Dangerous water - Drinking too much of life-sustaining fluid deadly
Published:Wednesday | July 31, 2013 | 12:00 AM
Anastasia Cunningham, Health Coordinator
It has always been drilled into your head that drinking lots of water is good for you, the recommended amount being 8-12 glasses per day. However, experts are now warning to be extra careful of the amount of water you consume. It could have dangerous consequences for your health.
According to findings, drinking too much water can lead to hyponatremia, also known as water intoxication, water poisoning or dilutional hyponatremia (a deficiency of sodium in the blood). Water intoxication is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that result when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside safe limits by over-hydration.
When too much water enters the body's cells, the tissues swell with the excess fluid and the sodium in the blood becomes too diluted.
Symptoms include confusion, headaches, nausea and bloating. Ironically, similar symptoms are associated with dehydration. In severe cases, hyponatremia can lead to seizures, organ failure and even death.
Over consumption of water is even more dangerous when the minerals being flushed out of the body are not replaced.
Water intoxication is most commonly seen in infants under six months of age, sometimes in athletes, a few cases of overenthusiastic health nuts and persons who go on water diets.
"Water is extremely essential to the body. It acts like a thermostat in regulating temperature, for lymphatic flow, circulation, aiding digestion, the immune system, just about every function of the body needs water," nutritionist and corporate wellness consultant Patricia Fletcher told Your Health.
"There is danger from both excessive dehydration and rehydration, so it is essential that we supply our body with the right amount of water."
She added, "I always recommend that the average person stick to the recommended amount. But you do have persons who just like drinking water, and so they drink a lot more than even recommended and eventually they end up with tingling in the extremities because they are having a mineral washout. They will be wondering what is going on, not realising that the water-soluble minerals are being taken out by the amount of water they are consuming, and they are not putting back sufficient nutrients."
Fletcher noted, however, that it was very rare to find persons drinking too much water. In fact, she said, there tend to be far more cases of persons not consuming enough.
NATURAL RESPONSE
How fast and how much you drink in one go is the real danger. Healthy adult kidneys can process up to 15 litres of water per day - as long as you drink over time, as opposed to consuming large volumes with each go.
The body also tends to have a natural response to the amount of fluid in your system, so often when you are drinking too much water at once you end up urinating quite frequently (which can be very inconvenient and annoying), and not absorbing any fluid, which also leads to a quicker flushing of minerals.
During the summer, persons tend to consume more fluids than usual, as the scorching heat makes it even more tempting to guzzle down a cool beverage every chance you get. The same is true when you are exercising or have a strenuous job. And while it is true that the body needs more fluids in hot temperatures and during physical activities, which causes excess sweating, leading to faster dehydration, you still have to regulate the amount of fluids you consume.
Just as detrimental, drinking too much of some types of rehydration beverages can lead to dehydration, because many of them contain high sugar content and other additives, which are more solutes than naturally found in the blood, so the body has to dilute it in order for it to be absorbed.
TIPS ON PROPER FLUID CONSUMPTION
"Our sense of thirst begins to diminish between ages 27 and 30 years, so it is important to start legislating a schedule of drinking water from early so it becomes a natural habit," said Fletcher.
"There are various ways to determine the amount of water you will need, some people can even tolerate a gallon of water for the day. Some experts recommend that you divide your weight in ounces by two and that will be the amount of ounces you can tolerate."
The nutritionist added, "I recommend that the average person stick to six to eight ounces per day and the rest you will get as a matter of course."
Remember that you also get water from other sources, like natural organic water from fruits and vegetables, and, of course, other liquids consumed
Don't wait until you feel parched, when your throat is dry and your lips start cracking
Don't rely solely on thirst, because as soon as you put water on your tongue the feeling of thirst will go away
Take note of how often you are urinating and its colour. The colour should be just a light shade of yellow. If it's bright yellow, almost concentrated, you need more water in your system. If it's colourless, cut down on the fluids.
Drink more water if you are quite active. Before, during and after an exercise session, especially if it's strenuous, keep well hydrated.
Choose rehydrated sports drink with low sugar content. Five grams per eight-ounce is the recommendation.
Aim to wake feeling hydrated. If you are thirsty when you get up in the morning, you may not be consuming enough during the day. You can also keep a glass of water near your bedside for the times you may wake in the middle of the night feeling thirsty.
Weighing yourself daily can help check hydration. Your weight should not fluctuate too much. Compensate for any weight-loss plan you're on.
Do not drink while eating. This will disrupt the digestive process and affects the effectiveness of the alkaline breakdown that begins in the mouth.
Do not mistake thirst for hunger. Too often people allow themselves to get too thirsty and mistake it for hunger, which leads to overeating