous.

Sources: https://www.kidney.org/kidney-topics/hyponatremia-low-sodium-level-blood (Primary)

https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/2015/08/too-much-water-its-possible-and-problem (Secondary)

Answer 4

The claim that "you can drink too much water" is true. There's multiple credible resources that confirm this claim and explain the negative health consequences that come with over hydration. According to a blog post by University Hospitals (a nationally ranked healthcare system based in Cleveland, OH), they claim that excessive hydration can "overwhelm your kidneys" and lead to a condition called hyponatremia. Symptoms of hyponatremia include headache, fatigue, confusion, and distinct muscle cramping and weakness. Overall, there's several credible sources that confirm this claim, and they're 100% true.

Comments

Source: https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2024/01/can-you-drink-too-much-water

Answer 5

This is true, but only in excessive amounts of water. It can cause water intoxication, which lowers sodium levels and can be dangerous. Normal, moderate water intake is healthy and essential for the body.

sources-

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373711

Answer 6

The claim “You can drink too much water” is true. The findings I found were that drinking too much water is uncommon and usually isn't something to be concerned about. Excess water can overwhelm the kidneys and dilute the sodium in your bloodstream. This condition is called hyponatremia, and can be dangerous and life threatening if it's severe. 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

Drinking too much water is also known as "water intoxication”. When you get water intoxication, the water moves into the body's cells and makes them swell. Swelling the brain cells and increasing pressure in the brain, which can also affect thinking, movement, and behavior, and of course, in worst cases, death. 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/water-intoxication

Answer 7

The claim that you can drink too much water is true. It is said that it is possible but pretty rare for it to happen and it can be life-threatening. When drinking too much water the kidneys can’t get kid of the excess and you sodium levels become to low. This is called hyponatremia. So yes the claim is true.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256 

Answer 8

This claim is TRUE. webmd.com says that drinking too much water can be dangerous for you because excessive amount of water can make you be overhydrated. Your body needs water to survive but drinking too much water  is dangerous because your kidneys and your body can’t process large amount of water which in return make your body have a chemical imbalance. This evidence can be backed by many sources like clevelandclinic.org. It also states that too much water can effect your body’s cells. You can become intoxicated by too much water which results in symptoms like nausea, vomiting, sweating, and frequent bathroom trips. Other sources like mayoclinic.org also say that drinking too much water can be dangerous but also give notice that it’s very hard to drink dangerous amounts of water if your a healthy adult. They say that drinking too much water can cause you to get hyponatremia which is a chemical imbalance within your body that could be life threatening. Links are embedded. 

Answer 9

This claim is true; drinking too much water causes hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is a condition where the cells in the body swell due to the upset in the blood stream from too much dilution. This can cause headaches, nausea, and swelling among other minor symptoms. In rare cases, hyponatremia can also be fatal.  According to the Cleveland Clinic, it takes around 3-4 liters of water consumed in around 1-2 hours to cause hyponatremia.

 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/water-intoxication