Common Mistakes Made Regarding Hydration

Drinking Too Much Too Quickly

Drinking too much too quickly can be as bad for hydration as not drinking enough. Many individuals get caught up in a cycle of forgetting to drink, feeling thirsty, drinking too much water, and then getting thirsty again. It's better to sip water throughout the day in small doses than to drink a lot at once. There's actually a medical condition called water intoxication that occurs when a patient's brain function becomes disrupted from excess consumption of water. When individuals drink a great deal of water at once, the amount of water in the blood increases. This can lead to a dilution of electrolytes, particularly sodium. Low sodium levels cause many problems throughout the body. In the most severe cases, they can affect brain cells. Fluid on the outside of the cells moves inside the cells instead, which leads to swelling. The effects of water intoxication are dangerous enough to be life-threatening. Even if individuals don't experience water intoxication, drinking too much water isn't good for their body's ability to regulate itself.

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