The 10 Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Water
There have been serious cases where excess water consumption has led to death. You may have been advised to drink more and more water, but the result can be fatal when you ignore your actual bodily needs. The phenomenon is called water intoxication . Then check out, The 10 Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Water.
Causes hyponatremia: The sodium content in the blood influences the functioning of electrolytes. These electrolytes are responsible for sending signals to the cells that control various body operations. When you consume a lot of water , sodium levels in your blood decrease. This stops the electrolytes from sending signals to the cells.
Hyponatremia is a disease caused due to insufficient levels of sodium in the blood. When the sodium level drops below 135 mm per litre, it causes the cells to swell. The symptoms of this disease involve nausea, vomiting, fatigue, excessive urination, disorientation and headache.
Overloads the Heart: The Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Water but Fatal and What Happens to the Heart When you consume too much water , it increases the volume of blood within your body. The increase in blood volume puts unnecessary pressure on the blood vessels and the heart, leading to seizure in some cases.
Causes damage to the glomeruli: The glomeruli are capillary beds in our kidneys. They function as a filtering station to excrete excess water from the body. The large amount of water can potentially damage this system, leading to serious health risks. The kidneys have to work overtime to process all this unnecessary water that is beyond their normal filtering capacity (1,000 ml per hour).
Causes Swelling of Cells: As the blood is thinned due to excess water , the concentration of electrolytes in the blood becomes lower than in the cells. To maintain a balance in the concentration of electrolytes in the blood and cells, water begins to flow into the cells. This results in the swelling of the cells, which is a dangerous condition and one of the Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Water.
Causes Brain Edema: This is the swelling of brain cells. It’s as dangerous as it looks. Most cells in our body have a lot of room to stretch out. But the bones in our skull don’t leave much room for brain cellsto be accommodated freely. When excess water in the blood vessels starts to leak into the brain cells , it causes the brain cells to swell . This leads to severe conditions which include coma, brainstem hernia and respiratory attack.
Potassium Depletion: Potassium is an essential nutrient for your body and you must maintain its proper levels. But sometimes too much water causes a high concentration of potassium. This can cause problems like irritation, chest pain, leg pain, etc.
Causes stomach irritation: Sometimes drinking too much water leads to an imbalance in electrolytes. This imbalance leads to stomach irritation. It is also a preliminary stage of hyponatremia.
Liver Problems: Here, it is important to note that this problem is not caused by merely drinking too much water. On the contrary, it happens by drinking a lot of water with iron in it. Iron overload isn’t exactly harmful, but in rare cases it can cause liver-related problems.
Risks of Ingesting Chlorine: Most drinking water is treated with chlorine for purification. Over the years, it has been proven that overdosing chlorine through water causes serious illnesses like cancer or organ dysfunction. So when you drink water, even bottled water, you are prone to these risks.
Urinating Frequently: Direct Urine and One of the Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Water When you drink a lot of water at once, it is normal that you suffer from excessive urination or urination frequently. Your body has its own volume absorption and response mechanism. Drinking too much water instantly causes you to fail to absorb the fluid. Thus, frequent urination occurs.
Warning: These are the side effects caused by drinking too much water . If you experience any of these symptoms, you should quickly see a doctor. Do not try to correct the situation by suddenly reducing your water intake. This can also have harmful effects on your kidneys.