The word “aquaholic” has been added to people’s daily vocabularies recently thanks to cook Nigella Lawson’s admission that she is one – in other words, she is addicted to drinking water.
While we’re all encouraged to drink plenty of water because it’s good for our health, there are dangers associated with knocking back too much of it.
In fact, people have died from overdosing on water – including an American woman who downed six litres in three hours after taking part in a radio competition four years ago, and a British man who died the same year after drinking a huge amount of water while running a marathon.
Why is too much water dangerous?
The main complication that can arise from consuming too much water is a condition called hyponatremia, which means too little salt in the blood. When you drink excessive amounts of water, it dilutes the amount of sodium your blood contains, and this can lead to a condition known as “water intoxication”.
Symptoms include:
Headache
Fatigue
Nausea
Vomiting
oental confusion
Frequent urination
Drinking too much in a short time means your kidneys can’t flush water out of your body as quickly as they need to, and that excess fluid ends up in cells. It can make brain cells swell like balloons, which can lead to seizures, comas, respiratory arrest – and, in severe cases, death.
Meanwhile, drinking large amounts of water can increase your blood volume, which can put extra pressure on your blood vessels and heart. It also makes your kidneys work a lot harder, and over time this can damage them.
So how much water is too much?
The World Health organisation recommends adults drink about 2 litres of water a day to avoid dehydration, and to reduce the risk of urinary infections and kidney stones.
However, the number of glasses you should drink varies from person to person – based on a range of factors. If you drink plenty of other beverages, eat lots of foods that contain water, such as fruit and vegetables, and don’t consume much salt then you may not need as much.
However, if your diet is high in processed, salty foods you’re likely to need more. People who sweat a lot – through exercising or living in a warm climate – also need to drink more water.
If you are concerned about how much water you’re drinking talk to your doctor. If you are thirsty all the time you need to get this checked out – it can be a symptom of diabetes.
**Health watch
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