What will happen if I consume too much water?

What will happen if I consume too much water?

Up to a quart of fluid can be excreted by healthy kidneys every hour. Overdosing on alcohol can be harmful to your health.

 

I understand how crucial it is to be hydrated, but what happens if I consume a lot of water at once? Is it possible to overindulge in alcohol?

 

The effects of drinking a lot of water vary depending on your health, what you're doing at the time, and how much you consider to be "too much."

Simply having to urinate more frequently to get rid of the extra water is the most likely result.

However, it is possible to overdo it. Up to a quart of fluid can be excreted by healthy kidneys every hour. If you consume more than that, your body will retain the extra water, which can be dangerous for your health and result in hyponatremia. When blood salt levels fall below 130 mEq/L, more severe forms of hyponatremia can induce increasing neurological symptoms such confusion, disorientation, seizures, and coma as well as more serious symptoms like brain swelling.

 

 

An individual who took part in a radio competition in California in 2007 where the winner was determined by how much they could consume before having to urinate died from hyponatremia. The contender apparently drank about two gallons of water in two hours, which is definitely more than her kidneys could process—roughly two quarts, or a half gallon, over that time. Students have also perished as a result of drinking too much water while participating in fraternity hazing practises.

But it's vital to keep in mind that these are made-up scenarios that the majority of people will never encounter.

 

Your body controls how much water you consume.

 

You must be aware of how our bodies control the amount of water they contain in order to comprehend why this is unlikely to occur in your everyday life. Both thirst and the hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP, commonly known as anti-diuretic hormone) secreted by the pituitary gland regulate the amount of water in the body.

On a hot summer day, perspiration loss from being outside leads to progressive dehydration. AVP, which travels to the kidneys and instructs them to conserve water, is released by the brain in response to changes in blood concentration, most notably a rise in salt. As a result, only very little urine is evacuated; it also darkens in colour and becomes highly concentrated.

 

However, there comes a time when the concentration of urine is insufficient to stop dehydration. Higher brain centres become active to arouse thirst at that point.

The brain detects dehydration and excessive water consumption through opposite changes in blood concentration, primarily decreased sodium. The inhibition of AVP secretion signals the kidneys to release more water. The extra water is then expelled in a significant amount as very pale-colored, diluted pee.

 

You won't be thirsty either. However, that isn't particularly useful: We don't typically hydrate ourselves while we're thirsty. Instead, we often choose our liquids based on flavour (like my daughter's fondness of Diet Coke), the necessity to drink alongside solid foods, and desired side effects (like those of coffee and alcohol, for example).

However, there are some situations and behaviours that might restrict how much urine the kidneys produce and your risk of developing hyponatremia. Among these include illnesses like the syndrome of improper antidiuretic hormone secretion, drugs like diuretics and antidepressants, as well as exercise and nausea.