Warning Signs of Excessive Water Consumption

You may be drinking too much water. Here’s how to tell.

15.5 cups (3.7 liters) per day for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) per day for women. Here is the amount of water that should be consumed daily, according to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Except that these are estimates. There is no single formula that suits everyone.

Since I bought a reusable water bottle and became invested in my health and fitness, I have started to drink more water. This has resulted in increased thirst and faster metabolism, all leading to a virtuous circle where I drink about 3 liters of water a day (including coffee and tea), sometimes up to 4 liters.

Our individual water needs depend on many factors: our health, our physical activity, where we live, the way we ate that day, etc. All this can be confusing, and a bit problematic since water is the fluid of life.

This made me wonder what “too much” water was. People often drink too little. But is it possible to encounter the opposite problem: drinking too much?

The answer is yes.

“We’re constantly being told the benefits of regularly drinking water, and more often than not, these benefits stand true. From boosting your immune system to clearing your skin, you’d be hard-pressed to find something water doesn’t help with. But, unfortunately, it is possible to drink too much water”, explains Morgan Statt, Health and Safety Investigator at ConsumerSafety, to Bustle.

Back to basics. Why does the human body need water?

“Water is your body’s principal chemical component and makes up about 50% to 70% of your body weight. Your body depends on water to survive”, explain the experts at MayoClinic.

Every cell, tissue and organ in our body needs water to function properly. Among other things, water is necessary for:

• Getting rid of wastes through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements
• Keeping your temperature normal
• Preventing constipation
• Lubricating and cushioning joints
• Protecting sensitive tissues

Lack of water causes dehydration. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you feel tired. Lack of water is one of the most common causes of waking up tired or feeling exhausted during the day. The next time this happens, try drinking a large glass of water, I promise it will help.

The same goes for hunger, which is often confused with thirst. Whenever I feel hungry in-between meals, I drink water before eating anything. Most of the time the hunger disappears.

What’s a proper amount of water?

Even our breathing consumes water. Our body literally uses it all day long. That is why it is essential to replenish its supply frequently. But water doesn’t just come from the cups you drink, as MayoClinic explains: “About 20% of daily fluid intake usually comes from food.”

You may need to adjust your total fluid intake based on several factors, including:

• Exercise (to compensate for fluid loss due to perspiration)
• Your environment (hot and humid environments may require additional fluid intake, and high altitudes may also cause dehydration)
• General health (your body loses fluids when you have fever, vomiting, or diarrhea)

It also depends on your diet:

“If soups, fruits and veggies, and smoothies are a regular part of your diet, then you might not need to replenish as often — the same goes for foods that melt at room temperature or are held in a gel matrix. Meanwhile, on days when you’re a sucker for anything salty (ramen, frozen dinners, fast foods, chips), an increased water intake may be required so the body can maintain equilibrium”, as explains Kristin Koskinen, RDN, Registered dietitian in Richland, Washington. (source)

Therefore, the so-called “ideal amount of water” is only an approximation. You cannot rely on it completely to determine how much water you should consume per day. So you may be tempted to drink as much as you like. After all, water is good for your health, isn’t it?

Well, not exactly.

Yes, water intoxication is a thing

“Overhydration can lead to water intoxication. This occurs when the amount of salt and other electrolytes in your body become too diluted.” — Healthline

This is called hyponatremia. This is when you don’t have enough sodium in your body. Sodium is useful for controlling the amount of water in and around the cells in your body. One of the causes of hyponatremia is drinking too much water.

“Because of the low sodium, the amount of water in your body rises and causes your cells to swell. This can lead to many problems, sometimes serious and even life-threatening.” — WebMD

The kidneys can excrete a maximum of 800 to 1,000 ml per hour. As Kristin Koskinen explains, anything above this amount clogs the body. If your electrolytes fall too low and too quickly, it can be fatal.

So how do you know if you drink too much? Here are the main symptoms.

You pee all the time

On average, people urinate 6 to 8 times a day. Having to pee literally all the time and going up to 10 times a day on a normal day can be a sign of excessive water consumption.

Your pee is crystal-clear

“In a healthy person, your urine is a good indicator of your hydration status. Pale yellow urine that looks like lemonade is a good goal. Darker urine means you need more water. Colorless urine means you are overhydrated.” — Healthline

You feel abnormally tired

“If you’re drinking so much water that it leads to hyponatremia, you might experience fatigue”, explains Morgan Statt.

You experience cramps and headaches

Peeing too much causes a loss of potassium, a mineral that helps your body contract and relax your muscles, which can lead to cramps.

“Sodium imbalances resulting from over-hydration can also fill your cells with fluids, leading your brain to swell. This puts pressure on your skull, which can lead to a headache”, tells Statt.

Nausea and vomiting

These reveal more serious cases of overhydration, as it means that your body is trying by every means possible to evacuate excess water. Changes in mental state such as confusion or disorientation should also alert you.

So, how to find the sweet spot?

“Your fluid intake is probably adequate if you rarely feel thirsty and your urine is colorless or light yellow”, explains MayoClinic.

Athletes are most at risk of overhydration. They may drink too much water in an attempt to prevent dehydration during long or intense exercise. That’s why Harvard experts recommend thirst as the logical approach to hydration during exercise.

We tend to put everything in a chart. We forget that we are creatures of instinct and that our bodies often — if not always — know better than our minds.

Cases of over-hydration are rare. Trust your thirst, observe your body and fluids, and you’ll simply know. Just as there is one thing with intuitive eating, there should be one thing with intuitive drinking.

To receive Auriane’s Newsletter, click here!

You just read another post from In Fitness And In Health: a health and fitness community dedicated to sharing knowledge, lessons, and suggestions to living happier, healthier lives.

If you’d like to join our newsletter and receive more stories like this one, tap here.