What Happens When You Drink Too Much Water: No one can live without drinking water. Drinking water is not only necessary to quench thirst, it is also necessary for all the cells of the body to function properly. Experts often say that one should drink 3 liters of water a day, but there are some people who consume too much water. They drink water even if they are not thirsty. When you drink excess water, it is called overhydration. webmd According to a news published in India, there is no single formula to determine how much water should be drunk every day. But, drinking 8 glasses of water a day is a good habit. Well, everyone should adjust the amount of water they drink depending on their environment, exercise, diet, overall health and conditions like pregnancy or breastfeeding.
What happens when you drink too much water?
According to WebMD, when you drink too much water, you may experience water poisoning, intoxication, or disruption in brain function. This happens when cells (including brain cells) contain too much water, causing them to swell. When brain cells become swollen, they create pressure in the brain. In this situation you may have confusion, drowsiness and headache. If this pressure increases, it can cause conditions like high blood pressure, bradycardia or low heart rate.
When you suffer from overhydration, the most common electrolyte affected is sodium, causing a condition called hyponatremia. Sodium is an essential element that helps maintain the balance of fluids inside and outside cells. When its level falls due to excess amount of water in the body, the fluid goes inside the cells. This causes swelling in the cells. If such a situation occurs, you may have an increased risk of seizures, coma or even death.
Alert! Do you drink water after eating these fruits? You will be a victim of overhydration, your digestive system will also be disrupted, you will be troubled by gas and bloating.
Symptoms seen in the body after drinking excess water
Change in color of urine- When you drink more water and become a victim of overhydration, a change in the color of urine may be seen. In this, your urine will start appearing pale yellow to tea-coloured. This happens due to increase in water level in the body.
Running to the toilet again and again When you have to run to the toilet to urinate more often than usual, then understand that the amount of water in your body has increased. Generally, it is normal to urinate 6 to 8 times a day, but much more than this is not good.
Drinking water even if you don’t feel thirsty- If you drink water repeatedly even when you are not thirsty, then these are symptoms of drinking excess water. You can avoid drinking excess water only when you know the needs of your body. Your body itself signals when you need to drink water. In this way the body can fight dehydration. Feeling thirsty is the body’s response to dehydration.
Nausea or vomiting- Due to overhydration, you may have problems like nausea, vomiting etc. When there is too much water in your body, even the kidneys are not able to expel the excess fluid. In this way, it will start accumulating in the body, due to which you may start having problems of vomiting, nausea, diarrhea.
Apart from this, due to overhydration i.e. excessive water in the body, you may notice headache, change in the color of hands, feet and lips. If the body is excessively hydrated, swelling or discoloration may be seen in the feet, hands and lips. In such a situation, when the cells swell, the skin may also swell. Drinking excess water reduces the electrolyte level in the body, due to which the balance of the body also gets disturbed. Due to low electrolyte level, pain, cramps and weakness may be felt in the muscles.
How much water should one drink in a day? (How much water should one drink in 1 day)
Although there are no verified guidelines related to drinking water, the amount of water your body needs every day depends on your physical activity level, climate, weight, sex. Women aged 19 to 30 are advised to drink about 2.7 liters of water daily. Men of the same age should drink 3.7 liters of water. Still, if you do not know exactly how much water you should drink in a day, then you can follow the common and popular advice of drinking 8 glasses a day.
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Tags: drinking water, health, Lifestyle, water
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 21, 2024, 10:01 IST