Drinking sufficient water is extremely important to ensure that your body functions smoothly. However, too much of anything can be bad for your health, with water being no exception. Many people are unaware of the fact that drinking too much water within a short span of time can be life-threatening. Water is good for rehydration but exceeding the permissible amount can lead to water intoxication. In severe cases, over consumption of water can lead to death. Drinking excessive amount of water, in fact, puts extra pressure on your body. The blog discusses some of the side effects of drinking excess water. Read on.
Table of Contents
Effects of Drinking Too Much Water
Drinking excess water can cause following health problems:
1. Causes Hyponatremia
One of the main side effects of drinking excess water is it leads to hyponatremia, which is also known as water intoxication. Hyponatremia is a diseases which occurs when you have insufficient amount of sodium in your body. When you drink too much water, the sodium level in the blood decreases drastically. Low sodium prevents the electrolytes in your body from sending signal to your cells. When your sodium level falls below 135 mm per litre, you cells start swelling. Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, excessive urination are some of the common symptoms of hyponatremia.
2. Causes Insomnia
Drinking excessive amount of water, especially during the end of the day, will disturb your sleep cycle. Your brains release anti-diuretic hormone (ADH), when you fall asleep. The hormone helps in slowing down the kidney function and also decreases the urge of urinating at night. Drinking three to four glasses of water in the evening will hamper the effect of ADH, fill your bladder and as a result, you will need to get up at frequent intervals to urinate. As a result, it is advisable to go for a warm bath before going to bed, which increases sweating and also dehydrates you slightly.
Also Read: Effects of Drinking Less Water on Your Body
3. Cause Excessive Sweating
If you suffer from excessive sweating, over hydration may one of the main reasons. Over hydration is directly related to excessive sweating which is also known as hyperhidrosis. Some of the people suffer from severe hyperhidrosis that they consider removing the sweat glands. When you drink too much water, your body starts sweating excessively to remove extra water from your body. You will notice that your sweating reduces to a great extent when you reduce the consumption of water.
4. Damages the Glomeruli
Glomeruli is the capillary bed of your kidneys. The main function of glomeruli is to filter excess water from your body. Drinking too much water damages the glomeruli and leads to serious health hazards. The normal filtering capacity of your kidneys is 1000ml per hour. Anything more than this limit makes your kidney work extra hard to remove the excess water from your body, thereby damaging your glomeruli.
5. Leads to Brain Edema
Brain edema is a condition when the brain cells start swelling. The cells in our body have sufficient space to stretch. However, the flat bones don’t provide sufficient space to your brain cells. When you drink excess water, the blood vessels seep into the brain cells and lead to swelling. When the brain cells swell up, it can lead to respiratory attack or brainstem herniation.
6. Reduces Potassium Level
Potassium is an essential nutrient in your body and as a result it is necessary to maintain the right level. However, drinking excess water lowers the level of potassium in your body. Lower levels of potassium can lead to various problems such as chest pain, leg pain and irritation.
7. Too much Irritation
Another side effect of drinking too much water is too much urination. Your body can absorb a limited amount of water. Drinking too much water makes it difficult for your body to absorb excess fluid and this leads to frequent urination.
You May Also Read: A Guide To Calculate How Much Water To Drink In A Day
Last Few Words
Those were some of the side effects of drinking too much water. If you notice any of these symptoms, consult a doctor immediately. Don’t make the mistake of reducing your water consumption to improve the situation. Reducing water consumption can prove to be detrimental to your health. Follow your doctor’s advice to ensure that the situation doesn’t worsen.