You can die from drinking too much water

You might find it surprising, but yes, you can actually die from drinking too much water. This condition is known as “water intoxication” or “water poisoning,” and while it’s extremely rare, it’s a serious medical emergency when it does happen. So, let’s talk about how something as essential as water can turn dangerous in excessive amounts.

What Happens Normally

Normally, water is your best friend. Your body is about 60% water, and you need it for pretty much every bodily function you can think of—digesting food, circulating blood, even thinking! Your body loses water through sweat, urine, and even when you breathe, so you have to keep replenishing it by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water.

Balancing Act: Electrolytes and Water

Now, your body is like a finely tuned machine that likes balance. Along with water, you have what are called “electrolytes” in your body. These are minerals like sodium, potassium, and calcium that help your muscles work, your nerves send signals, and your cells function. When you drink water, it dilutes these electrolytes, but usually, your kidneys step in to filter out the excess water, balancing things out again.

When Things Go Wrong: Water Intoxication

But what if you drink way too much water in a short period? Well, your kidneys can only filter out about 0.8 – 1.0 liters of water per hour. Drink more than this, and you risk throwing off that delicate balance of water and electrolytes, specifically sodium, in your body.

When you drink excessive amounts of water, the sodium in your body becomes dangerously low, a condition known as “hyponatremia.” Sodium helps regulate water balance in and around cells. When you have too little sodium, water rushes into cells, causing them to swell. Most cells can manage this swelling to some extent, but neurons (your brain cells) can’t because they are encased in your rigid skull, which doesn’t allow for expansion.

The Symptoms and Risks

So, what happens next is scary. As your neurons swell, you might start experiencing symptoms like nausea, headache, confusion, seizures, and in severe cases, even coma or death. That’s because the swollen cells start pressing against the skull and interfering with brain function.

Cases Where It Happened

This condition is most often seen in situations where people are drinking large amounts of water too quickly. Some instances include athletes who drink a lot of water during events, military personnel undergoing intense training, and even college students participating in water-drinking contests.

The Takeaway

So the key takeaway here is moderation. Water is vital for you, but like anything in life, you can have too much of a good thing. It’s all about balance. If you’re thirsty, drink water. If you’re active and sweating a lot, you’ll need more water, but you also might need electrolytes to keep that balance.

Always listen to your body; it usually knows what it needs.