Water is vital to the human body, and staying hydrated should be a top priority for anyone looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You can, however, actually take your quest for hydration too far.
Drinking too much water can cause side effects that range from mildly irritating to life-threatening — and overhydration can lead to an imbalance of electrolytes in the body.
When you drink too much water, you may experience water poisoning, intoxication, or a disruption of brain function. This happens when there’s too much water in the cells, causing them to swell. When the cells in the brain swell they cause pressure in the brain. You may start experiencing things like confusion, drowsiness, and headaches. If this pressure increases it could cause conditions like hypertension and bradycardia.
5 Major effects of over-drinking of water:
Causes Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia is a decrease in sodium levels below 135 mEq/L blood serum. It happens due to rapid over-hydration. Sodium is an important salt that helps in cell signaling and various other functions in the body. So, when you’re serum sodium levels drop, you start feeling nauseous, disoriented, fatigued or get a headache. In severe cases, it might also lead to death.
Electrolyte imbalances
Electrolytes help regulate the function of your kidneys and your heart. Drinking too much water dysregulates those vital functions.
Water swelling
Drinking too much water could lead to low levels of sodium in the blood, which can cause the body’s cells to swell and retain fluid.
Affects The Brain
Hyponatremia or low sodium in the blood can cause the brain to swell up. This, in turn, results in speech disability, disorientation, walking instability, and psychosis.
Potential Risk Of Coma
The brain and visceral organ damage that your body goes through as a result of water intoxication can lead to coma and, in some cases, death. Therefore, do not drink too much water within a short window of time.
