The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen liters of water a day, so you are unlikely to suffer from water intoxication, even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over time as opposed to intaking an enormous volume at one time. As a general guideline, most adults need about three quarts of fluid each day. Much of that water comes from food, so 8-12 eight ounce glasses a day is a common recommended intake for an active person. You may need more water if the weather is very warm or very dry, if you are exercising a lot, or if you are taking certain medications. The bottom line is this: it’s possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition. Drinking too much water increases the sodium requirement also.
Reduced Water Consumption can help with the following
Dyspepsia / Poor Digestion
Although dyspepsia is a sign of dehydration, it is generally recommended that you do not drink during a substantial meal, or from 1/2 hour before to 2 hours afterwards.
Kidney Failure
If the kidneys are not allowing the body to get rid of excess fluid, fluid intake may need to be restricted so that the kidneys don’t have to work as hard. One day’s allotment is often based on the amount of urine produced the day before. For example, someone who produces 500ml of urine in one day might be allowed to drink 500ml of fluid over the following 24 hours, and so on. Fluid restrictions are usually only used in severe cases or if the renal failure has developed into end-stage renal failure.
Glaucoma/Risk
Caution is recommended regarding excessive water consumption at one sitting. It appears to be safer to use smaller quantities throughout the day. It is well known that rapid ingestion of large volumes of fluid will increase aqueous production and cause an elevation in intraocular pressure. Perhaps patients with glaucoma should be instructed to limit their fluid intake to no more than 8 ounces per hour. [ Ophthalmology 1990; 97( 8): pp.965 -6]
Key
| May do some good |
| Likely to help |
| Highly recommended |
Glossary
Sodium
An essential mineral that our bodies regulate and conserve. Excess sodium retention increases the fluid volume (edema) and low sodium leads to less fluid and relative dehydration. The adult body averages a total content of over 100 grams of sodium, of which a surprising one-third is in bone. A small amount of sodium does get into cell interiors, but this represents only about ten percent of the body content. The remaining 57 percent or so of the body sodium content is in the fluid immediately surrounding the cells, where it is the major cation (positive ion). The role of sodium in the extracellular fluid is maintaining osmotic equilibrium (the proper difference in ions dissolved in the fluids inside and outside the cell) and extracellular fluid volume. Sodium is also involved in nerve impulse transmission, muscle tone and nutrient transport. All of these functions are interrelated with potassium.