Over-hydration is definitely a thing! Learn how much water you really need and what you can do to ensure you aren’t drinking too much water.
This post may be a tad shorter than my usual 1000+ word posts, but that’s only because life happened. Life like that cute little kitten of mine gnawing on my laptop cord resulting in some kind of electrical thing that killed my charger. We’re typing fast here people! This may or may not delight you depending on how well you enjoy my typical posts. 
Hey you lovely party people! It’s Friday! That means the weekend and for some people it also means relaxing. It could also mean getting your workout on (did I just say that? word, bro.).
It’s also the first Friday of the month meaning the day of the Did You Know link-up hosted on three different blogs! Check out more about the Did You Know link-up here!
Is it possible to drink too much water?
A very common misconception having to do with health and fitness is that you need to be guzzling water all the time. You hear people talk about how they are trying to drink more water and as a result, are spending half of the day in the bathroom.
Now I’m not gonna lie..Dave would probably say I use the bathroom excessively (but that’s because he NEVER uses it!), but I try to only sip water randomly and only really take big drinks when I’m thirsty.
Drinking water is one of those things that should be intuitive, but of course we’ve gone and complicated it by quantifying how much water we should be drinking each day. Sometimes when we try to drink enough, we end up drinking too much water.
And yes, it is possible to drink too much water. Why is that?
Why is it possible to drink too much water?
Have you ever heard the phrase “too much of a good thing is bad?” Well, the same principle applies here. Over-doing it on water means that the sodium in your body will become off-balance with the water..which is not a good thing!
What is over-hydration?
When you over-hydrate, you are drinking so much water that your kidney’s aren’t able to get rid of it. This results in an imbalance between the sodium and water in your body. The technical term for this is hyponatremia. This can also happen when your body decides to retain water.
What are the dangers of drinking too much water?
Low sodium in the blood can lead to:
- nausea and vomitting
- headaches (this definitely happens to me sometimes)
- foggy thinking
- muscle cramping
- seisures
- fainting
- coma
- death
How can we prevent over-hydration?
I would say simply listening to your body. Do you feel thirsty? Does your skin feel dry? Then drink some water! You should also note that there is lots of water in fruits and veggies so those definitely count as your water intake. You should also keep in mind that the rule of thumb when exercising vigorously is to start replacing electrolytes after 60 minutes, sooner if you are out in the hot sun.
Although it’s tough to say how much water each individual needs, a good rule of thumb is to never drink more than a liter of water in an hour.
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Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/water-intoxication
http://www.healthline.com/health/overhydration#Symptoms4
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Eat and move happy! 
Tell me…. Are you always in the bathroom? Have you ever been over-hydrated?
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“Dave would probably say I use the bathroom excessively (but that’s because he NEVER uses it!)” <—hahah this is the story of my life!!!!! I don't know if I drink too much water but I know Jason thinks I do 🙂
Bahaha I’m glad I’m not the only one with such disproportionate bathroom breaks as my boyfriend! I think we secretly (or sometimes not so secretly) judge each other lol.
It is always possible to have too much of a good thing! People hear something is perceived as good and just don’t know when to stop sometimes. Interesting post with some really helpful info! Thanks, Amanda.
Yes some people have such extreme personalities! I will admit I probably overdo it sometimes but usually when I’m talking a lot (like at the cafe) and my mouth gets dry so I chug water constantly. Or running in the heat! The headaches tell me to stop or switch to something with electrolytes! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed this post, lady!
Being dehydrated all the time, it’s hard to imagine being over-hydrated. But I can see that it could happen. Moderation is the key! Thanks for your post.
Oh yes dehydration is definitely a bad thing as well!
So true! I think people sometimes don’t realize that you can overdue ANYTHING, even something as simple as water. I always say anything too little or too much can be bad. BALANCE is everything.
Yes!! Exactly, Emily! Good to have an RD back up my post! 😉
My husband is after me all the time about this. He worries all the time that I could drink too much water. I drink a lot, but I am peeing all day. So I don’t think I’m hurting myself. Def something to watch out for.
Maybe alternate between water and some sort of water with electrolytes so that your sodium doesn’t get thrown off?