EMAIL THREAD

water

Is it possible to drink too much water in a course of a day?

Sun. Dec 11, 1:12pm

i know if you hyrdate too much and aren't exercising, you lower the sodium in your body to a sometimes dangerously low level...drink enough to have pale yellow or clear urine...

Sunday, December 11, 2005, 3:21 PM

Too much water

I would second the comment about drinking enough water to make one's urine pale yellow or clear. This should be ample hydration for most people.

Although it is perhaps rare, drinking too much water can be fatal.

Recently a Washington, D.C. officer, as I recall the article, died from this after taking part in an athletic event.

I have read other accounts of people, usually endurance athletes, super-hydrating and becoming ill.

Digby

Sunday, December 11, 2005, 4:40 PM

It is possible to overhydrate and it CAN be fatal but I think for most people it's pretty hard to drink too much water. I've suffered from water intoxication (okay...I'm beginning to realize my friends and I are all medical freaks as we come down with the WEIRDEST stuff) and it took a LOT of obsessive-compulsive water drinking to get to the point of messing with my electrolytes.

OP, is this a question where you want to know if you're drinking too much or is this a question where you want to know what a "normal" amount is? I'm not so sure that last sentence made sense but I HOPE you will understand...

Monday, December 12, 2005, 12:05 PM

I was just hoping I wasn't drinking too much, but you're right. I'd have to pretty much stop eating as well to deplete my electolyte balance significantly or be working out for long long periods (which is definitely not the case at the moment.)

OP

Monday, December 12, 2005, 3:20 PM

Yes, Water, like anything else, can be toxic if taken in too large of a quantitly.

(A college student in a fraternity recently died due to being forced to drink gallons of water.)

Monitoring the color of your urine is a good idea-- a light yellow tint is a good sign. Also, if you are working out, make sure to replace your sweat with electrolytes vs. just plain water, and you should be okay.

If you are hiking and participating in strenuous exercise, it's okay to drink water, but if you aren't using any type of gatorade, just make sure you are eating plenty of salty snacks to make up for the lost sodium.

Of course, if you are on any kind of medication, always check with your doctor to make sure you aren't overdoing anything!

Wednesday, December 21, 2005, 2:32 PM

An Ayurvedic doctor once told me that some people can never drink more than a glass of water all day and be fine; others who require a glass every hour. Just listen to your body. But, IN GENERAL, he says there is nothing wrong with drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day. Hot water is even better, if you sip it throughout the day. It actually helps lose weight. There are other uses of water, such as sankaprakshalana, or intestinal cleaning (you drink up to 16 glasses of water, do five very simple exercises and whosh! you get a thorough radiator flush!).

Thursday, December 22, 2005, 10:27 AM

16 glasses at once? wow, i don't know if i could get that much down, and i drink an awful lot of water normally. has anyone tryed something like that?

Thursday, December 22, 2005, 4:11 PM

again, you need to be very careful not to over-consume water-- I imagine the 16 glasses of water also depends upon the size of the person....

I would be wary of just consuming that much water in 1 sitting...

Friday, December 23, 2005, 1:48 AM

water

i actually did the sankhaprakshalana, or intestinal cleaning, twice. you drink one glass at a time, do the five exercises six times (takes about 2-3 minutes). By that time, the five valves in various parts of the intestine open and let out the water. you then drink the second glass and do the exercise.by that time, the stomach has become empty and the water has gone into the duodenum. in about 20-30 minutes you have to run to the toilet. by the 16th glass, the water out is as clear as the water you drank and that means there's absolutely nothing in the body and the alimentary canal gets a complete rest for the first time in your life. you are supposed to follow certain other rigid practices for 14 days (no alcohol, no non-vegetarian stuff, no tobacco, no stimulants, only raw/cooked vegetables). there's an easier one, in which you only drink two glasses of water every day and do the exercises. it at least gets you going in the morning. No exlax!

Friday, December 23, 2005, 4:46 AM

I too have done the shankhprakshalana kriya.
The water you take in generally a little bit warm and salted. It absolutely cleans your bowels and you feel GREAT afterwards.

Monday, December 26, 2005, 1:18 AM

two glasses first thing in the morning

I just drink two glasses of warm water first thing in the morning. Feels great. Over the years, I've given up drinking ice-cold water and switced to drinking warm water throughout the day and my weight has also dropped over the years, although i don't know if it is because of the water or something else. Ayurveda, however, believes it is because hot water eliminates what it considers toxins.

Monday, December 26, 2005, 10:02 AM

considering the inside temp of your body is about 98 degrees, drinking really cold water regularly can be a shock to your system. I only drink cool water after a workout, or in a summer day when I need to cool down. If you don't need to cool down, don't drink it with ice.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005, 11:57 PM

shankhprak shalana kriya

I just tried the two cups of warm water w/salt this morning, and my stomach has been upset ever since. Is this normal?

Wednesday, December 28, 2005, 2:29 PM

Too much Water

I am very confused by how much water I should be drinking before, during, and after exercise as well as during and between meals. Any advice? I run six miles straight and have a hard time if I drink a lot of water before running. However, if I am dehydrated, I can barely run.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005, 10:30 PM

too much salt may make you nauseous

this is to the person who complained of an upset stomach after drinking two cups of warm water with salt. if there is too much salt, it can make SOME people nauseous. For some people, even a little bit of salt may cause the nausea. Try after a couple of days, but without the salt. Listen to your body. You'll soon learn what is right for you. I've been doing this hot water thing for years and have had no problems whatsoever. I did try the intestinal flush once, but at home (all sites warn you against doing this, but I was stupid). There was no major problem but I did become depressed that I had been eating a lot of junk for years. In an 'ashram' or a reputed health center, the staff would have counselled you and decided when to stop the plan. A friend then told me to instead switch to drinking hot water in the morning and that has really helped me a lot. If I do the stretches for the intestinal flush, I really have to run to the toilet within 30 minutes!

Thursday, December 29, 2005, 4:25 AM

I'm intrigued by these internal flush stretches - does any one have a good online resource where I can look at them and maybe even try them? Also, are they flushing mostly water, or do they move the solids along, also?

Thursday, December 29, 2005, 9:06 AM

To the poster who is confused about drinking during exercise:

Unless it is very hot where you are running, I don't think you need to drink water during a 6 mile run. I also can't drink very much immediately before running, or I get wicked sideaches. So I try to stay generally hydrated through the day, then not drink anything for about an hour before I run (or just a small glass of water maybe 30 minutes before I head out, especially in the morning when I haven't been drinking all night). Then I drink a big glass or two of water when I get home. 6 miles is my "long" run - I try to get it in once a week, but I more typically run 3 miles, and this has worked fine for me.

I'd say mostly just listen to your body. If you are crazy thirsty at mile 3, bring some water with you and have a drink. If you get a sideache, drink less next time before and during, and more after.

Thursday, December 29, 2005, 9:13 AM

running and water

If you do extended exercise (like running 6 miles - especially in warm weather) it would be good to weigh yourself before and after, to get an idea how much water you are losing. It's not only sweat but also breathing that sheds water. 1 pound equals 1 pint, or close enough.
When you're less hydrated, your blood volume drops and you tend to compensate with a higher heart rate, or else have to lessen the pace. I can tell when this happens on the elliptical, as well as running or cycling.
For more comfortable running, I'd suggest trying to spread out the pre-hydration rather than loading up in the hour or so before.
Hyponatremia (low blood sodium) illness and death from drinking too much water aren't very common, but they do happen. You can find info many places on the web. It's worth reading up on if you will be doing extended exercise (2+ hours) in warm or hot conditions

Thursday, December 29, 2005, 10:23 AM

intestinal cleaning makes you clean as a whistle

to the person who is confused about intestinal cleaning. Here's a good site of a reputed yoga center in scandinavia.
http://www.scand-yoga.org/english/bindu/bindu8/index.html

The article has pictures and detailed instructions on how to go about it. My advice would be to do only the easy one with two or three glasses of water and NOT, repeat NOT, the full one, which should be done under the guidance of an expert.

Thursday, December 29, 2005, 11:00 AM

Water during exercising

I always bring Gatorade w/me if I'm running 5 miles or more, even in the colder months. It's very important to stay hydrated. When it's colder, your body doesn't always realize that it needs the hydration. I run in the mornings, so I always make sure to drink at least 2 c of water before heading out, then stay well hydrated throughout the day.

Thursday, December 29, 2005, 11:53 AM

For the person who was asking about water. This is a great thread

Friday, January 27, 2006, 12:09 PM

water intoxication

last year i went on a radical diet that consisted of water water water water and more water...w/ the occasional morsel of food....

to be perfectly honest, i suffered from anorexia, but i learned a lot from it...

like #1.. there IS such thing as too much water.

my dad's a doctor, so as soon as I started puking up clear one day he knew exactly what was going on... the sodium level was down in my body and i was reguretating all teh water i had put into my body... since then i have learned my limits, and gotten over my disorder... that day of my intoxication i had drank 2 gallons... i am sure hardly eating food contributed to the rapid sodium loss though...

anyhow... i am 5'4 and at the time weighed 100 pounds... i learned that i should stick around 12 to avoid getting sick....

i'm sure now that im 112 and alot healthier i could probably drink more... but 12 is pretty good... but i definitely recommend drinking alot of water ... i lost 22 pounds doing it last year.

Monday, February 6, 2006, 12:12 AM

Beware--
Drinking too much water can screw up your electroylyes AND kill you, or cause many problems.

LISTEN to your body. if your urine is not a light lemon yellow in color, you are ingesting too much water!

Monday, February 6, 2006, 12:27 AM

a note about what drinking 64 oz. of water a day has done for me...

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to drink at least 64 oz. of water a day (equivalent to two large Nalgene bottles.) I've done it almost religiously for 2006 and it has really helped my skin. I used to get really horrible, painful breakouts once a month and I no longer do.

Yes, I have to go to the bathroom more often, but it's worth it for my general sense of well-being. (The water may also be helping me to sleep better, but I have no proof of that...)

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 6:04 PM

Since 3 days back I have started the much talked about practice of begginging your day with 6-7 glasses of water or so. As soon as I wake up, I clear my bowels, brush my teeth and then head for drinking normal temperatured water (kept at room temperature).

The problem is that at once I am unable to consume more than 3-4 of normal-sized glasses of water, and after even these 3-4 glasses I feel nauseous for about half-an-hour afterwards.

I thought its probably due to gaps between each glass (gaps equal to the time taken in filling up the next glass), so today I tried drinking it continuously from a jug instead. But no improvement in situation.

I am a 5'6" female with average body dimensions but excessive bodyweight. I Weigh 70 kgs and measure 30" around the waist.

could someone please help as to is this a starting out problem, as my body is not accustomed to this new practice, or is something really wrong with either my body or the ritual itself? (of starting your day with huge quantities of water, as recommended by an exceptionally large number of websites, yoga practitioners and people who have benefitted themselves)

Monday, May 19, 2008, 9:55 PM

dont drink so much at once. try sipping throughout the day (as one PP said 2 nalgenes full). Drinking all that water in one episode will make anyone sick.

Monday, May 19, 2008, 10:31 PM

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