davegtt

Drinking water and lots of it at the minute, now I seem to remember a thread about health not so long ago and some1 mentioned 2.5ltrs is the recommended intake but Ive also read u can drink too much of the stuff. now already today Ive filled my 75cl bottle 6 times and if I am using my maths correctly that should be 4.5ltrs???? and no doubt Id be having a couple more pints (of water, I dont drink lager in the week unless we have visitors or a special occasion) tonight

Ive found that Im going to the toilet at least once an hour for a pi55 which is becoming annoying considering I have to walk through the office and every1 knows Im off to the bogs, they much think I have a problem...lol

Where should I be looking to draw the line?

p.s Im sure Im putting the weight on drinking this stuff no doubt the woman will blame the beers and pizza at weekends

Cheers

Fosters

between 2 and 3 ltrs is recommended.

TelBoy

On my bottle of Evian, it says 70% of people who drink one litre a day (of Evian, naturally), enjoy all sorts of benefits, from smoother skin, better complexion and so on. Plus it's good for the kidneys. *Can* you drink too much water? Doubt it, unless you're attempting the Guinness Book of Records.

mad_dr

Yep - you can drink too much water and become overhydrated - I believe that this leads to a dilution of the salts etc in your body and can cause problems. I don't know any specifics I'm afraid. I usually get through about 4 litres a day and I don't seem to suffer, but then I am very active so sweat out a couple of pints of it a day!

16vmarc

I drink about 3 pints a day. Im sure i read you should drink around 6 but thats irresponsible surely...

super_si

you can drink too much actually, water poisioning. water takes over all the minerals in the body and you collapse

I aim for a gallon a day, roughly a pint sipped every hour

S

davegtt

So its not gonna put weight on by drinking alot of the stuff? also I heard that you can drink yourself into some sort of drowning state, not that I think I could ever drink that much (unless it was stella ) but just wondered if it can have any bad effects on the bladder and stuff like that?

its nice to drink it on a monday though to filter out all the alcohol over the weekend but on a serious note 75% of the reason I drink it is its supposed to be good for the joints and helps prevent stuff like RSI and I must admit my fingers dont hurt HALF as much as they used to do typing away on the computer

OllyK

Yes you can drink too much water, that's been half the problem with the Exstacy related deaths of late, people drinking water to make sure they don't de-hydrate and over doing it. The body is a pretty finely balanced machine and you shouldn't overdo anything. Yes in general if you are healthy your body will purge excess fluid by sending you to the gents on a regular basis, however, you can end up overworking your kidneys to the point where they can't cope.

ajm

Yes you can! You can literally water down your blood to the point of coma!

Edit: Beat me to it Olly!

Richard Askew

Dave - have you suddenly just found the "need" to drink water ie constant thirst? If so you may need a diabetes check...

...or you've got rabies

...as someone whos nearly drowned, the answer is yes LOL

TelBoy

How much is this "too much"??

Surely your stomach can only hold, say, 10 pints at a push? Surely *that* wouldn't drown you??

OllyK

How long is a piece of string?? In general work on the 2.5-3 litres approach unless you are considerably larger or smaller than average, in which case adjust accordingly.

ajm

The problem isn't drowning, its watering down the electrolytes in the blood. Ten pints in your stomach probably wouldn't cause much of a problem as most would come out the other end pretty quick before being absorbed. I think it is sustained drinking of water over a longer period of time that causes the problem as more absorption takes place.

TelBoy

Oooh. They don't tell you THAT do they?!

I'm assuming this takes a *monumental* water-drinking effort to achieve though, no?

davegtt

wow u lot sort of scared me a little so I had a search on google and come up with this VERY interesting info

"In fact, drinking too much water can cause a serious condition characterized by a lack of salt in the blood, leading to water imbalance and water build-up in the brain. Hyponatraemia actually means low (hypo) sodium (natr) levels in the body.
Water is essential for many chemical reactions in the body and is needed for bodily excretions. It also helps regulate body temperature, transports water-soluble vitamins, and gives tissues their structure. In fact, the body is about 60% water, and many of our organs are mostly water. However, water requirements vary according to environment, exercise, medications, kidney health, and food intake. Drink too much and the benefits may be outweighed by the diluting of salts within your body. While drinking eight cups may not do any harm, it is unnecessary for most people and can put an increased strain on the kidneys if done too quickly.
The symptoms of hyponatraemic encephalopathy are similar to those of dehydration, including nausea, vomiting, and confusion. Therefore, people with symptoms may think that they need to drink still more, but further water consumption can lead to seizures, delirium, coma and death.
Dr. Ruth Kava, Director of Nutrition at the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), thinks that the origin of "eight cups a day" may be a misinterpretation of statements in physiology textbooks about total bodily fluid requirements being eight cups per day. This "fluid" however, can come from food, drink, and metabolism byproducts, not necessarily from drinking eight cups of water.
The eight cups dictum typically leaves foods out of the equation and focuses on drinking actual cups of water.
Foods contribute a substantial amount of water to the diet, as 90% of the weight of some fruits and vegetables is accounted for by water. Water is found in some surprising places. Yogurt, salmon, eggs, and potatoes are about 75% water, and four ounces of broiled salmon provides about one half cup of water.
What does all this information mean for ordinary people? Do not stop drinking water. Our bodies do need it, especially in the hot summer months when we perspire more. But if you find that eight cups of water sends you to the bathroom frequently, by all means drink less. According to the ACSH, there is no need to have a universal requirement, since everybody has different water needs. We don't have a universal calorie requirement and the same should hold true for water.
To determine the amount of water in various food types, log on to the USDA site designed specifically to provide that information.
Don't start drinking an extra gallon of water a day - that can kill you, especially if you are fasting or eating very little. Water taken in must be in balance with body salt - electrolytes. The body needs to maintain salt balance or risk hyponatremia with heart attack and even death. Drinking too much water dilutes the salt in your blood and tissues - and can kill you. Healthy athletes have died from drinking too much plain water and not replacing salt. Dieters should not plunge into drinking gallons of water a day in hopes of burning a few more calories. Drink an extra few glasses, yes. But a gallon is too much"

link is here :- http://agriculture.about.com/cs/education/a/073103.htm

a gallon is too much

ajm

In practise I'm not sure what it would take. I would have thought you'd have to be drinking pretty much constantly, although it would depend on blood volume person to person.

OllyK

I don't know that there are any readility available figures, but as mentioned, drinking a lot, over a long period of time may lead to problems. If you are being physically active then you will be able to (and indeed need to) consume more as you will be sweating.

Just because 2-3L is good for you, doesn't mean that 4-6l is twice as good for you. Stiick with 2-3l as a base line, drink more if you are active or in very hot conditions, but don't force yourself to drink unless you know you are getting dehydrated, be comfortable

Iwan

I remember reading a general rule of thumb once, if your pi$$ has any colour to it then you aren't drinking enough (water).

Muffleman

Then add in the need to go for a pee every 6 seconds !!!

I'm trying to drink more water at the mo - I could probably enter fireman trials, without the engine !!!

Er, back in a min.................................

Hammy Hamster

I thought it was okay to drink as much water as you like, until last year, when I heard about an actor luvvy who drank too much water.

BBC news story.