Too much water is bad

[timewerx]

Lessons we learned in the past few years on hydration.

Drinking too much water can:

- Significantly raise blood pressure. When you should normally be at 110/70 blood pressure, over-hydrating can send the blood pressure soaring to 140/85 and beyond.
- Lead to low levels of electrolytes and cause symptoms similar to nutrient deficiency.
- Inefficient digestion of food because too much fluids in the gut and the body will dilute the acid used in digestion. You get less nutrients from food than otherwise. The poorly digested food might also lead to poor quality of gut microbiota. You can at least avoid drinking any liquids while eating during meals. Save all the drinking until you're done eating all the solid foods.
- Some of these symptoms may trigger the hunger response (from poor digestion and low electrolytes) and cause you to eat more or make it more difficult to control calorie intake.

Why people over-hydrate? Everyone is saying to drink specific (relatively fixed) quantities of water each day but not everyone have the same hydration needs. The negative consequences of over-hydrating isn't being told enough and only few knows about it. It leads to unnecessary expenses to over-hydrate mostly from causing you to eat more or get medications and supplements you otherwise won't be needing if you're drinking just the right amount of water (not too much).

I prefer looking at the color of my urine and only drink when thirsty to make sure I don't over-hydrate.

 

[KevinT]

This reminds me of the movie Idiocracy, where drinking water is seen as a bad thing.

I was taught that the daily intake of water should be about 1.5L. The MayoClinic site references a study that is much higher than that, and I seriously doubt a sane person could drink as much water as they are recommending.

Too much water can lead to water intoxication, and it can lead to seizures or even death.

I think @timewerx 's approach to monitoring urine color to be a reasonable approach. EDIT: however, urine color can lag behind. So someone could drink enough water to suffer water intoxication before the kidneys have a chance to dump the excess free water.

KT

 

[Lost4words]

My bowl is always empty!!!!

 

[timewerx]

This reminds me of the movie Idiocracy, where drinking water is seen as a bad thing.

I know that is not what you mean but other readers who are too lazy to read my long post might think I'm actually suggesting a stupid and dangerous idea not to drink water.

I was taught that the daily intake of water should be about 1.5L. The MayoClinic site references a study that is much higher than that, and I seriously doubt a sane person could drink as much water as they are recommending.

I drink just under 1.5L (with 1.5 to 2 hr exercise everyday in tropical climate) to maintain a urine color of slightly yellow (good hydration status) for the whole day.

Mayo clinic suggests 3.7 liters for males in colder temperate climate where you'll be sweating less and probably with physical activity that is most likely to be averaging less than I do per week.

3.7 liters would be excessive in my case and gives me symptoms of low electrolyte levels as well as blood pressure that could exceed 140/85.

BUT maybe the right amount for people who eat large quantities of meat, junk food, and sweets everyday and with some alcohol thrown in. To take out all the poison coming from a bad diet and overeating.

In other words, there really is no "one size fits all" min quantity of water for proper hydration. It depends on a multitude of factors but mostly depending on your diet and level of physical activity.

I think @timewerx 's approach to monitoring urine color to be a reasonable approach. EDIT: however, urine color can lag behind. So someone could drink enough water to suffer water intoxication before the kidneys have a chance to dump the excess free water.

It has worked for me for years.

If your urine color says you might be dehydrated, you might drink too little or too much water to compensate. Eventually, by trial and error, experimentation, and experience, you'll be able to determine just the right amount of water you need to drink to compensate and finally, maintain consistent urine color. You can still get dehydrated from time to time, for example, attending a party where they served lots of meat, sweets, and alcohol, you did a longer and harder exercise session, It got really hot on a certain day so it would be good if you know just the right amount to drink if you're dehydrated.

The goal is NOT to keep your urine colorless but slightly yellow. A colorless urine can't tell you if you're either well hydrated or over-hydrated.

 

[KevinT]

I know that is not what you mean but other readers who are too lazy to read my long post might think I'm actually suggesting a stupid and dangerous idea not to drink water.

It was not my intent to criticize your original post. Sorry!

KT

 

[timewerx]

It was not my intent to criticize your original post. Sorry!

KT

That's okay, no need to apologize, I know you're just trying to add humor to the thread.

 

[Aaron112]

Drinking too much water can:
- Significantly raise blood pressure. When you should normally be at 110/70 blood pressure, over-hydrating can send the blood pressure soaring to 140/85 and beyond.

Noting first like a footnote for all the following: that tap water today often contains enough toxins to make anyone sick......

In books of cures known for hundreds of years, drinking more water (filtered or distilled) can and often does lower blood pressure towards a healthier number in concert with all other measures.

- Lead to low levels of electrolytes and cause symptoms similar to nutrient deficiency.

Not at all likely, if even possible, if the diet otherwise is sufficient. Perhaps include a pinch of sea salt daily (not table salt, that is a major cause of illness since wwII or earlier) .

- Inefficient digestion of food because too much fluids in the gut and the body will dilute the acid used in digestion. You get less nutrients from food than otherwise. The poorly digested food might also lead to poor quality of gut microbiota. You can at least avoid drinking any liquids while eating during meals. Save all the drinking until you're done eating all the solid foods.

Actually drinking a glass of clean water (filtered or distilled) with a meal may prevent gerd.
Antacids have cause so much diseases since they started being sold and used medically, it is practically immeasurable. Many in lawsuits because of serious health problems with purple.

- Some of these symptoms may trigger the hunger response (from poor digestion and low electrolytes) and cause you to eat more or make it more difficult to control calorie intake.

Actually drinking clean water and/or lemonaide/lemon juice often helps maintain healthy diet.
If following Jesus, no need to consider , to count, nor to even think about calorie intake.

Why people over-hydrate? Everyone is saying to drink specific (relatively fixed) quantities of water each day but not everyone have the same hydration needs. The negative consequences of over-hydrating isn't being told enough and only few knows about it.

Only few know about a problem that only a few experience.

 

[timewerx]

Noting first like a footnote for all the following: that tap water today often contains enough toxins to make anyone sick......

In books of cures known for hundreds of years, drinking more water (filtered or distilled) can and often does lower blood pressure towards a healthier number in concert with all other measures.

We have water filtration at home for drinking water that uses cleanable ceramic filter and mineral filter.

Actually drinking a glass of clean water (filtered or distilled) with a meal may prevent gerd.
Antacids have cause so much diseases since they started being sold and used medically, it is practically immeasurable. Many in lawsuits because of serious health problems with purple.

I drink 1 glass of milk with my meals and then 1/2 glass of water immediately after each meal.

But nothing in between meals and I only eat 2 meals / day. This means I only drink 3.5 glass of water each day (includes water in my food and beverage because if we're only talking about pure water then I'm only drinking 1 glass of pure water each day!) and I also exercise a little over 2 hrs /day on average 7 days each week.

Never had gerd and I'm in my mid forties now. So maybe any beverage, not just water works just fine.

This is something I'd like to discuss. I'm drinking far less fluids than is recommended and my weekly exercise volume is well above average, in fact, my exercise volume is well within the weekly volumes professional athletes do and I don't drink fluids even in 5 hr cycling ride in the mountains in 100F heat.

I've been doing this for a year now without a single problem. In fact my blood pressure now is lower than when I used to drink more water (I'm already doing high exercise volume back then).

I've been med-free for four years now even long before I dramatically reduced fluid intake, the last meds I took was antibiotics and vaccine for Covid. The current situation did not change anything. Ironically, I'm having far less headaches now than before. Before I'd experience headaches if I stop taking caffeine for a week. Not anymore. I also became stricken with flu, the first time ever without any headaches. Flu without headache is an incredible experience. Almost the same feeling you get when drinking wine but without the guilt and without hangover and the dreams are quite exciting.

Anyway I don't recommend any of these that I'm doing. I'm just trying to debunk some "myths". Apparently, recommendations on water don't stay true in every situation. If you're consuming lots of calories each day (whether you're exercising or not), you do need to drink lots of water each day.

Ironically, drinking lots of water supports a high calorie diet or a lifestyle of constant eating. You don't think it's out-of-the-ordinary because society have made gluttony as the norm.