The danger of drinking too much water


Drinking too much water can actually be deadly. This was the case for 36-year-old daycare worker, Ashley Summers, who died after drinking "four bottles of water in ... 20 minutes," while on a vacation with family, Summers' brother Devon Miller told WLFI News. This is due to a condition called water toxicity.
Water toxicity is when someone "drinks too much water too fast, throwing off the body's electrolyte balance and causing the body's sodium levels to drop rapidly," Insider wrote. The condition itself is uncommon and the amount required to reach this level varies by person. "If you have too much water, it's going to basically push that water into cells to kind of balance out that sodium and other electrolyte concentrations," Dr. Mahesh Polavarapu, medical director of the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Westchester, told CBS News. "So as that happens, your brain cells and other cells in your body start to swell."
Sodium maintains blood pressure and is necessary for healthy body functioning. A person is more at risk when drinking after heavy endurance exercise or if they have preexisting kidney problems. "If you drink too much pure water, the solutes in your body have to distribute into additional space and you can get electrolyte disturbances that cause major problems in the brain and you can get seizures," Dr. David Metz, a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, told CBS News.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, "this is not something you should be worrying about," Polavarapu continued. If you are thirsty, you should drink enough to feel hydrated. "People think about thirst as the thing that drives them to drink water, thirst is almost a later sign of dehydration, so don't try to wait for that to happen."
If you do feel very thirsty, break up water intake with "drinks like Gatorade or snacks like fruits and vegetables to replenish electrolytes." per Insider.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
France and Indonesia promote a contentious bid for an Israel-Palestine two-state solution
Talking Points Both countries have said a two-state solution is the way to end the Middle East conflict
-
Film reviews: Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch, and Final Destination: Bloodlines
Feature Tom Cruise risks life and limb to entertain us, a young girl befriends a destructive alien, and death stalks a family that resets fate's toll.
-
Music reviews: Morgan Wallen and Kali Uchis
Feature "I'm the Problem" and "Sincerely"
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
The Y chromosome degrades over time. And men's health is paying for it
Under the radar The chromosome loss is linked to cancer and Alzheimer's
-
Fly like a breeze with these 5 tips to help cope with air travel anxiety
The Week Recommends You can soothe your nervousness about flying before boarding the plane
-
A bacterial toxin could be contributing to the colorectal cancer rise in young people
Under the radar Most exposure occurs in childhood
-
RFK Jr.'s focus on autism draws the ire of researchers
In the Spotlight Many of Kennedy's assertions have been condemned by experts and advocates