Does the above titled headline seem ludicrous to you? To become intoxicated with alcohol, Yes. But to become intoxicated with water, now, that sounds a bit far-fetched right? But just before you answer that poser, take a long breath, and get ready for a little lesson on nature’s gold.
Can You Really Drink Too Much Water?
Yes! Drinking too much water can lead to a condition known as water intoxication, and to a related problem resulting from the dilution of sodium in the body, hyponatremia.
Water intoxication is most commonly seen in infants under six months of age and sometimes in athletes. A baby can get water intoxication as a result of drinking several bottles of water a day or from drinking infant formula that has been diluted too much.
Athletes can also suffer from water intoxication. Athletes sweat heavily, losing both water and electrolytes. Water intoxication and hyponatremia result when a dehydrated person drinks too much water without the accompanying electrolytes.
What Happens During Water Intoxication?
When too much water enters the body’s cells, the tissues swell with the excess fluid.
Your cells maintain a specific water/sodium concentration, so when there is excess water outside the cells (the serum), sodium is drawn from within the cells into the serum in an attempt to re-establish the necessary concentration.
As more water accumulates, the serum/sodium concentration drops — a condition known as hyponatremia. The only other option for cells to regain the electrolyte balance is for water outside the cells to rush into the cells via osmosis.
From the cell’s point of view, water intoxication is the same as drowning in fresh water. Thus, theoretically, cells could swell to the point of bursting. Electrolyte imbalance and tissue swelling can cause an irregular heartbeat, allow fluid to enter the lungs, and may cause fluttering eyelids.
Swelling of brain tissues can cause seizures, coma and ultimately death unless water intake is restricted, and a hypertonic saline (salt) solution is administered.
It’s Not How Much, It’s How Fast!
The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen liters of water a day! You are unlikely to suffer from water intoxication, even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over a period, as opposed to drinking enormous volumes at a time.
So, it is possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition.
