When a 28-year old Californian mother of three children died from drinking too much water, the worldtook notice if only for a moment. She was found dead shortly after she took part in a radio-station-sponsored water-drinking contest. The station promised a free Wii video game system for the person who could hold their wee longest.
Doctors examining her believe she drank approximately two gallons. And the promoters laughed and heckled contestants who complained.
OK. It was at best unfortunate, at worst idiotic, but what it did highlight is our lack of science on such a fundamental question. How much water is ‘enough’? For me it’s even more relevant because AlkaWay water is far more hydrating than ordinary water, so there should also be some rule of thumb we can apply for this type of water. I’m also aware that some promoters of water similar to ours recommend extremely high volumes per day – on the ‘more is better‘ principle, I assume.
Why would we even think that more is better when nothing else we ingest works with the same rule. basically, everything we ingest should be eaten or drunk in moderaion.. but just what is moderation?
Here’s the problem in a nutshell:
- Ingesting more water increases your total blood volume. Your blood volume exists within a closed system – your circulatory system – so unnecessarily increasing your blood volume on a regular basis must add unnecessary burden on your heart and blood vessels.
- Your kidneys work overtime to remove excess water. They are only capable of processing a set amount of fluid per day, so excess water is overloading them when they should be processing actual internal fluids.Your glomeruli in your kidneys can get damaged by unnecessary work. Excess water is just that; excess unnecessary work.
It’s one of those things that we wouldn’t really notice on a daily basis but it certainly can have an effect over a longer period.
Forcing a large amount of water into you over a short period of time can be fatally dangerous to your health. Here’s why:
If you force large amounts of water into your system over a short period of time, your kidneys will struggle to eliminate enough water from your system to keep the overall amount at a safe level.
As your circulatory system becomes diluted with excess water, the concentration of electrolytes in your blood will drop relative to the concentration of electrolytes in your cells. In an effort to maintain an equal balance of electrolytes between your blood and your cells, water will seep into your cells from your blood, causing your cells to swell.
If this swelling occurs in your brain, you’ll experience increased intracranial pressure i.e. your brain will get squeezed because the flat bones that make up your skull don’t provide much give. Depending on how much water your drink in a short period of time, you could experience a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from a mild headache to impaired breathing. And as occurred recently in the tragic water-drinking contest, it is quite possible to die if you drink enough water in a short enough period of time.
How much water should you drink to best support your health?
Sorry, but there’s no simple answer. It depends on your personal circumstances, including your diet, exercise habits, and environment.
If you eat plenty of foods that are naturally rich in water, such as vegetables, fruits, and cooked legumes and whole grains, you may not need to drink much water at all. If you do not use much or any salt and other seasonings, your need for drinking water goes down even further.
If you do not eat a lot of plant foods and/or you add substantial salt and spices to your meals, you may need to drink several glasses of water every day.
Regardless of what your diet looks like, if you sweat on a regular basis because of exercise or a warm climate, you will need to supply your body with more water (through food and/or liquids) than someone who does not sweat regularly, and watch for signs of dizziness and fatigue through electrolyte loss.
After listening to all of the evidence over many years, I believe the above is the best advice I can give. Thirst is something many people ignore. They actually don’t drink water – usually because it doesn’t come in a fizzy or sugar-laced version. They are not even aware that many of the drinks they choose as alternatives may actually increase dehydration or be diuretics. If you are such a person I’d seriously suggest re-acquainting yourself with the sense of thirst. I found when i began drinking alkaline ionized water that my body told me it wanted water; something I’d never experienced with tap water. By the same token I began pee-ing more often, indicating to me that my body was fully hydrating with less water. It’s my observation that many of us think of hydration in terms of eight glasses a day. I know Dr Young recommends massive volumes.. but I think we should be thinking less about volume as a measure of hydration and more about cellular effect. If, as i believe, ionized water hydrates far more effectively than tap water, then it follows that we need less. That being said, i still manage about 2 litres per day happily, despite my benign hyperplasic prostate ad its obvious effect.
One tip is to check your urine. Clear urine indicates hydration, but be aware that some supplements like Vitamin B and some foods will colour up your urine ‘artificially’.
Summarizing, take stock of how much water you are drinking – not tea, not coffee, not Coke.. only water hydrates.
Get in touch with how you feel when you increase your intake. It’s common for newcomers to our water to be actually told they ‘look hydrated’ so be aware that true hydration can improve your appearance. Observe your urination frequency and colour. And finally, DON’T listen to people who insist that health lies in more, more and more intake of their water.
