How Water Can Murder You

It’s a well known factoid that water is essential for good health, and, you know… LIFE.

But there is a limit to how much water humans can drink, and once that limit is crossed, there’s no swimming back.

How Can Healthy, Essential Water Harm You?

Water Intoxication, also referred to as hyper hydration, water toxaemia, or water poisoning.

There is no set number indicating when you’ve drank too much water.

However, consuming more than 1 Litre per hour isn’t recommended.

Kidneys of a healthy adult can only flush 20 to 28 litres of water per day.

If you drink more than 1 litre of water per hour, your kidneys struggle to keep up.

The first symptoms of water intoxication include head pain, cramping, spasms, weakness, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and fatigue.

In severe cases, water intoxication leads to seizures, and loss of consciousness.

As fluid build in the body, all cells, including brain cells, begin to swell.

Swelling in the brain can lead to comas, seizures, and death if left untreated.

The skull shields brain cells and cerebrospinal fluid.

Cells swell due to hyponatremia, occurring when water dilutes sodium in your bloodstream.

A Water Drinking Contest Gone Wrong

In 2007, a 28 year old California woman, Jennifer Strange, died competing in a radio station’s on air water drinking contest: “Hold Your Wee for a Wii”

Drinking massive amounts of water alone does not lead to hyponatremia.

The hypothalamus releases Vasopressin during times of physical stress.

Vasopressin is an antidiuretic hormone instructing the kidneys to conserve water.

Vasopressin paired with increased water intake causes cell swelling and if left untreated, could result in death.