Drinking Too Much Water? Here is how To Know if you are

How To Know If You Are Drinking Too Much Water

Signs that you are drinking too much water

Drinking too much water! Water is essential for your life and well-being. But drinking too much of it (overhydration) can lead to water intoxication. This, in turn, can lead to hyponatremia and impaired brain function.

Wondering how to tell when you are drinking too much water?

Here is how To Know if you are Drinking Too Much Water

1. You Always Have A Bottle Of Water With You

Do you always carry a bottle of water with you wherever you go and quickly refill it as soon as the water in the bottle is over? You might think that constantly sipping water is helping you, but actually, it is not. It is depleting the electrolytes in your body, leading to further complications.

2. You Are Not Thirsty, But you Still Drink Water

You read somewhere that you should drink 3-4 liters of water per day, and you started forcing yourself to drink this quantity. But did you know that your food also contains water? When you force yourself to drink 3-4 liters of water per day, you are actually drinking way more than your body needs. This might result in overhydration.

3. You Think Clear Urine Is A Sign Of Good Health

Do you keep drinking water until the color of your urine is clear? Well, the sign of a healthy body is pale yellow urine. Clear urine is an indication that you drank too much water, and there is an electrolyte imbalance in your body.

4. You Frequently Urinate In The Day And At Night

Do you find yourself running to the bathroom every 30 minutes or so? Do you often wake up in the night to use the bathroom? It could be because you are overhydrated.

5. You Experience Headaches

Both overhydration and dehydration can cause headache. When you drink too much water, your cells swell up and grow. Your brain cells also get affected the same way, and your brain starts to push against the skull. As a result, you experience a constant headache.

6. You Feel Nauseous

Too much water in your body might hinder your kidney function. This means that your kidneys will get tired and stop flushing out water from the body. This leads to the feeling of nausea and vomiting.

7. Swelling And Discoloration Of The Hands, Feet, And Lips

Drinking too much water can also lead to swelling of the lips, hands, and feet. Since your kidneys are not functioning properly, your body will retain the excess water. You will also gain weight suddenly due to water retention in the body.

8. You Experience Muscle Weakness

Frequent muscle cramping and weakness are two other signs of overhydration. This happens because the electrolyte balance in the body is hampered. To keep your electrolyte levels up, you can drink coconut water instead of just water.

9. You Are Tired

When your kidneys constantly function to help flush out the excess water, your body is stressed out. This impacts how you feel in general. You will feel tired and fatigued if you drink too much water.
How much water should you drink per day? Let’s find out next.

How Much Water Should you Drink Per Day?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the daily fluid intake varies and depends on the person’s age, sex, medical conditions, and daily activity. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends women to drink 2.7 liters (91 oz) of total water (from all food and beverages) and men to drink a total of 3.7 liters (125 oz). Scientists from the Netherlands recommend 2.2 liters of water for women and 3 liters for men per day.

It is clear that it is not true that everyone should drink 3-4 liters of water every day. You must talk to your doctor and restrict your daily water intake to a maximum of 3 liters. Or, use the following calculator to find out your daily water intake.

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