My mom, knowing I drink a 1-2 gallons of water a day, recently showed me an article in a health magazine that got me worried.
It basically talks about water intoxication, and how the body maintains a delicate balance of sodium and electrolytes in the fluid outside the cells. Drinking too much water at once upsets that balance, and prompts the cells to absorb the excess water. The excess water causes the cells to swell.
Normally this isn’t a problem, because most cells can accomodate this swelling, but brain cells are confined by the skull. It goes on to say that brain swelling causes most hyponatremia symptoms.
It doesn’t say how much water is too much, but it does recommend a daily “total water” intake of 2.7 liters.
Unless your drinking 2 gallons of water in a relatively short amount of time there shouldn’t be a problem. I drink a gallon of water in the 1.5-2hours i’m at the gym and i’m fine. And then drink about another gallon throughout the rest of my day. It’s okay. As for any imbalances as long as you eat a bannana or something you should be alright. Should be haveing a PWO meal anyways.
I know I’m fine now, but the first thing that popped into my head was the “Shredded in Six Days” program which I eventually want to try once I become lean enough.
What is this bullocks!? I’ve heard of it but I thought it was only possible if you consume 2 gallons in one sitting, like in a rave. I think most of us here consume 2 gallons per day so I wouldn’t take the article to heart.
It’s true. Out here in Iraq there have been several cases of soldiers and Marines dying due to drinking large amounts of water in ONE SITTING. There is no problem with drinking large amounts of water throughout the day though, although I would probably put a sprinkle or two of sea salt in it from time to time. Having too much sodium is bad for you, however, having too little is just as bad when drinking large amounts of water and not getting enough of it in your diet. Anyway, that is just my .02.
Its the combination of excessive amounts of water drinking in a short time in tandem with the excessive loss of sodium that is what causes problems. So as long as your drikning your quota for the day in addition to making sure you get enough sodium in your diet you really have nothing to worry about.