Too much water? Check out the health risks of overhydration

Whether it's the latest award-winning Stanley cup or that 10-year-old plastic bottle you can't live without, “emotional support water bottles” seem to be stuck at our side and not going anywhere.

The term for the self-care accessory has been circulating on social media with the hashtag #emotionalsupportwaterbottle in more than 18,000 posts on TikTok and thousands on Instagram. The catchphrase seems to embody how most people feel about their faithful companion who never leaves their sight.

Always having a sip of water by your side can be great for reminding yourself to stay hydrated, but sometimes clinging to a bottle of water can lead to a fixation on hydration that can have serious health consequences if taken too far. too much, according to medical experts.

“It's not easy to overload the kidneys,” said Dr. Kambiz Kalantari, a nephrologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “But there are situations where people become obsessed with drinking water. We are talking about 10, 15 liters that overload the kidneys.”

Here are some tips on how Assess how much water you need to drink and what can happen when the hydration habit becomes excessive.

Reaching hyperhydration is difficult, but possible

How much water a person should drink per day is an age-old question that has no single answer – it depends on factors such as the person's health, size, location and types of activities in a day.

The National Academy of Medicine recommends 3.7 liters of water per day for men and 2.7 liters for women, which represents water intake from all foods and beverages throughout the day, while many follow the common advice of drinking 8 glasses of water per day (1.9 liters), which is easy to remember and typically keeps a person well hydrated, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Some people may need to drink less, while others may need more, the clinic adds. There is no need to force yourself to drink more water than you are thirsty for, or carry a bottle of water, unless you are planning to exercise or spend time outdoors exposed to heat, which can cause loss of energy. liquids through sweat, Kalantari said.

If a person drinks a lot of water, in most cases, the kidneys would excrete the excess fluid, causing the person to urinate a lot, Kalantari said. If the kidneys are unable to excrete excess water, whether due to a chronic condition such as kidney disease or being extremely overworked, this is when problems arise and may require a trip to the hospital in critical cases.

There are also limits to how much fluid the kidneys are able to excrete if a person hasn't eaten enough that day, Kalantari said. For most people, drinking enough water to fill two 1.2-liter water bottles in 10 hours will create a safe range for avoiding dehydration and overhydration, said Dr. Ryan Bober, an internal medicine specialist at Cedars. -Sinai in Los Angeles.

“If you start to get to the point where you don't really have a thirst mechanism – you feel like you're forcing down the rest of whatever sip you have left in the bottle, you've started to have problems with how easily you swallow the water – then you kind of reach to the limit of overhydration,” said Bober.

Water intoxication

Water intoxication occurs when there is so much liquid that the excess cannot be removed through sweating or urine and causes hyponatremia, a condition in which the level of sodium in the blood is below normal.

In addition to excessive urination, symptoms of water intoxication can include feelings of irritation, lethargy, increased distraction or confusion, vomiting, nausea and, in most critical cases, seizures and coma or even death, Bober said.

Typically, mild cases of overhydration – which occur from drinking too much water in a short period of time or drinking too much water over a few days, such as 2 to 3 liters in an hour or 10 liters in a day – can be resolved when the person stop drinking so much water, as your kidneys will excrete the excess within a few days, Bober said.

Actress Brooke Shields experienced the condition in September when she had a seizure after drinking too much water. Shields went to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with low blood sodium and a doctor prescribed a treatment plan. Researchers have also theorized that martial artist and actor Bruce Lee died from hyponatremia, according to a March 2022 study. The report cited the actor's “chronic high fluid intake,” marijuana use that can increase thirst, and taking prescription medications and alcohol that can affect the kidneys.

Benefits of staying hydrated

Staying hydrated is important to maintain the proper functioning of bodily functions, such as the urinary and digestive tract and the circulatory system, which pumps blood to the heart. Hydration can also help you feel more energized, improve your mood, and strengthen your attention span and short-term memory.

Drinking more water is often a weight loss goal. In moderation, drinking water before meals can help fill the stomach and make people feel fuller and, in turn, eat less, Bober said.

Drinking water when thirsty can activate dopamine-related pathways, giving people a pleasurable response, Bober said. But without moderation, an over-reliance on the feel-good chemical dose could be the factor that leads to an increase in water intake and overhydration. And in situations that can have a serious impact on mental health, such as social isolation or chronic stress and anxiety, the pathways can change in such a way that the pleasure response can still be activated even at levels approaching hyperhydration. she added.

The emotional support water bottle has its advantages, but even drinking water needs to be in moderation — and the reusable bottle should be cleaned regularly, Bober said.