You can drink too much water

Question

Drinking water can cause overhydration which can affect your brain, muscles, and heart.

Comments

Yes, you can drink too much water. Consuming excessive amounts in a short period can dilute the sodium in your blood, leading to water intoxication or hyponatremia. This condition causes your cells to swell, potentially leading to symptoms like nausea, confusion, seizures, and even fatal outcomes in severe cases. It's rare for healthy individuals but is a risk for athletes, those with certain medical conditions, or individuals overhydrating rapidly. It's best to drink when thirsty and avoid forcing water beyond quenching thirst. For details, refer to the [Cleveland Clinic article](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/water-intoxication).

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The claim “You can drink too much water” is true. When doing further research, I learned the negative effects of consuming too much of this beverage. For example, this can result in a dangerous condition, hyponatremia. This is where levels in the blood become diluted, which can ultimatlrylead to life-threatening situations (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2022). Other external sources also state other negative effects of through over consumption. These include, including headaches, nausea, swelling of some body parts, confusion, etc. Many of sources on the other hand can provide strong amounts of information for healthy consumption of water. The previosuly introduced MayoClinic Article states that 15.5 cups of fluids per day, while women should be trying  for around 11.5 cups per day (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2022). It is importnat to research different parts/sides to information, in this case, the healthy and unhealthy situations of water consumption.
Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256#:~:text=When%20you%20drink%20too%20much,it%20can%20be%20life%2Dthreatening.
https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-too-much-water-intake

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible to drink too much water. You linked an article from WebMD, which is a for-profit agency founded in 1998 that has published thousands of digital articles on health and nutrition. Healthcare professionals vet the information contained in WebMD articles, but WebMD does not claim to be an accredited medical agency (WebMD, Media Bias/Fact Check). The WebMD article that you linked claims that overhydration can lead to serious medical issues, including hyponatremia, which is a deficiency of sodium in the blood (What Happens, WebMD). This claim is reinforced by another article published by the Mayo Clinic, a non-profit medical group that has been operating for almost 150 years. The article states that hyponatremia can be caused by a number of factors, "ranging from an underlying medical condition to drinking too much water — cause the sodium in your body to become diluted" (Hyponatremia, Mayo Clinic). 

Both articles thereafter claim that hyponatremia can cause body water levels to rise and cellular swelling, which can lead to life-threatening health problems, such as brain swelling, which can cause a coma or death. These effects are also highlighted in an article by the National Kidney Foundation, which has been researching and advocating for kidney health for 75 years. The article states that more serious symptoms can occur in more severe cases of hyponatremia, including altered mental status, hallucinations, seizures, coma, and death (Hyponatremia, NKF). 

Ultimately, the claim that it is possible to drink too much water is a true statement. Excessive water consumption can lead to serious health complications due to a sodium deficiency in the blood, as stated in the WebMD article and both the NKF and Mayo Clinic articles.

Sources: 

What Happens When You Drink Too Much Water?

Hyponatremia - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

Hyponatremia - Symptoms, causes, treatment | National Kidney Foundation

WebMD - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check

Answer 2

While many may say, the more water you have, the more hydrated you will be but this may cause water intoxication. Water is good for you but it is also important to listen to your body for hydration. Don't force yourself to drink water over the recommended amount to help your hydration. The Cleveland Clinic states that symptoms of water intoxication could cause headaches, bloated stomach, drowsiness, nausea, and many more negative physical health symptoms. The claim is true. 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/water-intoxication

Answer 3

This makes sense to me, and the website gave a lot of good facts to rely on. What I really liked about the source is that it explained how too much water can be bad for you in a simple way that makes sense to the average person.

Answer 4

The claim that "you can drink too much water" is true and supported by reliable medical sources. The original source provided with the claim, WebMD, is a trusted health information site that is reviewed by doctors. Looking at their article, the author explains that drinking excessive water can lead to hyponatremia, a condition where sodium levels in your body drop too low, causing you to feel nauseous and disoriented. Looking into more about this topic, I found that multiple more reliable sources, Healthline and Verywell Health, also confirm the same dangers. In their articles, they explain that our kidneys can only process a limited amount of water per hour. Most importantly, they note that hospitals have documented cases of overhydration.

WebMD : https://www.healthline.com/health/overhydration   

Healthline: https://www.verywellhealth.com/overhydration-8690464

Answer 5

The claim "you can drink too much water" is true. Although few people think of water as being potentially fatal, research shows that drinking too much water in a short amount of time leads to water intoxication. An article by Medical News Today lists the effects of water intoxication as are headaches, nausea, vomiting, confusion, and even comas or death. According to the National Library of Medicine, the quick ingestion of extreme amounts of water disturbs the natural electrolyte balance and causes water to get into the brain. Sodium concentration is especially affected by this.

Sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1770067/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318619

Answer 6

This is actually true, but context matters a lot. Overhydration, or water intoxication, is rare and usually only occurs when someone drinks excessive amounts of water in a short time, overwhelming the kidneys’ ability to excrete it. This dilutes sodium levels in the blood (hyponatremia), which can indeed lead to swelling in the brain, muscle cramps, and even heart issues in severe cases. That said, it’s not a risk for the average person just staying hydrated this mostly affects endurance athletes or people with certain medical conditions. A good fact-check could clarify that the danger is real but very situational.

Answer 7

It is true that you can drink too much water. Drinking over a liter an hour "makes it difficult for the body to keep up healthy levels of sodium", according to virginia.edu.

https://news.med.virginia.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/8/files/2024/08/Drinking-Too-Much-Water-Can-Actually-Be-Dangerous-WSJ.pdf?r=1

Answer 8

I completely agree with you on this claim, over hydration is a real thing and can cause serious damage to peoples organs when too much liquid is consumed. In the article, "Over hydration: Types, Symptoms, and Treatments", it talks about how your kidneys could retain too much water and possible fail when over hydrated, this could lead to death or severe pain. It also talks about the way that it affect your cells and can cause inflammation.

https://www.healthline.com/health/overhydration#causes