How much water is too much water to be drinking? With health and lifestyle articles usually focusing on the need for more ways and ways in which to increase your intake, the dangers of too much water are often overlooked. Following my own near fatal experience in 2020, this article looks at how much water we need, how to know whether you may be drinking too much & the potential consequences of water toxicity.
★ ★ ★
Why Is Water Important? What Are The Benefits?
You’ll often read about the importance of drinking more water. Water actually makes up between 50% to 70% of your overall body weight. Every part of your body – tissues, organs and cells – need water to survive and work properly.
Water will help regulate your temperature, lubricate your joints, remove waste from the body and protect your sensitive tissues.
Water is also often recommended for constipation, kidney stones, urinary tract infections and skin hydration.
In a nutshell, water is vital for the healthy, efficient functioning of the body.
What Happens If I Don’t Drink Enough Water?
Dehydration occurs when you haven’t had enough water, and this lack of water can be detrimental to various bodily functions. Even quite mild dehydration may leave you feeling particularly tired and low on energy, or perhaps suffering from headaches, lightheadedness or dizziness. Lack of water could also lead to problems with urination or bowel movements.
It could lead to heat injury when perspiring significantly, such as in a hot climate or when exercising vigorously, which could trigger anything from cramps to life-threatening heatstroke.
Symptoms of dehydration can include decreased urination, increased thirst, dry skin and dry mouth. As dehydration progresses it can lead to low blood pressure, dark urine, rapid breathing, shrivelled skin, and rapid heart rate. While general dehydration and thirst can usually be treated at home with more hydration or rehydration solutions, severe dehydration required immediate medical attention.
If you want to increase your water intake, a decent filter jug for healthy, clean and fresh water is a good place to start. I’d personally recommend the Levoit water filter jug, which can be found on Amazon. You can find my full review of the Levoit jug here.
Going eco-friendly with a reusable BPA-free water bottle is also a good idea. I’d personally recommend the Super Sparrow range, especially their Tritan sports bottle, which you can find on Amazon. You can see my full review for Super Sparrow here.
How Is Water Lost?
While your body utilises water, you also lose water every day through your perspiration, breath, bowel movements and urination. You need to replenish your body’s resources by consuming more water to keep it functioning normally.
What’s The Recommended Daily Water Intake?
The recommended water intake figures do vary a little between countries and medical bodies. When you see a figure for how much it’s recommended you drink per day, that typically includes water, fluids from other beverages and water in food, the latter of which tends to account for 20% of total fluid intake.
The US National National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recommend the following daily fluid intake amounts:
- 15.5 cups / 3.7 L of fluids for men
- 11.5 cups / 2.7 L of fluids for women
Should I Be Drinking 8 Glasses Of Water A Day?
The common advice for years has been to drink 8 glasses of water a day. This is a blanket piece of advice that is only a rough guideline to make it easier to apply and remember worldwide.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that everyone is different and there are other factors to consider when gauging how much water you need, such as body size, age, activity level, health conditions and climate.
How Much Water Do I Personally Need?
The recommended figures can be used as guidelines. You can adjust these and finds what’s right for you. These are some examples of what to consider when gauging how much water you need :
- Climate & Environment : Warmer weather or humid climates can lead to the body using more water, and more water is additionally lost through perspiration.
- Weight : Smaller body sizes and weights typically need less water, similarly to requiring less calories, while someone of a greater weight may require more water to sustain a larger body.
- Exercise Levels : The greater the level of activity and exercise, the more water the body, particularly the muscles, will need for normal functioning and to account for the extra fluid lost through perspiration.
- Pregnancy or Breast Feeding : Those that are pregnant or are breastfeeding may find more water is needed to stay adequately hydrated.
- General Health : The body will lose more fluids when experiencing vomiting, diarrhoea or fever. Increased fluids are also typically recommended when dealing with certain infections like UTIs and kidney infections, or with urinary tract stones. Those with an ostomy (ie. an ileostomy / stoma bag) are also typically advised to drink more water and ensure adequate salt intake because more water is lost. In some cases, rehydration solutions are recommended or prescribed by a doctor to ensure adequate hydration and prevent electrolyte imbalance.
In theory, the body regulates and balances water levels to allow for optimal functioning. It’ll signal you by making you thirsty when you need to replenish the water level, but this isn’t always enough. Furthermore, this thirst mechanism might not be as reliable as we age, with those over 65 years of age more at risk of unknowingly becoming dehydrated.
Knowing how much you drink and getting an idea of how much you might need to be drinking can help you to see whether extra water intake throughout the day might be helpful.
What Does Fluid Intake Include? Do Other Drinks Or Foods Count?
When discussing ‘fluid intake’, other beverages and foods can also count. While water is held in the highest regard here, other drinks like juice, tea (herbal or caffeinated), soda, milk and coffee all contain water and can count towards your daily intake.
When it comes to food, a lot of fruits and vegetables are comprised of mostly water, such as apples, spinach and watermelon. Don’t forget things like fruit juice lollies and sugar-free jelly too.
How To Know If You’re Drinking Enough
The colour of your wee can be a good indicator of how much you’re drinking. The lighter it is, the more hydrated you are. This is why the first wee of the morning, after hours of no food or drink, is usually the darkest. During the day, pale yellow is seen as the ideal goal.
If you don’t often feel thirsty, that would also suggest you’re likely getting a reasonable amount of fluids. If you’re unsure or have any concerns, speak to your doctor. They’ll be able to suggest what level you should be looking at each day, or be able to refer you to a nutritionist or dietician to get more specialist advice.
How Do I Know If I’m Drinking Too Much?
Information online suggests that it’s rare for healthy adults to drink too much water. As such, it’s an issue that’s rarely talked about and there’s little awareness as to the signs and dangers of overdoing your fluid intake.
There are two main ways you could become over hydrated. Firstly from increased fluid intake, and secondly from water retention, where your body can’t rid itself of excess fluid properly. In terms of the latter, some medications and health conditions can lead to water retention, such as kidney problems, congestive heart failure, uncontrolled diabetes, NSAIDs and liver disease.
Some conditions and medications may also make you feel very thirsty, leading you to drink more water. Because you feel thirsty, you may not realise that you’re drinking too much as it seems normal to you and you’ve not had to work hard to drink more. For instance, MDMA, diuretics, xerostomia (dry mouth) and Sjögren’s syndrome.
In other cases, water intoxication may happen from intense exercise and training, living in a very humid environment, or from dieting.
A quick way to get a general idea as to what your fluid intake is like is to check the colour of urine. If you’re over hydrated, urine is likely to be incredibly pale or even clear and colourless.
Other symptoms of over hydration might include headaches, nausea, muscle weakness, muscle spasms and cramps, significant mental state changes, drowsiness, confusion, and double vision. More extreme cases of water intoxication can lead to head pressure, unconsciousness, seizures, coma and even death.
What Happens When You’re Overhydrated?
Too much fluid in the body will throw off the water and sodium balance, which can be very dangerous.
If you drink too much water, the kidneys will struggle to get rid of the excess and the sodium in your blood will become diluted. This is known as hyponatremia. This is usually diagnosed when sodium levels drop below 135 mmol/l.
When fluid builds up, sodium decreases and fluid can build in the brain, known as cerebral edema. This increase in pressure inside the skull can be potentially fatal, affecting the brain stem and resulting in central nervous system dysfunction.
Drinking too fluid much very quickly can be life-threatening, as can regularly drinking too much over a long period of time.
How Much Is Too Much Water?
Every body is different in terms of size, build, age, health conditions, living climate, activity levels and thus fluid requirements. Because of the inability to really state how much is needed, it’s also difficult to say exactly how much is too much.
If might be a good idea to keep a record of your fluid intake, including water from foods and other fluids, to see whether you’re drinking over the recommended 2.7L or 3.7L for women and men respectively.
If you’ve noticed any unusual symptoms, like muscle spasms or a sensation of a heavy head, check your water intake and speak to your GP.
My Experience Of Water Toxicity
For probably a year or two I’d noticed a ‘heavy head’ sensation. For several months it seemed to be getting more frequent, more intense and harder to ignore. I’d been putting it down to ‘one of those things’, perhaps a lack of fresh air or just a side-effect of a migraine. There were other symptoms, looking back, that I didn’t piece together. One day the world exploded. Or more precisely, my head nearly did.
I’d had a light lunch of yoghurt and baked crisps and my usual fluid intake, which was a lot. A small amount of food washed down with 1L fluids that I’d drink very quickly. I came downstairs and there was the heavy head sensation, along with a floating light in my vision. I had to go outside to take some deep breaths. I came back in the kitchen and suddenly I couldn’t see anything because my vision was full of squiggles.
The pressure in my head changed; it became incredibly intense, to a degree I can’t even begin to explain. It felt like my brain was being forced up through my skull. I felt sick. The pain was unreal.
I don’t know how I made it upstairs and I can’t remember going, but I got into bed and my left eye felt like it was going to be pushed out of my skull. I was rolling around, crying, in absolute agony and I didn’t have a clue what was happening. I started throwing up, a lot. My mother was there, no idea what to do to help me.
I couldn’t talk, my face seemed to have drooped, and I couldn’t move. I was just half lying down, throwing up, hand on my head trying to keep my brain inside my skull. This went on for hours.
I stayed in bed, not moving, until the next day. The insane pressure took 6 hours to start coming down a little. It took 48 hours to get to some degree of normality. Little did I know just how lucky I really was that day. I had no idea quite the level of water I was drinking each day, nor that such fluid intake, paired with my reduction in salt as well due to lack of proper meals, could be so incredibly dangerous.
I nearly died that day, and I had no idea.
Prior to this, I was noticing a sensation of a ‘heavy head’ with increasing regularity over perhaps two years or more. I felt the cold to a painful degree. I was getting shakes and muscle spasms, which caused me to splash tea all up the wall while going up the stairs on a number of occasions.
It turns out I was drinking over 7L of fluid each day for a couple of years. Thanks to having fairly stable routines, I was able to accurately calculate my typical water intake the same day I realised the detective work led me to my fluid habits. I only discovered that water was the culprit through a process of elimination over a week after this incident.
I’ve since realised that I’d mistaken a dry mouth for thirst, in what is believed to be Sjögren’s syndrome. I have dry eyes, nose and mouth, all of which have caused significant problems, partly because of being misdiagnosed and left untreated for so long. It’s thought that I developed this, along with connective tissues disease and all of the other bizarre conditions and symptoms, as an autoimmune response to a surgical implant in my body from 2015.
I’m explaining of all this because things aren’t always straightforward and sometimes it does take a while to figure out what’s going on. I knew I was drinking a lot but I thought I was perpetually thirsty rather than it being a dry mouth issue. I also had no idea quite how much I was drinking, nor how dangerous and potentially fatal too much water was.
Too Much Or Too Little Water : A Delicate Balance
Water is crucial for keeping us healthy and keeping our bodies functioning properly. For most people, fluid intake will be in a normal range and drinking won’t be something you have to give much thought to, but it’s important to be aware of the potential issues of dehydration and over hydration.
Both too little or too much can have consequences, and sometimes at either extreme it can be deadly.
If you have any concerns, please check your fluid intake and speak to your doctor.
Do you think you drink the amount of water your body needs each day? Did you know how dangerous too much fluid could be?
Caz ♥
58 comments
I have heard of that happening, but we don’t often hear about it. I have water stationed all round the house and when I go out as my tablets give me a dry moth, but I tend to sip, I can never drink pint glasses of anything. Some people never drink water at all, my friend said her mother never drank water, even when taking her tablets she would wash them down with her cup of tea! As you say, water is in everything anyway.
My parents were the same as your friend’s mother, never drinking water, only tea. They’re a bit better in the last couple of years as I’ve made them drink a little water here and there. I think you’ve got the right plan water readily available but usually with sips rather than chugging it back, as I used to do. Thanks for sharing your thoughts lovely xx
This is a great, in-depth look at the subject…I drink coffee in the morning and then water the rest of the day…OK, some wine as well at times, but it’s ALL water based!
A good plan, John. Wake up with coffee, wash it all out with water & make way for the wine ????
This is a really important issue to raise. I have to be careful in the summer because if I’m sweating a lot and overhydrating, my kidneys retain lithium. Coconut water and potato chips is my potassium/sodium hit of choice.
I thought it was an important issue to raise because so many don’t realise how dangerous too much fluid can be, myself included until the other year. Good point on something like lithium being retained and I’m 100% with you on potato chips for sodium. Any excuse ???? Yum! xx
Thank you for sharing both sides of the water intake Caz. It was a really good read and very important. I cannot begin to imagine how scary that experience must have been for you, and like you said lucky to be alive. Alot of focus is always given to the not enough of goods things, so again thank you got highlighting the over in take. X
Thank you, Kelly, I’m really glad you liked the post. I’d only ever heard of the benefits of water and the urging for us to drink more. I knew a LOT of water very quickly could be dangerous, but I figured that would be gallons and gallons. Apparently 7L+ each days is more than enough to be deadly. It was definitely scary and I felt utterly stupid when I figured out what the problem was. I hope you’re having a restful weekend lovely xx
Thank you for sharing your story, Caz. What a frightening experience for you! I find that I can’t drink a lot because I pee too much!
That’s a very good point – the more you drink, the more you pee, and you can pee for England if you’re drinking too much! ???? Thanks for reading & commenting, Rachel xx
I found this post really interesting
Thank you for sharing
I’m really glad you liked the post, Luisa, thank you! ???? x
I did know too much water is bad, but I didn’t know how dangerous this can be. I also was unaware of the fact that medical conditions can play a role.I
Thanks for informing us. Take care, Caz xo
Same here, Viola. I’d assumed it was gallons and gallons of water to be dangerous, which isn’t the case, and even then I didn’t realise just how dangerous too much can be. I really hope this can help someone, even just to bring a little more awareness to how much we’re drinking so we can see whether we need more or less. Thank you for reading & commenting ???? xx
An acquaintance ran a facility for people suffering from various mental afflictions including water intoxication. Apparently it can be addicting as he said they had to take extreme measures to prevent some from drinking too much water. He said he even had to remove water from the toilets. This is the only time I recall seeing this issue discussed in writing. Thanks for addressing it.
That’s really interesting with regard to mental health and water intoxication. I’ve struggled to reduce my intake but that’s physical rather than mental, but I can see how the addiction can arise, much as an addiction to pretty much anything. A person must be desperate to take to toilet water though. I hope those patients were able to get the help they needed. I hadn’t come across water intoxication being discussed before either which is strange – it might be rare, but it’s certainly possible and potentially very dangerous. Thank you for reading and for the thoughtful comment, I really appreciate it. x
yes i’ve heard of too much water not being a good thing. and the old adage that if you wait to feel thirsty, you’ve waited too long. i try to manage the middle ground.
A middle ground is the best point by listening to your body. When a medication or illness throws off that delicate balance and the signals telling you that you need to drink, it gets a bit more complicated so it’s absolutely worth being mindful of the risks of both under and over hydration. Thanks for sharing your thoughts ???? x
Now I’ve understood the importance of taking the right amount of fluids everyday. Thanks for sharing an insightful post.
I’m glad you liked the post, Megala. Getting the balance right is usually fairly straightforward for many, but it’s good to know the risks and to be aware of how much you’re drinking just in case. Thanks for the comment ???? x
OMG!!! How scary!!!
Indeedy! I didn’t want to terrify everyone, and intoxication is rare, especially in terms of the serious effects, but it’s so important to be aware of the risk.xx
I used to drink very little water. I had to learn to drink more of it. Now I’m enjoying it.
That’s great to hear, B. I never used to drink water as a kid, but if you get clean, cold water then it’s pretty delicious! xx
What a terrifying experience, Caz and a great to post to highlight the dangers of drinking too much water. I used to be guilty of not drinking enough which can have implications too, but I don’t think enough people realise the dangers of drinking too much water. I hope people will read this and learn how serious it is.
I imagine the majority fall into the category of not drinking enough, many will have a decent balance and few will be drinking too much, but it’s still so important to know about. When you drink and it feels normal to be getting through a large amount, you don’t really think about it or the dangers because you’re not forcing yourself to do it. I hope raising a little more awareness might help prevent others from making this mistake. I’m really glad you liked the post, Liz. Thank you for commenting ???? xx
That is an interesting topic. Thank you for sharing your personal experience. I had to cut back on water too since I found out that when I drink too much I feel a bit of dizziness.
I’m sorry you’ve found you’ve been drinking too much, too. I’m glad you realised the dizziness was from the fluid intake when you did. Have you found it difficult cutting down? I wish there was more awareness over the issue. xx
I still drink a lot but not as I used to. I split the water amount for a longer period of time and find it easier to do so. For instance, I used to have two large cups of tea in the morning right away. But now I have one, wait half an hour and have the second one. Stretching it helped and reducing the overall amount.
Great to read such an in depth article about over hydrating with water and having the right amounts of fluids. I remember hearing about “Japnese water therapy” long time ago drinking large quantities of water on empty stomach first thing in the morning and how it solved many health issues but never really tried it. Thank you for sharing about excess water in take , it is always better to be cautious before trying something new.
That’s an interesting cultural practice, I’ll have to investigate that a bit more. I know large quantities are thought to be good for ‘flushing toxins’ or filling you up so that you eat less, but I hadn’t heard of Japanese Water Therapy so thank you for the great comment. It’s absolutely worth educating yourself on issues like this when it comes to different practices, diets or trends. It’s worrying to think how easy it would be to massively overdo the water intake while thinking you’re doing a great job. It can be incredibly dangerous. xx
Lulu: “Wow, what a scary situation and bunch of symptoms from overhydration! Note to self: Keep an eye on the level in my water bowls and make sure it doesn’t go down too fast.”
Chaplin: “Note to self: Troll Lulu by dumping out her water bowls.”
Lulu: “Hey!”
Chaplin: “Oops. Did I say that out loud?”
Chaplin, you gots to keep your devious plans a secret. Now Lulu will be drinking all your water. Worse yet, she’ll drink her own water and pee in your bowl!
I always have to make sure to drink enough water/liquids because I’m prone to kidney stones, having had them four times in the last 25 years or so. But your over-hydration symptoms remind me of the symptoms when I had the ruptured cerebral aneurysm, which was no walk in the park either … 🙁
I didn’t know one person can suffer with kidney stones so much. That’s awful. I can see why water intake is so vital for you for that reason alone. The symptoms I had, not just the pain but the inability to talk, throwing up for hours, drooped face, what made my doc wonder whether I’d had an aneurysm, but a few days later things had started to settle, so I wasn’t convinced. I remember reading your accounts of your experience and thinking there were definitely some similarities though. It was only through some detective work and thinking backwards that I was able to figure it out. I felt incredibly stupid – I nearly accidentally killed myself and had no idea. What you went through must have been utterly horrific, James. xx
This is a great topic. I’ve never been sure about the right amount of water, but I do think about electrolytes. I try to drink coconut water at least sometimes. The best is that I convinced my husband, years ago, to switch from Diet Coke to water
That’s great that you were able to get hubby to get on the water. My ex from years ago only ever drank Diet Coke. Even first thing in the morning. There was no tea, just DC and more DC. Coconut water is a good option, and if ever you’re not sure about intake you could always measure it for a day to get a better idea of what you’re drinking. I think it’s one of those things where sometimes we can think we do/don’t drink much, then be surprised when we actually measure it! Thanks for the comment lovely xx
I just looked at your homepage, Caz, and you’ve really built an amazing website. I’m going to comment on you “Covid and Vitamin D article”
A very scary experience. Great to get the knowledge out there. It’ll never happen to me as I hate the taste of water! Luckily I don’t mind low sugar squash 😉
It’s knowledge I wish was more prevalent. I don’t think I’d ever read about the dangers of water before, but I did come across some stories when I was investigating the problem at the time of women who’d died from drinking less than I did in a short space of time as part of a dangerous weight loss diet. I was very lucky. I never used to be a water fan either, which is pretty ironic. Low sugar squash is probably a better idea for absorption and electrolytes so keep doing what you’re doing ????
Really interesting read.
Thanks, Jo. Glad you liked it xx
I’ve only had too much water once, when I was trying to pass a kidney stone. It was not a fun feeling!
Yikes, I don’t imagine that was pleasant at all. I’m sorry you had to go through that. Never again, fingers crossed! xx
This is very interesting! I had no idea you could drink too much water! And I definitely didn’t know the symptoms. How scary that you had to go through all that! I’m glad you figured it out when you did. And that you’re ok!
Thanks very much, Michelle. It definitely was scary, but I got very lucky. Unfortunately not everyone does. I had no idea either. I figured it would take gallons and gallons of downing water in 5 minutes to be dangerous, but as it’s never been a ‘thing’ that’s been covered in the media or such, it wasn’t something I’d known about either. Thanks for the comment lovely ♥ xx
Wow! I’d heard that too much water was bad for you but that Sjorgrens made you thirsty would never have occurred to me. That is scary!
It never occurred to me either, Jo. I had no idea, I just thought I was thirsty without realising the whole dry mouth thing or just how much I was really drinking. Quite the shocker! xx
I totally agree that we hear a lot about how we need to be drinking more but that drinking too much is often overlooked. I can’t believe the horrific ordeal that you went through because of this Caz! But I think it’s great that you’re raising awareness of this now and pointing out that everyone is different so there isn’t one set rule.
Gemma x
Overhydrating really is overlooked massively, isn’t it? I realise it’s technically quite rare, but I hope that in sharing my experience it may help even just one person to check their intake and seek medical advice if they have concerns. Thanks for the comment lovely! xx
Wow I never knew that drinking too much water could cause such awful and life threatening effects!
Due to a catheter and giant infuriating bladder stones I aim to drink a good amount. I use an app on my phone to keep track of fluid intake. My goal is set at 2800ml per day, and it seems like I’m forever drinking! And not only tea as you may think ????
I knew way too much water could be dangerous but I figured that would be gallons and gallons, whereas what I was drinking felt normal because I was always so thirsty. Sounds like you’re having to really up the ante – I hope you’re managing it okay, and the phone app is a great idea. Does it start screaming at you to drink more if you don’t input anything for an hour? And hey, at least tea counts as a fluid so you can tally up all the cuppas ???? xx
Wow, what a scary experience. I know I don’t drink that much water, but I always have a dry mouth and have been diagnosed with dry eyes. I don’t think my nose is “dry” but I always have dry crud blocking my breathing. I need to read up on Sjögren’s syndrome; I’ve mentioned the dry eyes to the eye doc and the dry mouth to the dentist and the nose issue to the GP, never all 3 to the GP.
I’m sorry you get such similar issues, Katie. It took me a long time to put it all together. The optometrist told me about the dry eyes a couple of years ago but when I went back last year she said it was really quite bad and the ducts were blocked. I use eye drops every day and that provides some relief – do you have any you use? It might be an idea to mention to your doc the next time that it’s not just your nose that’s the issue, though I’m not sure if/how Sjogren’s is really treated other than dealing with each aspect individually, which is really frustrating. I wonder what’s caused this for you..? xx
I’ve definitely had too much water – you can check the levels of the blood or something. I had to cut down a lot… come to think of it I’m not as cold when I drink less, and I upped my sodium intake quite a bit too… I’m glad you’re here!!!
I’m sorry you’ve been on that side of the water intake issue too, E. It’s not fun at all, and it’s surprisingly dangerous. I’m glad you’ve at least been aware of the need to cut down and feel a little benefit when you do. Upping the sodium was a smart move too, if only I was as smart the other year! I’m glad you’re here too, E. I hope you can manage to keep the balance where you need it, it’s not easy. Sending love xx
Caz, I am so so sorry that you went through such a terrible experience. I cannot imagine what you must have been thinking and feeling in that moment. What I do know is that I am thankful you are still here with us! THANK YOU for sharing information many people don’t know. You could be saving a life.
I’ve known a few family members who also had sodium deficiency. It does wreak havoc on the body, and can in fact, make you feel crazy. That’s not even mentioning the physical pain it creates! As you say, there is so much information out there pushing “drink more water” without balancing the potential harms of too much as well. We need to be educated on both sides of the spectrum.
One guideline I’ve always heard was, “Drink half your body weight in ounces each day.” Supposedly this is the safer way to measure how much water we need as individuals vs the blanket statement of 8 glasses each day.
I can however attest to the truth that even mild dehydration affects our physical and mental health. It’s amazing what some simple H20 can do for us – either good or bad!
Awesome post, my friend. You always write with such clarity and truth. ♥ Much love headed your way!
Yipes, over-hydration sounds absolutely horrible! Glad you got to the bottom of it. What a sneaky culprit too.