Just to let you know that this is my first post. I don't know why I'm saying this. I guess I just want to introduce myself. I'm Darren, I'm 18, and I'm from the UK.
For many months now, I have been striving to drink at least two litres of water a day. I'm aware that "two litres a day" is the figure tossed around by a considerable number of experts. On the whole, I have managed to stick with this - although I will occasionally fall short of the two litre mark.
As I said, I have been working towards at least two litres, and for a while, I aimed much higher, at times trying to drink as much as six litres in a single day. I ought to stress now that this was not an addiction. It was (at least I think it was) an attempt to stay healthy.
However, I recently read an article in a newspaper which spoke regarding the dangers of drinking too much water. According to the article, drinking absurd amounts of water can flush vital salts and minerals out of the system, and in some cases, over-consumption of water has caused people to lapse into comas and even die.
Inevitably, I was more than a little scared, and decided that it was best to stop drinking so much. I still drink between two or three litres of water a day - obviously nowhere near as much as I used to.
Should I believe this article? Are the health risks significant? Is there anyone here who drinks a lot of water (4 litres +) regularly, and if so, have you ever experienced any side effects? Is there even any point in drinking so much water?
Yes I'm sure there are side-effects, and there's no reason at all to drink that much. So stick between 2 and 3 litres and you should be just fine. Nothing that your body can't handle has happened yet, so don't worry just don't do it again.
The dangers of over consumption of water is real and depending on your enviornment the amount can vary widely. You state you are in the UK and that is a climate not known for hot weather so unless you are engaged in heavy sweating through exercise 2L sound more than ample.
i agree with the other posters. i've experienced some pretty weird side effects from drinking massive amounts of water. i would sometimes get bad headaches and feel dizzy. i now stick to 2 litres a day and i'm fine
we may not realize this but drinking too much water puts our bodys system into overdrive...our kidneys are working on overtime....too much water can literally cause you to drown(this would be an extreme case).....never drink more than 2 litres....some people require even less... such as people who sweat very little, or eat lots of watery foods such as fruits..some people require a little more than that.. obviously people that sweat more than normal....engage in vigourous activity....who get loose stool....those who drink coffee and caffinated drinks(these drinks dehydrate you)... and those living in drier climates such as arizona. anohter way to check if you are getting enough water is looking at your urine in the toilet....it should consist of a bit of yellow but not totally clear....if it's clearly a bright yellow drink more water...beware that certain vitamins such B vitamins darken your urine.... remeber everyones body is different and no average amount can be taken to heart... listen to your body....are you thirsty??
p.s. excessive thirst may be a sign of a health problem...such as diabetes.
