Let's Talk Hydration

Diet and Nutrition
1

Lets talk about something I haven’t seen mentioned around here. Proper hydration. I never gave it much thought, thinking I should just drink as much water as I possibly could.

But then I read something in one of the articles here that lead me to believe that it may be possible to over-hydrate. The article was talking specifically about how dehydration and then subsequent “hypo-hydration” is bad for you (Not sure if it was “hypo-” or “hyper-hydration.” Didn’t know what it meant, but I guessed it meant drinking alot of water, more than usual, to compensate for the dehydration). I wish I could remember where I saw that article.

So my questions are:
Is it possible to drink too much water?
If so, why, How does it harm you? If not, why not?
If it IS possible, then how much water is too much for an individual?
Is there some sort of body weight to ounces ratio for determining how much water one should drink?

I’ve been a member for a while now but I never had a question to ask on here that I couldn’t find an answer to in a previous thread.

2

To answer your questions

  1. yes.
  2. flushes out your electrolytes, causes osmotic imbalances which can lead to cardiac dysfunction in extreme cases.
  3. depends on the individual and the environment - ie heat issues, sodium intake, electrolyte intake, etc
  4. nope - none that is worth a shit - see #3.

When you’re thirsty, drink. Always have water available when you’re going to need it and you’ll be OK. People really blow this hydration thing way outta whack. Just be prepared and you’ll be fine. listen to your body, it will tell you.

DJ