Too Much / NOT Too Much Water: What Are the Consequences?

People often underestimate the importance of water consumption; sometimes, people overdrink water. During my time in college, I’ve realized that I rarely drink water, and prefer beverages with higher calories, but beforehand, I consumed a lot of water to lose weight. Specifically, I drank at least 8 bottles of spring water a day. My mother, however, warned me that too much water, especially when drinking fast, can be dangerous. While water has healthy advantages, for instances such as weight and hydration, we should be aware of how much water we consume. Drinking less water and drinking too much water both have detrimental outcomes. But what exactly happens when we do these things?

The Advantages of Water Consumption

Glass of table-water.

Glass of table-water. From gamebirdexpert.com

Water, of course, is essential to everyday life. If you’re familiar with the term, “Drinking water is good for you,” here’s why. Water has zero calories, and a fair consumption of it helps with our health. Because our body has a great amount of water, it helps maintain our body fluids. The more water we drink, the more our digestive systems improves. The best thing about consuming water is that it controls our calorie intake. Many people, of course, may use water as a way to lose weight. While water does not have a miraculous effect on our body mass, it contributes to calorie intake reduction. According to Penn State researcher Barbara Rolls, with water, you can reduce your calories instead of increasing calories with a soft drink. Water’s effects on the body, overall, are very necessary to have a healthy lifestyle.

The Effects of Drinking Less Water

What happens when we have less water to consume? One word—dehydration. When we do not drink as much water as we should, it can effect our bodies in various ways. Our bodies can retain water, especially if we consume high-calorie beverages more than we drink water. This is a result of what we call water retention.

Since water retention is due to lack of exercise and poor dietary habits, the best way to prevent this is to, obviously, drink more water. As stated before, drinking water helps with maintaining our body fluids, but less water consumption can retain water in our bodies instead of using water to release fluids from our excretory systems. We have to drink water to maintain the functions in our systems. Without water, we can become dehydrated, especially if you lose body fluids more than you consume it. Drinking less water can also increase the likelihood of high-calorie drink consumptions. Sodas, juices, and flavored drinks are more unhealthy compared to water.

Drinking Water TOO Much?

While drinking less water is dangerous to the body, overdrinking is also detrimental. Typically, a person is expected to drink at least 8 cups of water a day, but many studies have pushed this statement aside. When we consume too much water in our bodies, this results in water intoxication (Note: this only occurs when you drink water fast). In addition to this, too much water can affect your blood volume and you can also damage your kidneys due to excess water in your excretory system.

How Much Water Should We Actually Drink?

Instead of drinking less and overdrinking water, there should be a balance of how much you consume in our diets. The amount of water we consume will contribute to reducing calories, and keeping our internal systems clean and functional. So, drinking water consistently and not too much, as well as keeping a balanced diet is the most effective way of staying healthy, and the best way to prevent water retention and intoxication.

There’s nothing wrong with water! It’s just how you drink it!

 

 

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