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Dehydration: signs, causes, and tips to drink more water. It's easy to become dehydrated without even realising it. Learn about the signs of dehydration and discover 5 top tips on drinking enough water. Water is essential for our survival.
- You never leave the house without a water bottle and constantly have one in hand. If you carry around your water bottle all day and immediately refill it when it depletes, you may be drinking too much water.
- You have throbbing headaches throughout the day. Headaches can be a sign of either overhydration or dehydration. When you drink too much water, the salt concentration in your blood reduces, causing the cells in the organs throughout your body to swell.
- Your urine looks like water. If you’re drinking a healthy amount of water, the color of your urine should be straw-colored to transparent yellow. It’s a myth that clear urine is the healthiest sign of hydration—in fact, says Dr. Caudle, having colorless urine is a clear sign that you’re drinking too much water.
- You vomit or experience diarrhea or nausea. The symptoms of overhydration look a lot like those of dehydration, Hew-Butler explains. When you drink too much water, your kidneys reach a point where they’re unable to get rid of the excess liquid.
Most people should aim to drink enough during the day so their pee is a clear pale yellow colour. The Eatwell Guide recommends that people should aim to drink 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower-fat milk and sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count.
Aug 19, 2024 · When a person drinks too much water, they put themselves at risk for water toxicity and the symptoms that accompany it. Overhydration can be mild, but it can lead to coma or even death in severe cases.
- Angelica Bottaro
- Overview
- What causes overhydration?
- How much should I drink?
- What are the symptoms of overhydration?
- Who is at risk for overhydration?
- How is overhydration diagnosed?
- How is overhydration treated?
- How can you prevent overhydration?
- Frequently asked questions
- Takeaway
Drinking too much water can be dangerous. Some health conditions can also make your body retain too much water, regardless of how much you drink.
All of the major systems of your body depend on water to work properly. Having enough water helps your body:
•regulate temperature
•prevent constipation
•flush out waste products
•perform all major bodily functions
You can become overhydrated in two ways: By drinking too much water or if your kidneys retain too much water.
In both cases, overhydration can lead to water toxicity, also known as water poisoning. Your body’s water volume becomes too large for your kidneys to excrete, which can cause the electrolytes in your body to dilute.
The Institute of Medicine has established guidelines for adequate water intake. They recommend that a healthy adult drink 78–100 ounces (oz) (about 9–13 cups) of fluids per day on average. It’s also important to remember that the food you eat, such as vegetables or fruit, also contains water.
That being said, the amount of water you need to drink can vary and should roughly equal the amount your kidneys release. Children and adolescents may have lower requirements than adults.
You may not recognize symptoms of overhydration in its early stages. However, urine is a good indicator of hydration status in a healthy person.
Pale yellow urine that looks like lemonade is a good goal. Darker urine means you need more water. Colorless urine means you are overhydrated.
If you get hyponatremia from water toxicity, you’ll likely experience the following:
•nausea and vomiting
•headache due to pressure on the brain
•changes in mental state, such as confusion or disorientation
Water toxicity from overhydration is more common among endurance athletes who drink large amounts of water before and during exercise. It has been reported among:
•people who run marathons and ultramarathons (races longer than 26.2 miles)
•ironman triathletes
•endurance cyclists
•rugby players
•elite rowers
A doctor will ask about your medical history to determine if your symptoms are caused by water toxicity, hyponatremia, or another condition.
The doctor will also perform a physical examination, and they may order blood and urine tests to check the level of sodium and other markers in your body.
They may observe you for a time to see how much fluid you are taking in versus how much you release in urine or stool. They may measure your weight to watch for changes indicative of insufficient fluid loss.
If you have more obvious water toxicity symptoms, the doctor may identify these sooner and initiate treatment.
How you’re treated depends on whether you show symptoms of water toxicity and what caused the condition. Treatments may include:
•cutting back on your fluid intake
•taking diuretics to increase the amount of urine you produce
•treating the condition that caused the overhydration
•stopping any medications causing the problem
•replacing sodium in severe cases
Endurance athletes can reduce the risk of water toxicity from overhydration by weighing themselves before and after a race. This helps determine how much water they have lost and need to replenish.
While there are different guidelines, they generally recommend drinking 14-22 oz of fluid about two-three hours before exercise or physical activity.
If exercising longer than an hour, sports beverages are also an option. These drinks contain sugar and electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, which you lose in sweat. Let thirst also guide you when exercising. If you’re thirsty, drink more.
However, if you are an endurance athlete or planning on starting an endurance training program, you want to talk with your doctor to get hydration advice tailored specifically to you.
How much water a day is overhydration?
Healthy adult kidneys can eliminate about 1 liter (l) or 0.2 gallons (gl) of water per hour. Although no specific amount of fluids can cause overhydration for a person, it’s a good idea not to drink more than your kidneys can handle. Kidneys of children and older people may be less efficient at removing water, so you should consult with a primary care doctor or pediatrician to understand the appropriate amount. Some doctors recommend that the number of daily cups of water a child drinks should equal their age.
Can overhydration cause permanent damage?
Drinking too many fluids can cause water toxicity by diluting your body’s sodium and other electrolytes, which may cause your cells to swell, including the cells in your brain. This is a life threatening condition. If left untreated, it may cause permanent brain damage and death.
How long does it take to recover from overhydration?
Your recovery will depend on the severity of your symptoms. If you progress to water toxicity, you will need to be hospitalized. If you experience any symptoms associated with overhydration, contact your doctor.
Overhydration due to drinking too much water causes water toxicity, an electrolyte imbalance that can cause symptoms ranging from nausea and headache to unconsciousness and coma.
To avoid overhydrating, try to drink no more than about 9–13 cups of fluids per day. If you have a medical condition such as diabetes, CHF, or kidney disease, talk with your doctor about the best treatments.
- Shawn Radcliffe
Mar 15, 2024 · Instead, you should drink between 1.5 and 1.8 litres of water per day. Rather than following the 8x8 rule - drinking eight eight-ounce glasses of water every day – we should personalise...
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Jun 28, 2019 · Here’s a look at what happens when you drink too much water, who’s at risk, and how to ensure you stay properly — but not overly — hydrated.
