Water and hydration: is there a risk of hyperhydration and how to know if you are drinking too much water?

The media space constantly talks about the importance of consuming enough fluids, but rarely mentions the flip side of the coin. Excessive enthusiasm for water can be no less dangerous for the body than its deficiency. The condition in which the kidneys cannot cope with excreting excess fluid is called water intoxication or hyperhydration.

When a person drinks too much water in a short period of time, the concentration of vital electrolytes in the blood, especially sodium, drops to critically low values. This condition is called hyponatremia. Water begins to rapidly enter the body's cells, including brain cells, causing them to swell and creating a direct threat to life.

Symptoms of an excess of water in the body are often disguised as signs of other ailments. Hyperhydration can be recognized by several characteristic manifestations:

To avoid such risks, developers and other office workers should not force themselves to drink water in liters. Focus on a feeling of moderate thirst and distribute fluid intake evenly throughout the day, rather than trying to drink your daily norm in one sitting.