How much water is too much?

You've probably heard that you should drink plenty of water, but too much of a good thing can actually endanger your health. Here's some info about water consumption that's good to know.

Water intake is just one aspect of maintaining the right fluid balance. By adding water along in excessive quantities, you risk throwing your body's biochemical balance into a dangerous, possibly even fatal tailspin known as hyponatremia.

To understand what hyponatremia is and how it can harm you, you first need to understand how water interacts with sodium in your body:

• Your body needs to maintain a certain level of sodium to perform critical daily tasks such as regulating blood pressure and muscle activity. When the ratio of water to sodium in the blood becomes too high, hyponatremia results.
• Some people develop hyponatremia due to underlying conditions or medication use. Others, however, induce the condition in themselves by ingesting large amounts of water but no sodium.
• Athletes are a prime target for hyponatremia because they lose so much sodium in the form of perspiration. According to the New York Times, some marathon runners develop hyponatremia if they replace lost fluids with nothing but plain water.

It helps to recognize the symptoms of hyponatremia so you can get emergency help as soon as possible.

• Common symptoms include muscle cramps, headaches, nausea, vomiting and "brain fog."
• If you've been sweating a lot and drinking large quantities of water in response, suspect that you might have hyponatremia and get yourself to an emergency room so doctors can restore your normal fluid balance.
• Extreme cases can lead to seizures, coma and even death.

Fortunately, warding off the threat of hyponatremia is relatively easy.

• If you've been sweating off a lot of water, have a sports drink that contains sodium and other electrolytes instead of plain water.
• If you have a medical condition or take medications that can cause hyponatremia, have your electrolyte balance monitored regularly and ask your doctor how much water you should consume each day.
• You might be surprised to learn that the "eight glasses a day" formula isn't strictly necessary, since a great deal of ingested water is contained in foods.

Yes, water is essential to life and yes, you should keep drinking it. Just be aware that "water, water everywhere" isn't necessarily a good thing!