WATER |
| water |
Water is essential for your life and well-being . But drinking too much of it (overhydration) can lead to water intoxication. And this can lead to hyponatremia, impaired brain function, and sometimes death . Since about 50% of adults are dehydrated, doctors and dietitians ask us to keep ourselves hydrated . But this is often misconstrued, and people end up drinking more water than their body actually needs. So, Disadvantages of water, Advantages of water, How much water should you drink? What are the symptoms of water intoxication and can it be reversed? How To Treat Overhydration Or Water Intoxication, Ways To Prevent Overhydration Or Water Intoxication. Give this post a read and find out if you are drinking too much water and the dangers it can cause. Swipe up!
Disadvantages of water
1. Causes Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia is a decrease in sodium levels below 136
mmol/liter blood serum . It happens due to quick overhydration. Sodium is an
important salt that helps in cell signaling and various other functions in the
body. So, when your serum sodium levels drop, you start feeling nauseous,
disoriented, fatigued, or get a headache. And in severe cases, it might also lead
to death.
2. Causes The Cells To Swell Up
When sodium decreases in your body, by the principle of
osmosis, water enters the cell through the semipermeable cell membrane .
This results in swelling up of the cells. The swelling of the body cells
(including the brain) causes serious damage to the muscle tissues, organs, and
brain.
3. Causes Hypokalemia
Overhydration can cause hypokalemia or a decrease in
potassium ions. The balance between intracellular and extracellular potassium
ions is hampered when you drink too much water. In fact, a mere 1% change in
potassium ion distribution can lead to a whopping 50% change in plasma
potassium ion concentration. And this can result in severe diarrhea and
prolonged sweating .
4. Affects The Brain
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| brain |
Hyponatremia or low-sodium in the blood can cause the brain
to swell up. And this, in turn, results in speech disability, disorientation,
walking instability, psychosis, and even death.
5. Overburdens The Heart
The heart performs the vital function of pumping blood through your entire body. When you consume too much of water, it increases the
volume of blood inside your body. The increased blood volume exerts unnecessary
pressure on the blood vessels and the heart, leading to seizure in some cases.
6. Overburdens The Kidneys
Consuming too much water can put pressure on your kidneys to
function constantly. Your kidneys can filter about a liter of fluid per hour
from the body. Beyond that, they have to work extra hard to maintain
homeostasis.
7. Causes Liver Problems
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| liver |
It is important to note that this problem is not caused by
merely drinking too much water. Rather, it happens by drinking too much of
water with iron in it. Iron overload is not exactly detrimental, but in rare
cases, it may cause liver-related problems as well.
8. Frequent Urination
Frequent urination, say once in every 15 minutes, can be
really frustrating, whether you are at home, work, or school. When you drink
too much water, your kidneys function constantly, and as a result, you have to
rush to the washroom again and again.
9. Poses The Risk Of Chlorine Overdose
Drinking too much water can put you at the risk of chlorine
overdose. And when that happens, you will be at the risk of developing cancer.
So, stay hydrated and not overhydrated.
10. Coma
The brain and visceral organ damage that your body goes
through ultimately lead to coma and death. Therefore, you must drink water
carefully. Do not drink too much water within a short window of time.
Advantages of water
We all know that water is life and without water life is not
possible. It is true that you can live without eating for a few days but it is
not possible to survive without water. Water not only extinguishes our thirst
but plays an important role in the digestive tract through the development of
the brain. Water is precious for human life and since childhood we have been
hearing about its benefits. Water in any illness works like panacea. Water is
used in many ways in the form of natural remedies. Water provides relief from
headache and back pain due to dehydration and keeps our body fresh. If you want
to be healthy then enjoy the God's gift.
1. You are healthy and stomach too happy
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| stomach |
By drinking water the digestive system is naturally fine.
Drinking a glass of water in the morning, the stomach remains clean, and it
does not make you suffer from constipation.
2. The secret of the figure
If you do not drink enough water then the speed of
metabolism becomes slow in your body. It means water is essential for the
absorption of fat. Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water daily and get the
desired figure.
3. Headache
One way to avoid headache regularly is to take medicines and
the second remedy is to drink some glass of water. This is not surprising
because nearly 90 percent of headaches are due to dehydration.
4. Skin tone
You must have used many anti-aging creams. Now drink plenty
of water. It fills skin tissues, provides moisture and elasticity to the skin.
Take the easy way to look younger and drink water.
5. Treatment of fatigue
Whenever you feel tired, wash your face with water, doing so
will make you feel refreshed. Due to the lack of water in the body the
digestive system does not work properly and fatigue also gets accelerated.
6. Helps blood circulation
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| blood |
Over half your blood consists of a substance called plasma.
It carries blood cells around your body to where they’re needed, helps maintain
a healthy blood pressure and keeps your body temperature under control.
In short, it’s pretty important.
Plasma is around 90% water, so it can’t do its job properly
if you’re dehydrated. Without enough water, your blood will become thicker and
more concentrated. This means your heart has to work that little bit harder to
pump it around your body.
7. Keeps your joints moving
Whenever your joints feel a bit stiff or achy, ask yourself
if you’re drinking enough water.
They’re surrounded by cartilage that allows each bone to
move freely alongside the others. It can be up to 85% water, which helps to
create the spongy texture your joints need to avoid grating and rubbing
together.
When you’re dehydrated, your body draws as much water as it
can towards the organs needed to keep you alive. Sadly for your cartilage, it
doesn’t fall into this category, so it has to surrender its water.
This lost moisture creates friction between bones, which
explains why they might feel a little creaky until you’ve topped up your
fluids.
8. Increases athletic performance
Dehydration has a terrible impact on your muscles. Without
water, they can’t contract properly and you won’t be able to perform to the
level you’d like, while your muscles will struggle to repair themselves after a
workout.
You also need to bear in mind that exercise causes you to
lose water through sweat. This means you’ll need to rehydrate regularly in
order to keep your muscles working, regulate your body temperature and get your
blood circulating as it should.
Exercise is also mentally harder if you don’t stay hydrated,
so your bottle of water will be your best friend when the going gets tough.
You do need to be aware that when you sweat, you’re losing
nutrients as well as water. If you’re exercising very intensively for a long
time, such as a marathon, drinking only water may mean the nutrient levels in
your blood become too diluted. This can lead to a potentially dangerous
condition known as hyponatraemia.
Now, the burning question is, how much water is good for
you? Here’s what the experts recommend.
How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day?
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| drinking water |
One, two or three liters? There is always the state of
confusion about how much water should be consumed daily. This issue has been
debated for many years. There should be no shortage of water in the body nor
too extreme. Silke Rhetemayer of Germany's DGE Advisory Association gives this
answer. According to him, drinking at least one liter of water should
definitely be consumed every day. Adults should drink one to one and a half
liters of water throughout the day.
At the time of drinking water it should be taken care that
humans do not drink too much water at a time. By doing so, the level of sodium
in blood in the body suddenly falls very much for some time. Sudden fall in the
level of sodium can cause fatigue, nose bleeding, vomiting, or nausea.
Those who are physically very active or those who exercise
should drink a little more than one and a half liters of water. But in warmer
countries, sweat becomes very hot during the summer. If the temperature is too
high and it is very sweat, then it should drink two to three liters of water.
How To Treat Overhydration Or Water Intoxication
Thankfully, there are several ways to do so. Here’s how you can reverse the dangerous side effects of overhydration or water intoxication:
- Stop any further water intake.
- Seek medical attention if you do not feel well and feel like passing out.
- Stop taking any medication that is causing water retention in the body.
- A doctor may administer sodium to help bring back the balance in your body fluids.
- You may be given diuretics.
As they say, prevention is better than cure. Let’s take a
look at the following ways to prevent overhydration.
Ways To Prevent Overhydration Or Water Intoxication
Here are a few ways you can stop drinking too much water:
- If you have medical conditions like diabetes or kidney problems, talk to your doctor to find out how much water you should consume.
- If you exercise regularly, you may drink 2-4 cups of water per hour while exercising. If you need more water, drink sports drinks as they contain electrolytes that help balance the salts in your body.
- Endurance athletes should measure their weight before and after a race to determine how much water they lost from the body. The lost water can be replenished without running the risk of overhydration.
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I hope that all of you will gain brief knowledge and advantages and disadvantages of WATER.
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