It Sounds Strange but Drinking Too Much Water Can Actually Kill You and a Doctor Explains Why

Excessive drinking of water can be fatal. Well, how much water is too much water? Dr. Eugene Vortsman, an emergency room physician, shared his knowledge on the essentiality of balanced hydration and bad practices of drinking water that may cause severe health issues. Water is life, and there has been great emphasis on persistent hydration recently. However, Vortsman challenged the notion with his expert advice on what overhydration does to the body and may kill, in rare scenarios, as reported by PEOPLE.

In 2023, a mom of two, Ashley Summers from Indiana, died of excessive hydration during a family vacation, per WRTV. She overcompensated after feeling dehydrated and drank too much water in a short period, about four bottles in 20 minutes. The incident led to her demise, ABC News reported on YouTube. Shedding light on that, Vortsman, who works at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, said, “In the worst case scenario, which is what happened with this woman recently, is that in that imbalance your body's trying to find balance and it shoots a lot of water into the tissue of your brain. And what happens is you start having swelling and edema.”

He explained that electrolytes are crucial for our metabolism and bodily functions. Sodium, potassium, and calcium work together to make our body, from nerves to muscles and the brain. “So if you ever have a sudden, quick, or even a prolonged low sodium level, also known as hyponatremia, what happens is you start having dysfunction of all that.” Symptoms like nausea, vomiting, headache, muscle cramps, body weakness, brain fog, lethargy, and visual problems like double and blurry vision are common indicators of water toxicity. Particularly, guzzling water down the throat after a long workout or a hot day is “dangerous” because it overcompensates the body’s needs. Hydration is most effective when drunk slowly and steadily.

“Drink a little bit of water and give your body time to find that balance again,” he said. Speaking biologically, Vortsman highlights that the kidney will manage “just about a liter per hour” in getting rid of fluid. Hence, overhydration begins at 1.5 liters per hour, putting the kidneys under stress. Three liters of water throughout the day is adequate for healthy hydration. However, he suggests men should be drinking 3.5 liters per day while women should steadily hydrate with 2.5 liters of water every day. Balanced electrolytes and steady hydration are paramount to ensuring good health and preventing water toxicity.

For some people, apparently, overhydration can be tough to resolve. He advised seeing a doctor to know about their imbalanced habits and to consume fluid intakes that level sodium amounts with water. “If you start feeling symptoms, I would strongly urge you to go to your closest emergency department to get assessed because fixing that sodium level has to be done very carefully and measured because it can cause other problems if it takes too long to fix,” Vortsman recommended. While the internet influences more and more people to ignorantly chug water in the name of hydration, it is important to rule out misinformation and seek expert health advice to avoid mishaps and ensure greater well-being.