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.
-
Critics' choice: Three takes on tavern dining
Feature A second Minetta Tavern, A 1946 dining experience, and a menu with a mission
By The Week US
-
Film reviews: Warfare and A Minecraft Movie
Feature A combat film that puts us in the thick of it and five misfits fall into a cubic-world adventure
By The Week US
-
What to know before lending money to family or friends
the explainer Ensure both your relationship and your finances remain intact
By Becca Stanek, The Week US
-
Full-body scans: are Neko Health and the like more panic than panacea?
The Explainer Hailed as the 'future of medicine' by some, but not all experts are convinced
By The Week UK
-
Fighting against fluoride
Feature A growing number of communities are ending water fluoridation. Will public health suffer?
By The Week US
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
What does Health and Human Services do?
The Explainer Cuts will 'dramatically alter' public health in America
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Tuberculosis sees a resurgence and is only going to get worse
Under the radar The spread of the deadly infection is buoyed by global unrest
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The strange phenomenon of beard transplants
In The Spotlight Inquiries for the procedure have tripled since 2020, according to one clinician, as prospective patients reportedly seek a more 'masculine' look
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK