There’s nothing like a glass of cold water to quench your thirst during those hot summer days. As Albert Szent-Gyorgyi put it beautifully “Water is the most extraordinary substance! Practically all its properties are anomalous, which enabled life to use it as building material for its machinery.” But did you know that drinking too much water can kill you? Have you ever heard of water intoxication?
The human body is formed of 66% of water. We get water from food and drink. Water escapes the body through sweat, urination, defecation and even exhaled breath. Over the years, I’ve heard many recommendations about how much water to drink daily. The most common one plastered all over the internet is to drink two litres a day. However, there is no scientific study that backs up this myth. The amount of water required depends on your body, the current temperature and what you are doing.
Consuming a large amount of water in a short period of time can cause Hyponatremia. Severe cases of hyponatremia can lead to water intoxication, an illness whose symptoms include headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, frequent urination and mental disorientation.
The kidney controls the amount of water, salts and other nutrients in the body. If it cannot flush out the water fast enough, too much water is released in the blood and other cells. Most cells can stretch and cope with the excess water. However, this is not the case for neurons as brain cells are tightly packaged inside the skull. This can lead to brain swelling, which manifests as seizures, coma, respiratory arrest, brain stem herniation and death.
It is very rare to accidentally consume too much water. Athletes, especially Marathon runners, are more susceptible to suffer from water intoxication. In 2003, Anthony Andrews, a British actor survived a case of water intoxication after consuming about eight litres of water a day. He was unconscious and in intensive care for three days. Most cases of water intoxication that have been reported were caused by people being forced to drink water either as part of a ritual, punishment or just for fun. In 2007, a woman died after drinking about six litres of water in three hours as part of a “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” challenge.
As Leonardo Da Vinci said “Water is the driving force of all nature”. Drinking too much of it has the potential of driving you to the grave.
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